General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Folks, there are very good reasons why a body isn't shown to loved ones. [View all]anneboleyn
(5,626 posts)your responses onto a woman who is an adult and fully capable of making her own decisions. There is no reason why others should be making choices for her based on some notion that she will be "traumatized." Of course she realizes that his appearance will be nothing like it was and that his body likely displays savage wounds (including, possibly, massive brain injury or even decapitation -- but it's still her choice!!!) and higher levels of decomposition.
But trying to claim that she is too delicate to see the body is vocalizing nothing more than an age-old stereotype about women being too weak to see the difficult things in life, especially in war. Never mind that women bring these young men marked for death into the world amidst pain and blood and torn flesh as his mother cries out in pain. These women know the true pain and the blood that accompanies a child's birth. It's ridiculous to pretend that she's too delicate, now we have women in battle, women in the police, women doctors, nurses etc, all of them see carnage and all live with it. They serve us nobly, with incredible fortitude. Thank god for them. In my opinion the gov or army stepping in (or worst of all anyone on DU) to prevent her from doing so (looking at his body and witnessing to his sacrifice) is the deepest violation of a woman's rights. It is grotesque, and frankly a violation of our rights.
In fact the excellent hbo movie Kelly mentioned, about the return of a marine's remains, shows that his family DECIDES not to view his body after it is recommended that his remains are probably not suitable for viewing. They permitted the family to look and to decide on their own. And THAT'S THE BEST WAY TO HANDLE THIS. They did NOT treat the family like children and take their choice away from them.
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I have no idea what you are getting at but I think our culture has a pathetic relationship to death as it is -- we hide it away at all costs (and of course the bereaved are often caught off guard by the absurd demands for the SUPER SEALED EXTRA SOFTPADDED CASKED SURROUNDED NY A CONCRETE VAULT THAT PLAYS NONSTOPPSSŚ?.We do everything we can to hide it's I In the 19th century families kept deceased family members in the home for a wake and then off to burial. No circus makeup and embalming. The modern trends of embalming, covering up the face with makeup, etc, shows our terror of the reality of death. I highlyyour responses onto a woman who is an adult and fully capable of making her own decisions. There is no reason why others should be making choices for her based on some notion that she will be "traumatized." Of course she realizes that his appearance will be nothing like it was and that his body likely displays savage wounds (including, possibly, massive brain injury or even decapitation -- but it's still her choice!!!) and higher levels of decomposition.
But trying to claim that she is too delicate to see the body is vocalizing nothing more than an age-old stereotype about women being too weak to see the difficult things in life, especially in war. Never mind that women bring these young men marked for death into the world amidst pain and blood and torn flesh as his mother cries out in pain. These women know the true pain and the blood that accompanies a child's birth. It's ridiculous to pretend that she's too delicate, now we have women in battle, women in the police, women doctors, nurses etc, all of them see carnage and all live with it. They serve us nobly, with incredible fortitude. Thank god for them. In my opinion the gov or army stepping in (or worst of all anyone on DU) to prevent her from doing so (looking at his body and witnessing to his sacrifice) is the deepest violation of a woman's rights. It is grotesque, and frankly a violation of our rights.
In fact the excellent hbo movie Kelly mentioned, about the return of a marine's remains, shows that his family DECIDES not to view his body after it is recommended that his remains are probably not suitable for viewing. They permitted the family to look and to decide on their own. And THAT'S THE BEST WAY TO HANDLE THIS. They did NOT treat the family like children and take their choice away from them.
,'
I have no idea what you are getting at but I think our culture has a pathetic relationship to death as it is -- we hide it away at all costs (and of course the bereaved are often caught off guard by the absurd demands for the SUPER SEALED EXTRE PADDED CASKED SURROUNDED NY A CONCRETE VAULT.We do everything we can to hide it's I In the 19th century families kept deceased family members in the home for a wake and then off to burial. No circus makeup and embalming. The modern trends of embalming, covering up the face with supe
makeup, etc, shows our terror of the reality of death. I highly, highly recommend the YouTube videos and writings of the smashing Caitlin Doughty (she also have as Ted talk and a recent AMA thread of highly recommend the YouTube videos and writings of the smashing Caitlin Doughty ( kkkkl
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