Funeral politics

Lawsuits were filed in NY State a week after George Floyd's spectacular mass funeral that was attended by De Blasio himself, in violation of his own pandemic orders.

Have these idiots never heard of a memorial service at a later date?

I wonder if the big driver here is being denied the chance to casket dance.

R2 George Floyd had multiple funerals, all attended by thousands, ILLEGALLY:

Thousands chanting in NYC, the epicenter of the pandemic, on June 4- what will turn out to have been the height of the pandemic.

George Floyd's memorial which could not be delayed, unlike people with less meaningful lives:

I am not defending these big funerals but I recognize exceptions are being made (wrongly from a public health perspective in my view if the event is indoors) for major occasions and events. I think I saw all the great and the good mixing together unmasked at the rotunda, waiting for Lewis' body to arrive. I think it sends the wrong message and is irresponsible. But try telling the great and the good anything. For real people, live with it and make up for it later. It's disappointing and adds to your sadness, but all those people you want at the funeral won't be coming to see you in hospital.

My personal hope is that at the right point Biden will say it won't be a conventional inauguration. We'll figure out some way to mark the occasion and the conquering of COVID - at the right time. I'll take the oath at the White House, see Trump is seen out the door, head down to the East Wing to get to work and then address the nation that night.

R5 Covid regulations are arbitrary and irrational, they get enforced on the people who have no recourse against the state and aren't willing to riot.

Who gets to disobey?

Violent people, or people mayors and governors fear might riot (black people, they're scared to enforce laws on large groups of black people.)

Also the rich and well-connected. If Ruth Bader Ginsburg dies she will get the same treatment Lewis did, because honoring her is too important to worry about silly pandemic rules that nobody sincerely believes in anyway.

You see the issue at hand? How many people have been forced by law to delay grieving, or bury their family members without publicly honoring them, without their community attending and showing respect?

How do they feel right now?

They're starting to get angry, it isn't just personal pain to themselves- it's an insult against their dead loved ones...

...and none of these events that were sanctioned by local government were technically legal at the time.

Funerals are for the living. The funeral industry is one of the most corrupt industries in the country. People need to stop letting funeral homes con them into shelling out huge sums of money for big fancy funerals. Personally I believe funerals should go away completely and the industry should go out of existence. When someone dies he or she should be buried, entombed, or cremated as soon as possible with no embalming. The family and friends can then have whatever type of gathering they choose whenever they want to. But the whole funeral service, with someone standing up saying wonderful things about the deceased is a waste of time. Those things should have been said while the person was alive.

R6, I'm indifferent to their feelings, while understanding they exist. Two wrongs don't make or justify a right. People still have brains to think.

A highly transmissible disease is running unchecked in the country.

I don't give a damn about their feelings. Feelings are part of what made this mess worse than it needed to be. I'd like them to make the responsible choice, which is often difficult.

And why I disapprove of Floyd George and John Lewis and all that. I wish reporters would ask the participants: wasn't there a better way?

Anyway, it's down to the individuals. Sometimes Joe Public can lead too.

Oh, my grandpa didn't get to lie in state in the U.S. Capitol. Why are they discriminating against me???? It's all so unfair.

That guy is absolutely right. My partner’s mom died suddenly and unexpectedly two months ago. Both the state of Connecticut and the funeral home were completely unreasonable. We asked to have some of her friends at her gravesite. We didn’t ask for anything at the funeral home only for whatever consenting adults wanted to come and stand there while we buried her. They would not allow it. She was very loving and giving and was a very “young“ 74 years old.

She was born, raised made her career married and raised her family all in the same town and she deserved to have her friends come to her grave to mourn her. It would have put no one at risk who did not want to be there and we would have been distanced;,yet there was no wiggle room for exceptions. She wasn’t important, powerful or rich, so the state forced us to put her in the dirt as quickly and callously as possible. Yet others get multiple events throughout multiple states and, ironically, Dr. Fauci, Nancy Pelosi, nobody says anything about it

R10, I the the hard line in some of the posts above but I am deeply empathetic to your position and you're right. It's do as I say, not as I do.

I'd pass on Fauci because it isn't really something he can do anything about and the next part of the solution sounds useless, but write... write to your congressman and senator and some of the Democratic leadership. Copy your post even. It's reasonable in tone. And ask: I know what you're going to say about why there is one set of rules for some people in some circumstances and one set of rules for everybody else, but the question I would like you to answer for me is this: do you think that's fair? (Figuring out the weasel words around that should tie somebody up in knots.)

A reporter with a major newspaper told me in the last six weeks the politicians don't give a damn about Twitter or even a protest (unless it's like George Floyd scale) but for some reason they still live in mortal terror of the mail. The written letters (and emails) are taken seriously... logged, sliced, diced, added up, reported in meetings.

So that's the best I can offer to tackle it, but I think you should do it.

R11 It might be too late for that. We're five months into this.

It's never too late to make them feel awkward. And the exception funerals are just in the last month.

Dead people don't care. Really, they don't.

So this is about those left behind, and it's awful but the pandemic is not over as much as everyone needs to go to the beach, and to bars, and to the colorist . . . and to funerals.

Shame on funeral homes for not figuring out how to do Zoom funerals.

[quote]I am not defending these big funerals but I recognize exceptions are being made

All people are equal, but some people are more equal than others.

Grieving cannot start until there is burial or cremation, whatever the details. Funerals are to help that process begin. It can be delayed, but it cause a disruption in the stages of grief. There needs to be a way to get it done. We must be allowed to bury our family and friends.

Politics has crept into everything we do. That has to stop. Their theatrics and willingness to sling mud on everyone from every side knows no bounds. I am thoroughly disgusted with them all.

R15

Make

Orwell

Fiction

Again!

Hey they don't all get to go to Harvard and live in fancy houses, either.

My mom died this past Saturday. This coming Sunday we are having a small service at my house. She wanted no fanfare and she donated her body so my sister and I didn't have to worry about funeral expenses. Luckily this was all made in advance, before COVID. She pretty much put a cap on who would attend,so we will honor that.

It's all a serious mindfuck right now. I'm not bitter regarding the BIG funerals as I could be. If you are, fine that's ok. John Lewis was the MLK of the present day. Hell, he marched alongside King. King was before my time, but I imagine his funeral was a big deal.

I think it's more of a reflection of society in general. "Look at me". 24/7 news and social media has us looking at everyone under a microscope.

It's 3:44 AM and I haven't slept much in these past few days so I do apologize if I'm rambling. Seeing this just struck a nerve.

R19 I am sorry for your loss.

R19... I too am sorry. It's a wrench and I wish you the patience and resolve to move through the days ahead until you come through your grief to the place you are resolved about it and able to remember with more a sense of pleasure than loss. Grief is the price we pay for love.