I've Never Killed a Man...
Today we learned that one of merhawk's uncles passed away. This is Uncle "Sherman", whose child molester-y behavior I wrote about last year under the headline "Creepy Old Man" ( part 1 - part 2 - part 3).
Many people who knew the deceased are torn. When a person passes away it is customary to remember them for their positives, forgive their negatives, and support the bereaved. But what is acceptable when the deceased was a seriously bad person? Is it wrong to want to celebrate by tap-dancing on his grave? Is it wrong even to say, "Good riddance"? And how does one address bereaved family members- here I'm talking specifically about the deceased's second wife- who, at best, turned a blind and uncaring eye to morally reprehensible behavior and, at worst, enabled and abetted it?
At times like these I recall this famous line Clarence Darrow wrote in his autobiography:
"I have never killed any one, but I have read some obituary notices with great satisfaction."
Many people who knew the deceased are torn. When a person passes away it is customary to remember them for their positives, forgive their negatives, and support the bereaved. But what is acceptable when the deceased was a seriously bad person? Is it wrong to want to celebrate by tap-dancing on his grave? Is it wrong even to say, "Good riddance"? And how does one address bereaved family members- here I'm talking specifically about the deceased's second wife- who, at best, turned a blind and uncaring eye to morally reprehensible behavior and, at worst, enabled and abetted it?
At times like these I recall this famous line Clarence Darrow wrote in his autobiography:
"I have never killed any one, but I have read some obituary notices with great satisfaction."