Framed in Respect

After reading a post this morning by Al Franken, I learned a bit about something bandied around last week: the Wellstone funeral. It was spoken of with great disdain and vehemence, as if something truly outrageous had occurred and was being replicated at Coretta Scott King's funeral. First, I watched clips last week from the funeral and learned who spoke and something of what they said, but I believed the event was created to honor the woman and the role she held in many people's lives. That is what we do with funerals. But other vicious voices in our midst claimed it was all intended to embarass our President. Now Al explains that what he experienced at the Wellstone funeral was not reported. How many people today are listening to partisan posturing rather than observing the event themselves and drawing their own conclusions?

Worse, when did we decide that funerals, a place of mourning, compassion, and commraderie, could be debased publically? If you have experienced loss through death, you know the drill: shock, dismay (even when you can see it coming), and extreme, heart-healing gratitude for all of the friendly overtures and kindness. Mrs. King's funeral was analyzed and commented upon like a political campaign. Yes, it was televised, but no one was running for office. Someone who had a major impact on civil liberties and individual freedoms died after a long, generous career which our president chose to honor. People and speakers did not attend to honor him; they came to celebrate the life of someone they loved or admired.

Our disrespect for one another shines all too brightly when the media takes the liberty of attacking a ritual of death. The brittle voices of our time crackle with condension and arrogance. If they don't have something decent to say about the deceased, they should not be speaking. We need respect for one another - in death and in life - no matter who shows up at our funeral.