"They do it too" is not an excuse for bad behavior
To say that I've never been a fan of the Reverend Jerry Falwell is to radically understate the case.
That being said, he is still human. He still has family, friends, and congregants who are likely filled with deep sorrow at his death.
And I was brought up to believe that there are moments when you don't stomp on someone, a set of moral convictions that has led me to always believe that it is inappropriate to crow with glee at someone's passing. Doing so is distasteful, dishonorable, and downright crass.
So, I was more than a little disturbed to see some liberal bloggers displaying unmitigated pleasure at Reverend Falwell's death. It's even more difficult to see this coming from bloggers who I genuinely like and respect.
Yes, there will be a time for assessing the man's life and legacy. There will be a time for casting the cold light of day on both his good and bad deeds. But that time is not the day of his death; it is not the day of anyone's death.
What's even more troubling though is the fact that I've seen at least one blogger respond to a comment pointing out how crass her glee was with an observation that she has seen conservatives take similar pleasure. This is true, of course, but that doesn't mean that mimicking their bad behavior is all right. "He does it too" isn't an excuse I would accept from my ten-year-old; it's certainly not a justification I am willing to accept from an adult who is wise enough to know better.
Hat tip to Nicole Belle over at Crooks and Liars for asking that those who comment on her sober and respectful announcement of Falwell's death not turn the thread into a hate-fest.
That being said, he is still human. He still has family, friends, and congregants who are likely filled with deep sorrow at his death.
And I was brought up to believe that there are moments when you don't stomp on someone, a set of moral convictions that has led me to always believe that it is inappropriate to crow with glee at someone's passing. Doing so is distasteful, dishonorable, and downright crass.
So, I was more than a little disturbed to see some liberal bloggers displaying unmitigated pleasure at Reverend Falwell's death. It's even more difficult to see this coming from bloggers who I genuinely like and respect.
Yes, there will be a time for assessing the man's life and legacy. There will be a time for casting the cold light of day on both his good and bad deeds. But that time is not the day of his death; it is not the day of anyone's death.
What's even more troubling though is the fact that I've seen at least one blogger respond to a comment pointing out how crass her glee was with an observation that she has seen conservatives take similar pleasure. This is true, of course, but that doesn't mean that mimicking their bad behavior is all right. "He does it too" isn't an excuse I would accept from my ten-year-old; it's certainly not a justification I am willing to accept from an adult who is wise enough to know better.
Hat tip to Nicole Belle over at Crooks and Liars for asking that those who comment on her sober and respectful announcement of Falwell's death not turn the thread into a hate-fest.
posted by armagh444 | 20:13
1 Comments:
I agree it is bad form to pile on the hate when someone dies. Though perhaps one can make an exception even to that for serial and mass murders.
I didn't really have anything good to say about the man, so I said nothing. I think he has done a lot of harm. I am also annoyed by the reverse of what happens when people die - how only the good gets emphasized, and I think that is also a distortion. Frankly, I think it is most appropriate, if you are going to take the time to discuss someone on the occasion of their death, to talk about the good and the bad, and just give an honest assessment of both, as opposed to putting them up on a pedestal or, conversely, celebrating in some morbid way.
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