| It's not societal encumbrance all the time. For the mainstream variety of death shown in the media, it's the reminder of the person's own mortality that they are repulsed/attracted with.
I hope you're not interchanging social encumbrance with compassion. Compassion is self generated and helps you understand your place among your surroundings better. Being told or supposed to think a tragic event is sad or horrible is not compassion. It has to be genuine. And I don't think it's a sign of weakness. It's hard to accept pain and the expectation of it is even worse. Compassion is another way to confront the fear of death and also a way accept some of those emotions you keep locked up.
Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups |