Respect for the dead

[Limey 524]

So today was Margret Thatcher's funeral, possible one of the most influential and controversial figures in UK politics. She was Britain's first female Prime Minister and also the longest serving one to date. She was well known for not backing down to demands, and although this earned her a lot of respect (again, she was the longest serving PM of Britain to date), it also earned her a lot of hatred from people, especially those living in mining communities that were decimated by the actions of the Conservative government under her control.

 

Now don't get me wrong, I can understand why people may hate her, I really can. I don't know enough to fully understand what she did, but she couldn't have been as bad as some people made out since she was never elected out (she retired). But even then, I know the kind of damage she did to some of these mining communities.

 

What I am angry about though, is the disrespect that people have shown towards her. It's one thing to hate the woman, but another to protest at her funeral. Booing as her coffin was taken down the road, parties thrown in the streets, in one town they burned a straw likenesses of her like it was Bonfire night, and the song from the Wizard of Oz 'Ding dong the witch is dead' reached NUMBER 2 in the charts.

 

What the hell is wrong with some people? Maybe I would take this a little easier if she was still in politics, hell, I probably would have taken it better if she was still alive, but this was the funeral of an old lady. This is supposed to be a time when her family and friends can happily remember and reflect on her life. Are people really this low and disrespectful?

 

And just to make it clear, I am in no way political. I support none of the political parties as of yet because I don't have the vote and I don't trust our current politicians at all. It just makes me sick that so many people participated in these frankly barbaric celebrations. Filthy scumbags.

 

*Rant end*

Edited April 17, 2013 by Spess

[AppleJared 87]

I understand and completely agree. I am not British in any way but there is a respect for the dead that needs to be held, even for the worst of humans no matter the gender or nationality.

 

That being said, people often have reasons for doing what other consider disrespectful and most of the times (especially concerning politics) those reasons are swept under the rug. We only see her side of things unless we dig deep under aforementioned rug. Some of those people's lives were ruined, and not only that, but their families too. They have earned a bit of leniency with their actions.

 

At the end of the day, however, our job as Bronies and Pegasisters is to love and tolerate, even to those who do not deserve it.

 

Lastly, my advice is to not hold others to the same standard and expectations you hold for yourself. Else, your entire life will be filled with disappointment.

 

RIP Margret Thatcher.

[Circadian 1,273]

By the time she passed, she wasn't the iron lady anymore. She was a sad, broken old woman.

 

May she find the peace in death that she could not find in life.

[Planty 1,053]

 

 

I understand and completely agree. I am not British in any way but there is a respect for the dead that needs to be held, even for the worst of humans no matter the gender or nationality.

 

I totally agree that we should always respect the dead and i don't agree with people's actions within my own country;

 

But she was hated because she destroyed many peoples lives, and many people got made redundant over her time in office. She did some horrible horrible things and caused a lot of pain to many many people (she also did some good things) but it was very split down the middle weather you liked her or not. The problem is most of what she did effected the worst off people within the UK and this is why many just can't forgive her.

 

It's sad I know, but at the same time people seem to condone the celebrating of the death of people like Sadam or other leaders of Al'Queda and the Taliban so I think you have to be careful not to be hypocritical.

[Scootalove 10,689]

Well, I'm all for respecting the dead and all but maybe after she was the iron lady the rest of her life must have went into a downward spiral. But, in general we should all respect the dead even if they did make mistakes.

[N.W. 3,619]

I would have been one of those people, but I would not have protested the funeral or anything like that.

I would be more humble about such.

[Twilight Circuits 603]

What could the truth possibly be but the world is different as a result of her work. The world today may be different if she wasn't in power ever. Love her or hate her is irrellevent to understanding honour in the dead, one can honor the dead but have no love for the them, where-as respect is an element of love.

[Starswirl the Trixie 975]

I saw an article on the Guardian a week ago that discussed this.  After a while of looking, I found it.

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/apr/08/margaret-thatcher-death-etiquette

 

Thatcher was such a public figure that we can't give her all the deepest trappings of respect; she was a controversial figure and should be controversial.  Why must the dead be immune from ridicule and mockery?

 

Social custom sure is odd.  Diogenes was right...

[AppleJared 87]

It's sad I know, but at the same time people seem to condone the celebrating of the death of people like Sadam or other leaders of Al'Queda and the Taliban so I think you have to be careful not to be hypocritical.

I am not one of those people who parties when someone dies, therefore, not hypocritical. I believe some people do not deserve to live because of their actions, but I do not celebrate when they die.

 

But for argument's sake let say I do party when bad people die. I'm not sure if you meant it this way, but comparing Thatcher to Hussein is pretty severe. Where I see the difference is that Thatcher had good intentions for the majority of her constituents, even if her mistakes were often and major. Sadam was a tyrant who used totalitarianism to make himself richer and killed his own people if they did not support him. He even let his son kill people for fun. If I were going to celebrate the death of someone, I would so for people like Hussein, not Thatcher.

 

But maybe I'm just another overweight American neckbeard that needs to get off of the internet more.

Edited April 17, 2013 by AppleJared

[Shanks 10,816]

I never really saw what the point was in dancing on someones grave anyway even if that person was horrible and I am not saying Margaret Thatcher was but even we were to say for the sake of argument that is the case even monsters have families and those family do grieve when their loved ones die.

[Veylon 255]

While I don't advocate celebrating anyone's death - even someone like Hitler or Bin Laden - I also don't think that death makes someone immune from criticism. If she'd been removed from office or her faction had lost control of her party, that might be something meaningful to celebrate, as it would herald a change in policy. But death? No. Nothing good is coming because of it.

[Thunderchild 875]

I am a Brit-and grew up in London in the '80s when Maggie was in power. She was massively influential, and did a lot of good for the country-which is why she was re-elected so many times. She also made some stupid policy decisions, which affected the working class-like the poll Tax, basically a tax on being alive. Nobody paid it, and it was scrapped-but it cost the country billions, and damaged her credibility irreparably.

 

Politicians have the unenviable legacy of having lived in the spotlight, and therefore are subject to posthumous scrutiny that most of us are not. Personally I think she tried to do the right thing by the British people for the most part-remember the Falklands war was during her watch also. Popular support was firmly behind her at the time, although it has waned over time and on reflection by those who had no part in it. Remember also that she was dealing with the ultimate 'Old Boys Club', who were mostly of the opinion that a woman's place is in the home.

 

She was brave-and bravery is to be lauded, whichever side of the issues you stand.

 

I say RIP Maggie-and thanks.

[hawkflame 3,310]

I saw an article on the Guardian a week ago that discussed this.  After a while of looking, I found it.

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/apr/08/margaret-thatcher-death-etiquette

 

Thatcher was such a public figure that we can't give her all the deepest trappings of respect; she was a controversial figure and should be controversial.  Why must the dead be immune from ridicule and mockery?

 

Social custom sure is odd.  Diogenes was right...

 

I think it's fine to be openly critical of a public figure in death, their being dead doesn't undo their actions. 

 

But I think it's another matter to protest their funeral and boo at the casket. Then it's not a matter of being respectful to the dead, it's a matter of giving her family and others who want to mourn, the time and space to do so.