# Have you ever been glad that someone died? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 20, 2009, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-been-glad-that-someone-died/482074 "2009-01-20T01:56:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2016, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-been-glad-that-someone-died/482074/81 "2016-06-08T18:10:26Z")
Funny question, there have been a number of people I have known who I felt like I wished they would just die but when they did I actually felt a little bad for them. I think in reality I wished they would just go away. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2016, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-been-glad-that-someone-died/482074/82 "2016-06-08T18:42:23Z")
> [@Rodgers01](#): > > I don’t mean being glad that a very sick loved one no longer had to suffer through their illness, or being glad that some serial killer or evil dictator was finally strung up by their neck. No. Have you ever been secretly (or openly!) glad to learn that someone you knew and interacted with (and were maybe even related to) had died? Yes; openly glad. > [@Rodgers01](#): > > Why? He was a piece of shit. > [@Rodgers01](#): > > Did you feel guilty about it at the time? Fuck no. > [@Rodgers01](#): > > Do you feel guilty now? Hell no. > [@Rodgers01](#): > > Did you ever tell anyone? Tell anyone? Hell, I wanted to throw a party, I was so happy. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2016, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-been-glad-that-someone-died/482074/83 "2016-06-08T20:22:37Z")
I don’t think my MIL is suffering, but she’s been in the process of supposedly dying from a number of supposedly fatal conditions for at least 6 yrs now. No matter how much you try to dial it down, the family/societal pressure involved gets wearisome. Hardly a day goes by that my wife and I don’t wish she would just not wake up. We will be VERY glad when it finally happens (presuming she doesn’t outlive us all!) ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2016, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-been-glad-that-someone-died/482074/84 "2016-06-08T21:38:03Z")
> [@CCitizen](#): > > It is part of a wider system of belief – not so much Law. Under normal circumstances it is **very bad** to wish death or divine punishment on anyone. It is not only a sin but it brings very bad luck. > > Death is a very tragic and serious subject. No comedies about Afterlife exist in Jewish sources similar to Dante’s Divine Comedy. And that 100% not what you asserted. You named _two specific_ groups that ut’s allowed to wish to _hell_ that was named by Jewish law or tradition. So I’m assuming you have no cites. But now at least one person in this thread thinks that’s what Jews believe. Nice. ---
**Author:** ![CCitizen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4af34b/32.png) [@CCitizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CCitizen)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2016, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-been-glad-that-someone-died/482074/85 "2016-06-08T23:28:32Z")
The last thing I post on this forum before my break is not a wish for any disaster on anyone. I hope that there are people on Earth already who will never die. I hope by the time people born in this decade get very old, there is life extension technology. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2016, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-been-glad-that-someone-died/482074/86 "2016-06-09T23:23:48Z")
> [@CCitizen](#): > > – an open atheist Is this for real…? ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2016, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-been-glad-that-someone-died/482074/87 "2016-06-09T23:26:15Z")
No ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-been-glad-that-someone-died/482074/88 "2016-06-10T01:54:16Z")
> [@CCitizen](#): > > Death is a very tragic and serious subject. No comedies about Afterlife exist in Jewish sources similar to Dante’s Divine Comedy. You do know that the Divine Comedy is not actually a comedy, don’t you? ---
**Author:** ![katpohl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b782af/32.png) [@katpohl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/katpohl)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-been-glad-that-someone-died/482074/89 "2016-06-10T03:52:29Z")
Yes, two people in fact. I had nothing to do with the cause of death for either of them so , no feelings of guilt. One was my first step mother , she enjoyed making my two brothers and mine lives as miserable and painful as she could . The other was my Aunts second husband. He was a horrible waste of oxygen and space . He was a spouse abuser and molested his step daughter , my cousin starting at the age of 3 years old when he married my aunt until he got her pregnant when she was 15 when kicked her out of ‘his’ house , telling the family ,friends and neighbors she was a whore and he had no idea who the father was. ---
**Author:** ![cwthree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de0a6/32.png) [@cwthree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cwthree)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-been-glad-that-someone-died/482074/90 "2016-06-10T17:08:35Z")
I can think of a couple. One was cwSpouse’s former boss. She’d made him (and everyone else who worked with her) miserable the whole time she was there. I was delighted when she quit (the powers that be were too spineless to fire her) and not at all sad when she died. It was like getting to the last page of a long, unenjoyable book that I never wanted to read in the first place. The other was the ex-wife of the husband of a friend. The ex-wife had a long history of substance abuse and institutionalization for mental illness. She harassed my friend and her family (the harasser’s ex-husband and children from that marriage) relentlessly, aided by an equally drug-addicted, mentally ill boyfriend. The ex-wife was eventually murdered by that boyfriend. It was a horrible series of events, but I was frankly happy to know that she would never be able to harass or abuse anyone again. There have been others, but they were either very ill (and therefore death was a relief to all) or world-class bad people (whose death was also a relief to all). ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-been-glad-that-someone-died/482074/91 "2016-06-10T19:47:04Z")
> [@CCitizen](#): > > It is part of a wider system of belief – not so much Law. Under normal circumstances it is **very bad** to wish death or divine punishment on anyone. It is not only a sin but it brings very bad luck. > > Death is a very tragic and serious subject. No comedies about Afterlife exist in Jewish sources similar to Dante’s Divine Comedy. “Comedy” in this case does not mean “funny ha-ha”, it means it’s a work of literature which takes the form of a conversation. While it isn’t exactly in play form, it can be turned into one relatively easily. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2016, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-been-glad-that-someone-died/482074/92 "2016-06-11T13:36:53Z")
Yes. I was bullied badly from 7th grade to 11th grade, until I changed schools for my senior year. In my 11th grade, one of my teachers joined in on the bullying. He was a total asshole; had his little group of pets and learned from them that I was the designated target. He made that history class a fucking nightmare. The next year, I heard that he got fired halfway through the year, then went home and shot himself. I rejoiced. About ten years later, I learned that one of the kids that was a major bully to me had shot himself. I rejoiced again. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2016, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-been-glad-that-someone-died/482074/93 "2016-06-11T14:33:07Z")
Nevermind, reread the OP. Can’t think of anyone I personally know. ---
**Author:** ![Sahirrnee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sahirrnee/32/13937_2.png) [@Sahirrnee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sahirrnee)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2016, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-been-glad-that-someone-died/482074/94 "2016-06-11T18:26:40Z")
When I was a bank teller, we had a very obnoxious customer. He really thought if he walked in and there were long lines that one teller should be pulled from her station to wait on him _immediately_, because he was just so important and busy. He made all kinds of trouble for our manager. The day his death notice was in the paper, we all read it and smiled a little. Not so much glad he was dead as much as happy we’d never have to deal with his rude arrogance again. I feel the same way about my son’s father. I’m sorry he died, I’m sorry my son lost his father. I’m not sorry I’ll never have to deal with his bullshit lies, manipulations, and games ever again. A friend had an abusive father. I won’t say I was happy he died, but I was happy for his family. The change in them after he was gone was incredible, they went from reclusive and somber to outgoing and having fun. His death was the best thing that ever happened to that family. Same thing when another friend’s abusive, drug addict husband died. She and her mother didn’t even pretend to be sad when he died. It was like the weight of the world had been lifted off their shoulders. One thing it taught me, we should all live our lives in such a way that nobody should be happy to see us die. That said, there is this guy I know named Denny. Piece of shit, total waste of human protoplasm, not worthy of the oxygen he breathes. When his brother died I walked around saying, ‘Damn, the wrong brother died’. Then I heard Denny died and I was doing the happy dance. Then I found it it was a different Denny. Bummer. Oh well, he’s a lot older than I am, drinks too much, drugs too much. I’ll get my chance to dance again. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2016, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-been-glad-that-someone-died/482074/95 "2016-06-11T19:30:55Z")
I have an addition to my old post here. A miserable woman who used to volunteer where I work. Long story, but ultimately she stopped talking to me (thank Og) once I told her she just couldn’t emphasize with animals’ suffering and wouldn’t understand until she was on her own deathbed, suffering and hoping for the relief of her own death. Happened a few years later. I’ll never know if she endured the suffering I figured she needed in order to finally “get it” but I kinda hope she had a moment of clarity and regret before she died. ---
**Author:** ![oara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/b77776/32.png) [@oara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oara)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2016, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-been-glad-that-someone-died/482074/96 "2016-06-12T01:53:02Z")
I was relieved that my father died because this meant we were safe from him. Over time I realized that my idea of him was based largely on what my mother said, and so I have little idea what was true about him. It’s been surprising in the past couple of years to find that I no longer wish my middle school bully dead. Two reasons: I came to recognize that it probably only got to me so badly psychologically because my home life was so bad. And… the memories have just faded over decades. If I were to find that he had died, I think I could get as far as thinking “that’s probably good”, but without much heat behind it. I’m confident I’ll be quite glad when I hear of my mother dying. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2016, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-been-glad-that-someone-died/482074/97 "2016-06-12T02:06:52Z")
Dick Cheney. I was happy when he died. But… They brought him back! Assholes! ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2016, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-been-glad-that-someone-died/482074/98 "2016-06-13T19:44:28Z")
There’s someone I’d gladly have dead right now - it would improve several lives immensely. There’s another person whom, well, “glad” wasn’t precisely the word - maybe “not at all unhappy”. He had a major falling out with a mutual relative over the mutual relative’s unwillingness to violate workplace laws and continue working for no pay. He purchased a condo for his wife’s parents to live in (they had little in retirement savings), then took out a mortgage on the place when his business was failing, then quit paying the mortgage - all the while collecting rent from the wife’s parents (with whom he had ALSO cut off communication - except for cashing those rent checks). So basically he and his wife put her parents on the street. When we heard he’d died of some kind of cancer a couple years back, the first word out of my mouth was “Good”. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2016, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-been-glad-that-someone-died/482074/99 "2016-06-13T19:47:39Z")
A co-worker who was being investigated for quite a few illegal activities. When he “accidentally” died, everything was dropped. When cleaning out his desk, we found pornographic photos of children ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Girlfriend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.girlfriend/32/193_2.png) [@Dr.Girlfriend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Girlfriend)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2016, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-been-glad-that-someone-died/482074/100 "2016-06-13T23:59:43Z")
Not yet, but I have a former boss that may inspire some grave-top dancing once he finally gets dragged to hell. His wife will probably lead the conga line. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-been-glad-that-someone-died/482074.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-been-glad-that-someone-died/482074.md?page=6)