Hey, I’m not the person you’re replying to but I also wondered “why ‘unfortunately’?”.
For me, it was because the “unfortunately” seemed to be hinting at something pretty specific. It’s always (/usually) unfortunate when somebody dies, so I wouldn’t usually specify it unless I was, for instance, hinting at something in particular.
I expected your link to explain something - I actually thought maybe you were setting up a joke just due to the phrasing, but it just goes to her Wikipedia page which sort of just leaves the lingering question of… Well, why is this death specifically “unfortunate”, compared to all the other deaths involved in the context of the post?
Your reply gives context, and it’s good context that she was a good person with a great cause, but it’s also quite removed from the fact of her death… I’m not sure, even if I’d have known that context beforehand, that I would’ve made the connection that that’s what you meant by “unfortunately”.
Might just be a “me” thing, but that was my interpretation of your comment, since you were asking for interpretation ✌️
Oh, also, it’s not a mistake really, it’s a strange little edge case where interpretation meets a bunch of little context clues and things get a bit muddy, that’s all. Happens all the time with English, and especially through text-only formats like this!
Interesting, thank you for the response. I’ve never really thought about it, but I think I often say it in that context as an additional indicator of respect for the deceased. I simply don’t consider the deaths of people I don’t care for to be unfortunate, while obviously the inverse is true for those I do.
Guess I’ll have to contemplate on whether I should continue that habit if it implies some sinister meaning to some. I honestly doubt I’ll change it as it’s too ingrained at this point in my life, but if it causes too many to read darkly into it then maybe…
I wouldn’t say it makes people read for a sinister or dark meaning at all! It just can sometimes, like in this case, imply that something about this death specifically is more unfortunate than usual. I don’t think it’s something to change your language over, certainly not something to stress about!
Hey, I’m not the person you’re replying to but I also wondered “why ‘unfortunately’?”.
For me, it was because the “unfortunately” seemed to be hinting at something pretty specific. It’s always (/usually) unfortunate when somebody dies, so I wouldn’t usually specify it unless I was, for instance, hinting at something in particular.
I expected your link to explain something - I actually thought maybe you were setting up a joke just due to the phrasing, but it just goes to her Wikipedia page which sort of just leaves the lingering question of… Well, why is this death specifically “unfortunate”, compared to all the other deaths involved in the context of the post?
Your reply gives context, and it’s good context that she was a good person with a great cause, but it’s also quite removed from the fact of her death… I’m not sure, even if I’d have known that context beforehand, that I would’ve made the connection that that’s what you meant by “unfortunately”.
Might just be a “me” thing, but that was my interpretation of your comment, since you were asking for interpretation ✌️
Oh, also, it’s not a mistake really, it’s a strange little edge case where interpretation meets a bunch of little context clues and things get a bit muddy, that’s all. Happens all the time with English, and especially through text-only formats like this!
Interesting, thank you for the response. I’ve never really thought about it, but I think I often say it in that context as an additional indicator of respect for the deceased. I simply don’t consider the deaths of people I don’t care for to be unfortunate, while obviously the inverse is true for those I do.
Guess I’ll have to contemplate on whether I should continue that habit if it implies some sinister meaning to some. I honestly doubt I’ll change it as it’s too ingrained at this point in my life, but if it causes too many to read darkly into it then maybe…
I wouldn’t say it makes people read for a sinister or dark meaning at all! It just can sometimes, like in this case, imply that something about this death specifically is more unfortunate than usual. I don’t think it’s something to change your language over, certainly not something to stress about!
Fair enough. Again, thank you.