open dead thread

[oportet.livejournal.com]

A few days late - but I think I know why...

For most folks - reports of their death only happen once, because they're accurate (and you can only die once).

Ol' Fidel was a little different though - his death has been reported at least every two or three years for as long as I can remember - so I understand anyone doubting and shrugging this off. Eventually, one of those reports would be correct though - and it's starting to look like this is the time (I'm assuming this mostly because there is going to be a funeral).

Whether you think it's for better or worse - most agree that Castro's death is only symbolic, and really doesn't affect how things are. Symbols mean things though (literally, that's what they do).

North Korea is going to have a mourning period. Putin called him a reliable friend, but he isn't going to the funeral. Obama, in a pretty tough spot, had a statement that screamed 'a hundred people edited this over a thousand times to insure it pisses off the fewest number of people possible'. Trudeau - well, if you're one of them twitters people, #Trudeaueulogy is good for nine or ten good laughs.

What do you think?

Comments

[johnny9fingers.livejournal.com]

I think that we have to adopt an attitude of our more Republican friends and talk about equivalence. Just as a tease, of course.

But "Castro: World Statesman or Oppressive and Brutal Dictator?" is a kind of polarising language couched in the form of a leading question which specifically precludes in answer a more nuanced "both". The conjunction "or" is rather to blame here, the sentence construction informing us that it is an exclusive "or", with all that implies.

So maybe Obama's editors have a point. They may not be Sun headline writers, but I'm sure they know the pitfalls of the sort of stuff that the Donald comes out with unscripted.

[airiefairie.livejournal.com]

and you can only die once

Unless you are Jon Snow.

[htpcl.livejournal.com]

What amazes me is that people have been talking about Fidel's death as if to make him sound like he's been anywhere near relavant in recent years. He wasn't. They make this look like it's a turning point in Cuba's history, and it isn't.

[abomvubuso.livejournal.com]

I agree. Business with Cuba will depend on Trump's decisions, not Castro's death. Trump can change the rules for traveling from and to Cuba, the migration rules, the rules for doing business, and for transferring money. Castro has nothing to do with any of this, whether alive or dead.

[abomvubuso.livejournal.com]

Hey, Obama, didn't you learn this in 8 years? When you try to piss off as fewer people as possible, you end up pissing off a surprisingly large amount of people. Conclusion: better not try.

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

Im'ma just leave this here...

[dreamville-bg.livejournal.com]

An open thread in development about a dead body. I'm liking it.

"It's 2 pm. Stop the presses! Exclusive news! The coffin is being lifted and moved into the hearse!"

[dexeron.livejournal.com]

In related news, Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead.