- Joined
- Jul 2, 2007
- Messages
- 5,294
Warning: This is a rant.
Okay, I totally get why we go to the funeral home visitation session when someone has died. Pay our respects, offer condolences to the family, etc. I'm just getting [censored] tired of it lately. Mainly the open coffin bit. At what point in our society did we decide it's a good idea to showcase the dead body? I really don't like the concept. It's not because I'm squeamish-- far from it. Seen a lot of death in my time, 30 yrs in law enforcement does that. Moonlighting as a part-time Deputy Coroner does that. In those aspects, I've seen death up close and personal, fresh, not so fresh, young, old, and before the undertaker has tidied them up for presentation. Attended more autopsies than I care to remember, witnessing a human body dissected like a frog in high school biology class. So it might seem odd that I've grown to question and even detest this cultural thing we have about showing the deceased at the funeral home.
As you might have guessed, the trigger for this morning's rant is yet another funeral home visit I need to make later today. Neighbor lady. Her husband last month, and she has followed without delay. At least she won't have been autopsied. Undertakers can't always get the face looking right on autopsied folks. There's a reason for that, which I won't cover as it's rather morose. As is this post. Sorry. Just tired of looking at dead folks in caskets lately.
Okay, I totally get why we go to the funeral home visitation session when someone has died. Pay our respects, offer condolences to the family, etc. I'm just getting [censored] tired of it lately. Mainly the open coffin bit. At what point in our society did we decide it's a good idea to showcase the dead body? I really don't like the concept. It's not because I'm squeamish-- far from it. Seen a lot of death in my time, 30 yrs in law enforcement does that. Moonlighting as a part-time Deputy Coroner does that. In those aspects, I've seen death up close and personal, fresh, not so fresh, young, old, and before the undertaker has tidied them up for presentation. Attended more autopsies than I care to remember, witnessing a human body dissected like a frog in high school biology class. So it might seem odd that I've grown to question and even detest this cultural thing we have about showing the deceased at the funeral home.
As you might have guessed, the trigger for this morning's rant is yet another funeral home visit I need to make later today. Neighbor lady. Her husband last month, and she has followed without delay. At least she won't have been autopsied. Undertakers can't always get the face looking right on autopsied folks. There's a reason for that, which I won't cover as it's rather morose. As is this post. Sorry. Just tired of looking at dead folks in caskets lately.