Why do we so fear the dead?

[Book Lover]

Maybe this is better suited to The Meeting Room, but I'll ask it here.

In GD and other places here and elsewhere, I keep on reading that we must "respect the dead." Exactly why? Why is it OK for me to say that RR was a duplicitous and ignorant tool last week, but not today? Do you fear the wrath of the dead? Is his ghost going to break your dishes? This is not a call to pour on the vitriol, but I want to take issue with those who say that I and others should be quiet because the man is dead.

[Lestat]

1. I don't fear the dead...

because I am the dead. Vampire here! :D

[Book Lover]

5. But isn't undead different

from real dead? Like, does blood still circulate in your veins? Forgive me, I never read The Masquerade rules...

[Lestat]

9. Yes...yes it is.

The blood still does flow through the veins. Also, the body is still animate and conscious.

[flamingyouth]

2. I don't fear the dead

But if a dead person suddenly showed up at my house, I'd probably be somewhat frightened, yeah. ;)

[Burma Jones]

3. A lot of people do not like their music n/t

[TrogL]

4. In case we catch it too

Probably a carryover from the days of the plague or even earlier when people would drop dead and nobody knew why but sometimes it was catching and sometimes it wasn't.

Better to play safe.

[BiggJawn]

6. Maybe because they can't "fight back"?

But in this case, Ray-Guns couldn't fight back for the last 10 years, so that doesn't wash.

Maybe he'll haunt us or something. Let me know if you wake up in the middle of the night with the aroma of "Gubbmint Cheez" in the room...

[YellowRubberDuckie]

7. I think people think we should respect the dead because....

they're dead and aren't here to defend themselves. My mom is especially obsessed with it. I got slapped after someone in my family died and I called him a bastard. "Respect the dead Melissa!" God, what hypocracy. Of course, I don't subscribe to these archaic ideas, and cursed RR's body before it was even cold.
Duckie

[Sapphocrat]

8. Because we don't want anyone speaking ill of us when we're dead.

I think we're silly enough to believe that if we refrain from dissing the dead, we'll receive the same courtesy when we're mouldering away in our graves. Fat chance; I fully expect a lot of people to pee on my grave. And if they do, it will be bcause I gave them reason to. Since we're all imperfect (and downright bastards at times), we're afraid of what others will say when we're gone.

As if we'll care by then.

(Then, of course, there's just blind superstition -- as if dead people will somehow get us back for saying mean things about them... or maybe God will punish us for picking on somebody who can't fight back.)

[iconoclastic cat]

10. They're coming for you, Barbara...

[daligirrl]

12. You got it, Cat. . .

I'm always afraid they'll come in the night and eat my brain.

[iconoclastic cat]

13. Look, there's one of them now!

[iconoclastic cat]

14. Maybe it's your slippers that are the problem?

[iconoclastic cat]

15. They're all around us!

[La Lioness Priyanka]

11. i dont know

but whenever i refer to my Evil Granddmother somebody always says respect the dead...why should i? didnt respect her when she was alive...stupid narcissistic evil woman!

[jpgray]

16. Because when there's no more room in hell..

the dead will walk the earth.

[kevinam]

17. KARMA!!!!

I think that is a major portion of it. If you talk bad about someone who can't defend themselves, bad things are going to happen. Just my opinion. If someone close to me died, and someone was saying nasty things about them, I would want to defend the person that died. I would think most of us would. Probably similar to someone that is sick. Maybe you are not like that, but I would think most are...Kevin.

[Book Lover]

20. And here is my point

You say that if one speaks ill of a dead person, "bad things" happen as a direct result. Why? How? If the dead person can't defend themselves, then what is behind the bad things that happen to people?And what if the dead person sits up in this supposed afterlife (most folks here likely know I am a hard atheist) and says, "You know, what, you people were right! I was a total shit during life." Whence vengance then?

[put out]

21. If they sit up, won't they bonk their foreheads.

And then they would have a real headache. Or destroy all the makeup we put on them. Or be so upset.

Go ahead and speak bad about a person who has died. They won't hurt you and they won't hurt anyone else. The only thing hurt is your feelings.

As my uncle said, "If you don't go to your friends' funerals, they won't come to yours".

[Whoa_Nelly]

23. Didn't respect Reagan when he was alive

and I don't respect him now. It's social BS that probably evolved from religious superstition over many hundreds of years that it's important to respect the dead or your karma will come back to bite you in the ass. My karma is just fine, perhaps even better, by being honest. I didn't respect Ronald Reagan last week, don't respect him this week, and can guarantee I won't have any respect for him at any time after today. The man never earned it...not even in his stellar performance in Bedtime For Bongo
O8)

From this site (based in Judeo-Christian rhetoric):
http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:eGVEC_1tsn0J:www.africanazarene.org/downloads/theologyconf/Paper%2520S%2520Daka%2520Hope.doc++%22respect+the+dead%22++origin&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

It is a fact that our involvement in funeral rites is not to worship but to respect the dead. There seems to be evidence in the scriptures that honour was given to the dead in their burial (see Genesis 23:19; 49:29, and 50:25). Proper burial was a sign of respect to the dead and this burial involved ceremonies and mourning according to the customs of that time. However, it should be mentioned that even though there are customs of burial found in the Old Testament or even in the New Testament it does not mean that they are required of us today. But the question of honouring and respecting the dead must be seen in light of what the scriptures teach. It needs to be emphasized here that the African culture has one element that is admirable and desirable which other cultures must learn. This has to do with giving respect and honour to parents and elders in society. It is one of the best elements in culture that need to be preserved, maintained, and promoted despite the pressure to let it loose.

[kevinam]

18. KARMA!!!!-duplicate, deleted.

edited, duplicate...Kevin.

[RebelOne]

19. In my opinion, it's not the dead that we should fear,

but the living, since those who are gone cannot harm you.

[rbnyc]

22. While I'm in the fuck Reagan crowd...

...I do think the reason people say we must respect the dead is because no matter how horrible a person was, someone loved that person and is mourning. I think they're really asking for respect for the mourners.

I don't knock people for that. I get it. But I'm still inclined to provide some balance to the absurd elevation of his character in the media.

[ikojo]

25. Yeah, someone loved Hitler and mourned his passing.

You know that Hitler really wasn't a bad guy after all. He was a vegetarian who loved animals. Hated Jews but loved animals.

[rbnyc]

26. Yeah, I hear you.

I'm on your side. I just somewhat understand what the "respect the dead" folks are saying.

[ikojo]

24. I don't understand, either, why a person suddenly becomes a

saint upon death. Death does not negate any of the stuff Reagan did when he had power. It does not negate the legacy he left us in the form of poppy bush and *.

He was a prick when he was alive and death did not change that condition, IMHO.

[PittPoliSci]

27. BECAUSE THEY'RE NOTHING BUT BRAIN EATERS!

VICIOUS LOT, ALL OF THEM!:evilgrin: