Thanks for writing this. I’m glad another reader brought Hyperreality into this discussion. The blending of fact and fiction and the impact of this phenomenon on the viewer/audience carry a lot of weight in this story.

As your thoughtful piece demonstrates, there is also a great deal of projection going on in the audience individually and collectively. It’s impossible to break this story down to a level of truth that separates the real, the fictional , and the projected.

There are many things going on here at once, but this heartfelt piece makes a good case for how the conundrum of celebrity in a media-driven world impacts someone who sincerely wants to make sense of it.

I appreciate and applaud your effort to come to terms with it.