# Are the Dead Angry at Us? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 15, 2009, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-dead-angry-at-us/506541 "2009-08-15T18:20:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2009, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-dead-angry-at-us/506541/1 "2009-08-15T18:20:18Z")
Many years ago, I read a fictional story…the point of which was that the dead hate and envy the living. Basically, the dead can observe us, and see us (the living) enjoying life, making love, eating and enjoying the pleasures of the physical world. The dead cannot experience any of this…so they are angry and envious of the living…so much so, that they try to harm us. Are there any religious traditions that see th dead this way? ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2009, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-dead-angry-at-us/506541/2 "2009-08-15T18:21:00Z")
The dead cannot experience. A boulder cannot experience. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2009, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-dead-angry-at-us/506541/3 "2009-08-15T18:24:40Z")
Zombies seem to be pretty upset most of the time. Whether it’s anger at being dead or just generic existential angst is something that scientists should investigate. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2009, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-dead-angry-at-us/506541/4 "2009-08-15T18:34:03Z")
Angry Dead? No. Grateful Dead? Yeah, yeah, yeah. ---
**Author:** ![athelas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@athelas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/athelas)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2009, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-dead-angry-at-us/506541/5 "2009-08-15T18:45:49Z")
What are they so grateful for? ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2009, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-dead-angry-at-us/506541/6 "2009-08-15T18:48:14Z")
> [@athelas](#): > > What are they so grateful for? Hippie Chicks and acid. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2009, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-dead-angry-at-us/506541/7 "2009-08-15T18:50:12Z")
The early greeks saw the afterlife as pretty unpleasant. Achillies tells Odysseus “I would rather be the lowliest peasant and live than be king of all the dead.” ---
**Author:** ![The\_Understander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3da27b/32.png) [@The\_Understander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Understander)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2009, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-dead-angry-at-us/506541/8 "2009-08-15T18:50:54Z")
If anything, I could see the dead (had they a consciousness) MSTing the living: “Hey, look, another genocide. Thursday already?” “They like us, they really like us!” “Vishnu, check out the moobs on that guy. You know, in life, he was my son…” “That’s what you think.” “CROW!!!” ---
**Author:** ![KRC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/45deac/32.png) [@KRC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KRC)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2009, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-dead-angry-at-us/506541/9 "2009-08-15T19:41:38Z")
Yes. Ulrike Meinhof got mad at me for failing to protest the Gulf War and she destroyed my apricot tree. This cost me $350 to fix and and tree hasn’t produced apricots since. However, when I went to see a lawyer about filing a suit the lawyer fell on the floor and made funny noises which I later identified as laughter. So yeah, they’re angry and there isn’t much us living can do about it. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2009, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-dead-angry-at-us/506541/10 "2009-08-15T20:18:22Z")
Of course they are mad with us. Who do you think keeps moving around those “lost” things that can’t possibly be anywhere else but where you were last using them and couldn’t possibly roll under that chair on the other side of the room? ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2009, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-dead-angry-at-us/506541/11 "2009-08-16T19:01:00Z")
I always hear people saying “It’s not safe to arise the ire (or anger) of the dead,” or something on those lines, so I would assume the dead or NOT angry but could be. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-dead-angry-at-us/506541/12 "2009-08-17T02:35:01Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > Many years ago, I read a fictional story..the point of which was that the dead hate and envy the living. Basically, the dead can observe us, and see us (the living) enjoying life, making love, eating and enjoying the pleasures of the physical world. The dead cannot experience any of this..so they are angry and envious of the living..so much so, that they try to harm us. > Are there any religious traditions that see th dead this way? I have it on good authority that being dead hurts, and this is why they desire our delicious braaains.