On Deification & Free Speech
April 7, 2008 — Jared
People tend to look back at past civilizations and laugh at attributes that set them apart from us. Emperors in Rome, for instance, adopted themselves into Imperator lineages posthumously and were later deified after they died, which meant that nobody could speak badly of them once they passed away. How silly.
With the passing of Charlton Heston, headlines alluding to the fact that you can now have his gun due to his cold dead hands were met with criticism. Apparently, once a person dies, all the issues that you disagreed with them on should just be forgotten, and only kind words spoken about them. If you believe in gun control the time isn’t now, nor ever, to voice any criticism towards the former NRA president.
Deifying the dead is an absurd tradition that I, for one, will not take part in. In the name of free speech, yet fearing divine retribution, I will leave any mockery regarding removing the gun from his hand before rigor mortis sets in to someone else.
May 11, 2008 at 10:27 AM
Yes you’re right, whenever someone dies or is too old you must forget about what he has done, what he has said o what he stands for. And if you don’t you’re accused not to have respect or to be inappropriate. It’s something that happens very often in my country.
I remember when Bowling a Columbine was released some journalist and “thinkers” (there is never lack of them) accused Moore of having been ruthless towards an old sick man: puff! What Heston had stated in the past and what he stood for….disappeared!
Can there be something more hypocritical?