# The American Public is Fucking Gruesome **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 3, 2011, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-public-is-fucking-gruesome/580550 "2011-05-03T05:58:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-public-is-fucking-gruesome/580550/41 "2011-05-03T13:16:41Z")
> [@FinnAgain](#): > > …I don’t really see a problem with people being happy about the death of a creature like OBL. He’s dead, good, happy happy joy joy. Not that anybody was disagreeing with that, or that that was the topic. > [@Tarwater](#): > > Being glad bin Laden is dead is one thing, but why the fuck are you excited about seeing his _corpse_? > … > J. Michael Waller, writing for Breitbart’s site, captures the perversity of the moment when he claims that bin Laden’s “naked, bullet-riddled corpse should be put on display in lower Manhattan for all the world to see.” > [@Carmady](#): > > I’ve heard that in America, corpses are sometimes put on display during funerals. > > And now, on every channel, instead of celebrating that Bin Laden did not get away with murdering 3000 people after all, all anyone is doing is saying they want to see his corpse. The “show me your corpse!” signs were particularly disturbing. > > What is this American obsession with looking at corpses? Even the pictures on their money are of dead guys. I’m unclear on the point, here. Obviously lots of money depicts now-dead people (rendered as when they were alive, of course)–monarchies traditionally depict the living sovereign, but continue to use the pieces after he’s dead. And funeral displays of the dead are common in many cultures. Displays long _after_ death are better known outside America. I assume the middle paragraph is meant as similar sarcasm–but there really _are_ a lot of people complaining about the rapid and “respectful” disposal of the body. It’s not “all anyone is doing,” but the meme is very emphatically out there. Are there any comparable (relatively recent) examples in other countries? Burning Guy Fawkes\* in effigy is hardly akin to desecration of actual corpses. - Not a terrorist, but a would-be assassin. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-public-is-fucking-gruesome/580550/42 "2011-05-03T13:17:50Z")
Some of what’s been shown on TV is over the top, but two things about that. It makes for good copy so they (media) focus on the most extreme examples. Also, they’re not going door to door to capture the probable overwhelming majority who’ve watched the story unfold intently but felt no cause to celebrate. Some people are acting in a “gruesome” fashion. Be aware that’s only a limited part of the spectrum and a minuscule slice of the populace. ---
**Author:** ![JimboJamesJimmersonIII\_Esq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/54ee81/32.png) [@JimboJamesJimmersonIII\_Esq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JimboJamesJimmersonIII_Esq)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-public-is-fucking-gruesome/580550/43 "2011-05-03T13:19:10Z")
> [@CitizenPained](#): > > I’m pretty sure that if someone hurt my son, I’d want to capture him and slowly cut off his body parts, bit by bit, just to make him suffer. A shot in the head sounds too easy. > > I don’t think it’s gruesome so much as it is an emotional response. The problem with celebrating Bin Laden’s death is not a matter of a ‘culture of violence’ so much is it potentially overshadows why he was hunted down in the first place. > > Violence begets violence, so they say. But doing nothing will _not_ stop violence. Killing Osama bin Laden for the Americans is kind of like Mossad killing terrorists for Israelis. It’s a matter of…honor…and…yes, respecting the life once lost. Kind of a paradox, but somehow true. Be careful when you fight monsters, lest you become one. ~some dead guy ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-public-is-fucking-gruesome/580550/44 "2011-05-03T13:19:25Z")
> [@Double\_Foolscap](#): > > Hey! That started off as a wholesome ceremony and was only _later_ that it was Guy Fawkes that we were burning! > > It started off as Pope effigies, sometimes with cats inside so they screamed realistically. > > My friend tried to bring up the Lockerbie bomber (AL Megrahi?) reactions as an example of how British people are oh so much more enlightened when it comes to this sort of thing. Apparently we were all OK with an early release on compassionate grounds compared to the baying for blood from the American camp. I seem to recall both opinions being pretty well represented, both side of the pond. A lot of the concern over this side of the pond was probably due general unease over the safety of his conviction. Had it been felt it was watertight I reckon public opinion would have been mostly in the “don’t release” camp. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-public-is-fucking-gruesome/580550/45 "2011-05-03T13:21:31Z")
> [@tnetennba](#): > > I joked about Donald Trump asking for the long term death certificate. Well, here it is folks. So the government shows you a dead Arab. What are you going to do? Run your own DNA tests? OMG, do you mean there is a short term death? Is he coming back? ---
**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:** [May 3, 2011, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-public-is-fucking-gruesome/580550/46 "2011-05-03T13:21:36Z")
> [@tnetennba](#): > > I’m not street celebrant or carouser, but I’m goddamned sick of the sanctimony and mouth-covering mortification of the maiden aunts of the world. Can your fake MLK quotes and tiresome public scoldings. People are acting like human beings. Get over it. I was trying to think of a good way to express this thought, and I couldn’t do a better job than this. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-public-is-fucking-gruesome/580550/47 "2011-05-03T13:22:47Z")
> [@Wile\_E](#): > > That’s horrible. You just have to wonder what the guy did to inspire such hate. Screwed up his cameo appearance on The West Wing. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-public-is-fucking-gruesome/580550/48 "2011-05-03T13:26:04Z")
I don’t know if I’m more put off by people who want to see bin Laden’s corpse, or by people who feel the need to haughtily assert their superiority and refinement because they don’t. Oh, wait. I do know. ---
**Author:** ![colonial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/34f0e0/32.png) [@colonial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colonial)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-public-is-fucking-gruesome/580550/49 "2011-05-03T14:25:39Z")
I am happy to confirm that this is one of the prettiest sights I have ever seen: [OBL’s ugly dead body](http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://newsnet7.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/osama_bin_laden_dead0001_66.jpg&imgrefurl=http://newsnet7.wordpress.com/2011/05/02/usama-bin-laden-dead-body-pictures-are-fake-caution-graphic-photos/&usg=__zvhjHNH3NvfvDiSe23SVJ-SqZcU=&h=263&w=197&sz=13&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=uW7shi5dSgkwvM:&tbnh=149&tbnw=112&ei=Rg7ATfLNF4Xs0gHT64j8BA&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dosama%2Bdeath%2Bpicture%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26rlz%3D1W1ADRA_en%26biw%3D1003%26bih%3D592%26tbm%3Disch&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=142&vpy=86&dur=125&hovh=210&hovw=157&tx=111&ty=117&page=1&ndsp=14&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0) I hope it proves to be authentic, and if it is not I hope someone provides the real McCoy ASAP. And oh, lemme tack on a few smileys for good measure: :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D :p:p:p:p:p:p:p:p:p:p:p:p:p:p:p:p:p:p:p:p:p:p:p:p:p:p:p:p Aren’t I awful! ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-public-is-fucking-gruesome/580550/50 "2011-05-03T14:37:52Z")
That site is titled : _ **Usama bin Laden-Dead Body Pictures are Fake CAUTION Graphic Photos** _, leading me to suspect that they are fake… ---
**Author:** ![colonial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/34f0e0/32.png) [@colonial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colonial)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-public-is-fucking-gruesome/580550/51 "2011-05-03T14:49:22Z")
> [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](#): > > That site is titled : _ **Usama bin Laden-Dead Body Pictures are Fake CAUTION Graphic Photos** _, leading me to suspect that they are fake.. Yeah, I know- I caught that they might be fake two days ago. But l can take pleasure in the fact that the ugly bastard probably looked at least as bad as the fakes when they made fishbait out of him, and he could easily have looked even worse. That calls for some more smileys!: :D:D:D:D:D:D :p:p:p:p:p:p ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-public-is-fucking-gruesome/580550/52 "2011-05-03T14:57:37Z")
I’m betting they will never show the burial video either. Not until they edit out the crew chumming the water before they dumped the corpse. (one can only hope he’s a shark turd now) ---
**Author:** ![Martiju](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e8c25b/32.png) [@Martiju](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martiju)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-public-is-fucking-gruesome/580550/53 "2011-05-03T14:58:20Z")
> [@colonial](#): > > But l can take pleasure in the fact that the ugly bastard probably > looked at least as bad as the fakes when they made fishbait out > of him, and he could easily have looked even worse. > > That calls for some more smileys!: > > :D:D:D:D:D:D > :p:p:p:p:p:p So wait - are you supporting the OP’s proposition or not…?! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-public-is-fucking-gruesome/580550/54 "2011-05-03T15:00:35Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > This may be a UK-centric view but generally the view over here was raised eyebrows at the amount of celebration. Think of how the killers of Jamie Bulger had to be given new identities to prevent them from being killed by vigilantes. I suspect that there would have been the same sort of public celebrating in some quarters of the UK if they had been murdered upon their release from confinement. ---
**Author:** ![colonial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/34f0e0/32.png) [@colonial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colonial)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-public-is-fucking-gruesome/580550/55 "2011-05-03T15:01:01Z")
> [@Martiju](#): > > So wait - are you supporting the OP’s proposition or not…?! > > 🙂 I am supporting the propostion that I don’t give a f\*ck about the OP propostion. ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-public-is-fucking-gruesome/580550/56 "2011-05-03T15:03:11Z")
Multitudes of people turned out to view the dead bodies of Bonnie and Clyde when they were brought back to Dallas-----my father was one of them. He always maintained that people were so afraid of Bonnie & Clyde that they wanted to see for themselves that they were truly dead. That might be one of the reasons people want to see at least pictures of a dead Ossama bin Laden. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-public-is-fucking-gruesome/580550/57 "2011-05-03T15:04:50Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > Think of how the killers of Jamie Bulger had to be given new identities to prevent them from being killed by vigilantes. I suspect that there would have been the same sort of public celebrating in some quarters of the UK if they had been murdered upon their release from confinement. Sure. But would there have been calls for their _bodies_ to be publicly mutilated? ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-public-is-fucking-gruesome/580550/58 "2011-05-03T15:07:19Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > Think of how the killers of Jamie Bulger had to be given new identities to prevent them from being killed by vigilantes. I suspect that there would have been the same sort of public celebrating in some quarters of the UK if they had been murdered upon their release from confinement. Quite possibly, and I would consider it the same way. Understandable, inevitable but unattractive and unhelpful. I don’t wan’t to live in a society that encourages or tolerates lynch mob justice. ---
**Author:** ![Sateryn76](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Sateryn76](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sateryn76)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-public-is-fucking-gruesome/580550/59 "2011-05-03T15:08:47Z")
Okay, fine. I understand that there are lots of reasons why people may want to see pictures of the body. But, please, don’t post it on Facebook, or put it on the top page of news sites, or print it on the front page of newspapers. I got caught by numerous copies of that fake picture, and by the Uday/Qusay pictures, and it really bothers me. I have no desire to see dead people, pretty much ever. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-public-is-fucking-gruesome/580550/60 "2011-05-03T15:09:44Z")
Seeing is believing. Think of all the rumors over the years, OBL is hiding in a cave, OBL may have been killed in an airstrike, OBL died of kidney failure. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-public-is-fucking-gruesome/580550.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-public-is-fucking-gruesome/580550.md?page=4)