I agree with you on pretty much all points, but it's still sad. Still, though, if we're talking about seeing the world in a realistic manner, a group of people

I agree with you on pretty much all points, but it's still sad. Still, though, if we're talking about seeing the world in a realistic manner, a group of people who lost a mascot, one of their own, will not be able to hear your message. And Aaron really was a mascot. Most of the people who feel affected by his death didn't know him and weren't even particularly touched by his work during his life. It doesn't make it less sad, though. You won't be able to convince them of anything, because they can't hear it right now. With his death, Aaron became an icon, and anyone can attribute anything they want to him to make his life and death personally meaningful to them. Sadly the complex, troubled individual is mostly lost in this hagiographizing. I thought the Slate piece was the best and most nuanced thing I read about him so far. It jived with what I knew of him personally.