Sorry, But Death Is Not Always Sad
There’s been a lot of tonescolding on Twitter due to a mass of reactions to… let’s just say “recent events”.
I had a moment of thinking it might be somewhat beneficial to repost this quick post I wrote 4 years ago.
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON SEE EVERY MONSTER, FEBRUARY 14, 2016.
Yesterday, news hit that Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia had passed away. And, while some consider him a great man and Supreme Court Justice, others don’t. I fall into the “others” category (ironically, Scalia put me there pointedly in several of his opinions). The internet, as it often does, responded in a very aggressive black-or-white manner. Some mourned the loss of an iconic (if irascible and polarizing) political and judicial figure. Others celebrated the removal of an active hate-mongerer and the bright horizon which may lay ahead in his replacement.
A backlash began to form against the latter (of course) crying decorum and respect for a life lost and a man dead, no matter his politics. However, this call for decorum and respect ignores a very real issue—politics are our lives, especially those who do not share the same rights as other citizens—and, therefore, people are bound to get incredibly emotional.
Look, let’s be real. I’m a big proponent of the idea of not celebrating someone’s death, and human beings are human beings—beautiful in their flaws. But, really, you can’t spout this sort of “no one should celebrate the death of a person” nonsense. Of course you can be relieved that a person has died. If a person has spent their life trying to restrict your life, spent their life working to keep you inconsequential, marginalized, and handicapped, a person who oversaw (and attempted to oversee) the destruction of your very existence: you’re allowed to breathe free.
People say we should give him time to respect his life. He gave no such time period to our families after the same sex marriage ruling, with which he vehemently dissented. Or, when he argued we (as homosexuals) should essentially be made illegal in Lawrence v Texas. He was a public figure by choice and made himself even more public. Time periods of forced “recognition” are only further opportunities to silence the oppressed. Not every life deserves respect, especially when he spent his entire life disrespecting our lives. I will not be guilted or bullied into crying for a homophobe. Sorry.
It’s a beautiful notion to think you should always take the high ground in all situations, but like I said earlier, we’re human beings, we’re emotional, and we’re flawed. So, if you feel some sort of relief or even joy at the dissipation of the dark cloud which hung heavy over the Supreme Court of these United States, feel it, you’ve suffered long enough to deserve it.
We don’t tell the Munchkins that it’s too soon to celebrate the Wicked Witch of the East’s death.
