# So... Do You Think Anyone is Actually Grieving bin Laden? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 5, 2011, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-you-think-anyone-is-actually-grieving-bin-laden/580773 "2011-05-05T00:10:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![PapSett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-you-think-anyone-is-actually-grieving-bin-laden/580773/1 "2011-05-05T00:10:09Z")
Was there anyone that actually \*loved \*him? Did his wives marry him because they wanted to or because they \*had \*to? I can’t help but wonder what his home life was like… was he a good dad to the little ones? How did he treat his wives? Did he have a good buddy he could have a few beers with and shoot pool (OK, now I’m being facetious…) No, I am not in any way sorry he’s dead, just curious to y’all’s opinions. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-you-think-anyone-is-actually-grieving-bin-laden/580773/2 "2011-05-05T00:42:03Z")
He was still a hero to some; presumably they are grieving over his death. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-you-think-anyone-is-actually-grieving-bin-laden/580773/3 "2011-05-05T00:42:55Z")
The mentally ill. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-you-think-anyone-is-actually-grieving-bin-laden/580773/4 "2011-05-05T01:09:54Z")
it is possible that his relatives, and compatriots mourn him. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-you-think-anyone-is-actually-grieving-bin-laden/580773/5 "2011-05-05T01:10:00Z")
Is his mother still alive? ---
**Author:** ![mac\_bolan00](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b3f665/32.png) [@mac\_bolan00](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mac_bolan00)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-you-think-anyone-is-actually-grieving-bin-laden/580773/6 "2011-05-05T01:12:08Z")
of course. what does that sound so strange? ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-you-think-anyone-is-actually-grieving-bin-laden/580773/7 "2011-05-05T01:30:17Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > Is his mother still alive? Nobody but his mother loved him. And she could be jivin’ too… ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-you-think-anyone-is-actually-grieving-bin-laden/580773/8 "2011-05-05T01:32:22Z")
Those who believed in his cause – Al Qada supporters and the like. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-you-think-anyone-is-actually-grieving-bin-laden/580773/9 "2011-05-05T02:12:17Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > The mentally ill. Well, I think that rather misrepresents the mentally ill. However, I would think anyone close to him cared for him. I mean, people liked Hitler, too, right? Of course someone is sad. He wasn’t a total loner. Just a radical. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-you-think-anyone-is-actually-grieving-bin-laden/580773/10 "2011-05-05T03:10:16Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Well, I think that rather misrepresents the mentally ill. > > However, I would think anyone close to him cared for him. I mean, people liked Hitler, too, right? Of course someone is sad. > > He wasn’t a total loner. Just a radical. I believe its been said nobody “normal” ever loved Hitler. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-you-think-anyone-is-actually-grieving-bin-laden/580773/11 "2011-05-05T03:21:27Z")
I feel bad for the 12 year old daughter that saw him shot and the wife that was with him and got shot in the leg. Regardless of his terrorist actions, he’s still dad to his kids. They must be grieving. I’m glad the seal team kept collateral damage to a minimum. There were a lot of kids in that house. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-you-think-anyone-is-actually-grieving-bin-laden/580773/12 "2011-05-05T03:24:31Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I feel bad for the 12 year old daughter that saw him shot and the wife that was with him and got shot in the leg. > > Regardless of his terrorist actions, he’s still dad to his kids. They must be grieving. He was probably abusive. ---
**Author:** ![nani](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/58956e/32.png) [@nani](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nani)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-you-think-anyone-is-actually-grieving-bin-laden/580773/13 "2011-05-05T04:32:00Z")
Well, Christians are required to love their enemies, a piece of advice I personally feel is wise, so you could make the case for… Actually, it might be better to avoid opening that can of worms. Instead, consider this: Volleyball players tend to be pretty tight with each other. Osama bin Laden [was awesome at volleyball](http://www.cracked.com/article_18748_6-brutal-leaders-their-ridiculous-secret-hobbies.html). So I imagine some of his former volleyball partners are grieving. OK, seriously, love is a strange thing. He had a lot of family, and even abusive (I don’t know how Osama was as a parent, but I wouldn’t imagine him as bad as, say, Stalin) parents can be loved by their children. I’d bet his 12 year old daughter is mourning him, at least. ---
**Author:** ![PapSett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-you-think-anyone-is-actually-grieving-bin-laden/580773/14 "2011-05-05T04:50:26Z")
Lots of interesting thoughts here. Hard for me to imagine bin Laden playing volleyball… truly boggles the mind. This is the kind of thing I find endlessly facinating, I would LOVE to learn more about him as a human being instead of a terrorist. ---
**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-you-think-anyone-is-actually-grieving-bin-laden/580773/15 "2011-05-05T05:06:31Z")
> [@PapSett](#): > > Lots of interesting thoughts here. Hard for me to imagine bin Laden playing volleyball… truly boggles the mind. > > This is the kind of thing I find endlessly facinating, I would LOVE to learn more about him as a human being instead of a terrorist. Psychopaths have very pedestrian characteristics. John Wayne Gacy liked to dress up like a clown. Idi Amin drove around in his Jeep without bodyguards. Nero liked to play the fiddle. Dick Cheney liked to drink, go hunting and shoot his friends in the face. Mohamar Gaddafi likes stupid hats. Hey, they’re interesting, what’s not to like about these people? ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-you-think-anyone-is-actually-grieving-bin-laden/580773/16 "2011-05-05T07:21:57Z")
We call him a terrorist. From another perspective, he was just another great military leader, callous and inhumane, certainly, but which warchief doesn’t have the blood of innocents on their hands? He fought against perceived injustices with great violence and great effectiveness, goading a superpower into a decade of internal lockdowns, international condemnation, and financial turmoil with a single symbolic attack. I’m sure that makes him a hero to many. Not even Hitler was universally hated in his time, and bin Laden is a far more polarizing figure. Had he survived long enough to see Islamic fundamentalism rise to world power, I’m sure they’d have dedicated a holiday or two to him. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-you-think-anyone-is-actually-grieving-bin-laden/580773/17 "2011-05-05T22:55:31Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > We call him a terrorist. From another perspective, he was just another great military leader, callous and inhumane, certainly, but which warchief doesn’t have the blood of innocents on their hands? He fought against perceived injustices with great violence and great effectiveness, goading a superpower into a decade of internal lockdowns, international condemnation, and financial turmoil with a single symbolic attack. I’m sure that makes him a hero to many. Not even Hitler was universally hated in his time, and bin Laden is a far more polarizing figure. Had he survived long enough to see Islamic fundamentalism rise to world power, I’m sure they’d have dedicated a holiday or two to him. Which never will simply because the US can nuke the s\*\*\* out of the “Caliphate”'s hordes before it can cross into Europe. ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-you-think-anyone-is-actually-grieving-bin-laden/580773/18 "2011-05-06T00:51:00Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > He was probably abusive. How can you know or even speculate on that? ---
**Author:** ![Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-you-think-anyone-is-actually-grieving-bin-laden/580773/19 "2011-05-06T01:00:18Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > Which never will simply because the US can nuke the s\*\*\* out of the “Caliphate”'s hordes before it can cross into Europe. Not if they’re already there!!! AAAAHHHHHHHH!!! Hordes!!! Caliphates!!! eeeeekkkkkkk!!! :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-you-think-anyone-is-actually-grieving-bin-laden/580773/20 "2011-05-06T01:12:27Z")
> [@R.P.McMurphy](#): > > Nero liked to play the fiddle. Random nitpick: the fiddle wasn’t invented until centuries after the death of Emperor Nero. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-you-think-anyone-is-actually-grieving-bin-laden/580773.md?page=2)