# Suggestion: Additional Member Status of 'Deceased' **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [December 18, 2011, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestion-additional-member-status-of-deceased/606647 "2011-12-18T17:34:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![srzss05](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/898d66/32.png) [@srzss05](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/srzss05)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestion-additional-member-status-of-deceased/606647/61 "2011-12-19T21:53:25Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > I have no objection to it, and certainly see some merit. On the flip side, the confirmation factor adds a burden to the staff. Perhaps not much more burden than already encountered for the In Memoriam thread, and certainly no guarantee that there isn’t a member that has expired that we just don’t realize that’s why they are no longer posting. I really don’t care one way or another (and if I stopped posting no one would even notice or know why), but since there is no way of actual confirmation for everyone then doing it for some but not others seems kind of pointless at best and “cliqueish” at worst. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestion-additional-member-status-of-deceased/606647/62 "2011-12-19T23:30:52Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > Ok then. > > “allegedly deceased” > 🙂 How about “Only Mostly Dead.” ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestion-additional-member-status-of-deceased/606647/63 "2011-12-19T23:35:53Z")
> [@CaveMike](#): > > Relax Irishman. > > Changing a status to Guest or Banned is a board admin task. Each status reflects the user’s state in regards to the board only. Adding new states to reflect the user’s real life state is outside the scope of board management and should be initiated by the user (or at least require the user’s permission). Admins shouldn’t change board status to Deceased (or Married, Has Kids, or anything else). It isn’t appropriate. > > Furthermore, a deceased member is not here to object. I think it is insensitive and inappropriate. Couldn’t disagree more. I think “DECEASED” for verified In Memoriam posters is a great idea and not an intrusion in the least. +1 ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestion-additional-member-status-of-deceased/606647/64 "2011-12-20T04:11:39Z")
Another vote for “deceased” status being totally appropriate, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestion-additional-member-status-of-deceased/606647/65 "2011-12-20T05:56:58Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally Posted by\*\* Cicero (custom title: deceased) \*\* > Great idea. See, this confused me the other way round. I’d seen this idea being floated and when I saw Cicero’s title in another thread, assumed it had been implemented (yeah, yeah I know) , figured he’d popped it, and was about to tell **AK84** that **Cicero** would, regrettably, not be swinging by to post in his cricket thread! ETA: I do agree with the concept, just not Cicero’s implementation of it 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestion-additional-member-status-of-deceased/606647/66 "2011-12-20T06:24:23Z")
Just so members don’t get the idea I have popped my clogs and plan any celebration parties I will revert to something more mundane 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestion-additional-member-status-of-deceased/606647/67 "2011-12-20T06:27:33Z")
Just as a point of information, when we receive confirmation that a poster has died, we move their account into a new user group. If I remember correctly, it prevents the account from being used again and preserves their membership status so they don’t become guests later on. So a change is already made- although it’s not a visible one. I’m not sure how I feel about the idea myself, but the staff is discussing it. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestion-additional-member-status-of-deceased/606647/68 "2011-12-20T12:52:59Z")
I know I’m late to the party, but I just want to throw in that I, too, think a status of “deceased” is appropriate. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestion-additional-member-status-of-deceased/606647/69 "2011-12-20T13:05:34Z")
Not that this is a democracy but I think it’s an appropriate and helpful step, so I vote for it. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestion-additional-member-status-of-deceased/606647/70 "2011-12-20T13:18:28Z")
I like the OP’s idea. I would have a slight preference for the simple Anglo-Saxon word “dead.” I don’t like how in our society we try to weasel around the word “dead.” But at least “deceased” is better than “passed,” which makes me want to hit somebody. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestion-additional-member-status-of-deceased/606647/71 "2011-12-20T14:18:01Z")
I like the idea, though for most of us you’ll never know when we die. How about “At Room Temperature” ? ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestion-additional-member-status-of-deceased/606647/72 "2011-12-20T17:00:19Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > preserves their membership status so they don’t become guests later on In all seriousness, I can appreciate the desire to preserve their status. What about adding a note to their preserved status, so it becomes “Charter Member, Deceased” or whatever? ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestion-additional-member-status-of-deceased/606647/73 "2011-12-20T18:30:16Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Retired With Extreme Prejudice > On Hiatus(many television shows go “on hiatus”, never to return) > Moot > Zombie-In-Training > Ex-Member > Guinness Book Of World Records Winner-Holding Breath Zombie in _Waiting_ ---
**Author:** ![CaveMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cavemike/32/16379_2.png) [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestion-additional-member-status-of-deceased/606647/74 "2011-12-20T23:36:00Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > Couldn’t disagree more. Couldn’t disagree more with _what_? I laid out a few points of reasoning. I can see the argument why it is useful. I explained why I think it is inappropriate. Could you share your perspective on why you think it is appropriate? I don’t have a problem with a user requesting that their status be changed prior to their death, but I do have an issue with a user’s status getting changed automatically by a 3rd party. Obviously, the deceased poster won’t care. However, I can see a surviving spouse getting upset that the poster’s status was updated just because a fellow Doper emailed an admin an obituary notice. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestion-additional-member-status-of-deceased/606647/75 "2011-12-20T23:42:47Z")
> [@CaveMike](#): > > I can see a surviving spouse getting upset that the poster’s status was updated just because a fellow Doper emailed an admin an obituary notice. To be honest I have trouble imagining anybody caring about that, and I don’t think that situation is likely to come up. We find out about member deaths in two ways: either a family member reaches out to us by emailing the staff or starting a thread, or a Doper who knew the person in real life does the same. If the family doesn’t know about the board, they’re not going to care about the person’s status. If it’s a family member and they’re posting with the deceased person’s account, then we do tell them we’ll close the account when they’re done. I still think that if we do this, it’s going to look kind of weird and distracting. So I’m not sure how I feel about it. ---
**Author:** ![CaveMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cavemike/32/16379_2.png) [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestion-additional-member-status-of-deceased/606647/76 "2011-12-20T23:54:34Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > To be honest I have trouble imagining anybody caring about that, and I don’t think that situation is likely to come up. I care. I don’t want my status, profile, or posts updated with my personal details unless I choose to share them. I’m fine with any board-related updates. TBH, I’m not sure why that seems so hard to imagine. This is Basic Privacy 101. Perhaps it is because I am the only one in this thread that has objected to the idea? I don’t have a problem if other people want their statuses updated in any way they want. I’d be ok with opting out of the program. But I do think it is presumptious and insensitive to assume that all currently deceased Dopers would have liked to have their statuses updated. I agree that it is weird and distracting. I’d also add tacky. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestion-additional-member-status-of-deceased/606647/77 "2011-12-21T00:41:15Z")
I like the idea myself. I’d rather have “Nailed to the perch” or “Joined the choir invisible” if it was mine to choose. Or maybe “just resting” ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestion-additional-member-status-of-deceased/606647/78 "2011-12-21T01:09:35Z")
> [@CaveMike](#): > > I care. I don’t want my status, profile, or posts updated with my personal details unless I choose to share them. I’m fine with any board-related updates. TBH, I’m not sure why that seems so hard to imagine. Because once you’re dead, you’re incapable of caring. > [@](#): > > This is Basic Privacy 101. Perhaps it is because I am the only one in this thread that has objected to the idea? If we’re going to talk basic principles of privacy, then as a basic principal, dead people don’t have privacy rights, in the same way that dead people can’t be defamed as a basic principle of defamation. I think it’s a great idea. Like anything we would do, we would do it for the living anyway. Nothing is done for the purpose of pleasing the dead, because, by definiton, they can’t be pleased. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestion-additional-member-status-of-deceased/606647/79 "2011-12-21T01:26:52Z")
I, too, think this is a great idea. If you get marked “deceased” by mistake, it’s probably pretty easy to correct by contacting the administrators, either by email or any reasonably competent spirit medium. If you truly don’t want to be labelled deceased when you are deceased (and how does THAT fight ignorance?), just leave a will asking one of your heirs request your account be locked, or log in as you and get banned or something. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestion-additional-member-status-of-deceased/606647/80 "2011-12-21T01:59:05Z")
And the fact of being dead has never been considered a private matter. Add to that the fact that the fact of death is attached only to an alias, I see less than zero privacy considerations on this count. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestion-additional-member-status-of-deceased/606647.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestion-additional-member-status-of-deceased/606647.md?page=5)