I've seen that comment (about Thatcher) made even in the last couple of years. A frail old woman with dementia, whose daughter has to explain to her repeatedly that her beloved husband is dead. I don't care what her politics were or what she did, or even that she doesn't know: it's horrible.
World has enough hate in it without hating on sad sick old ladies. :-(
I know this can seem reasonable but on closer inspection I find your moral philosophy extremely strange here.
Essentially, you don't seem to have objections to wishing ill on someone who is healthy and young. However, if that person becomes old and/or frail it is no longer acceptable. I'm afraid I find that really morally suspect. Why do we (or should we) stop hating someone because they happen to have become old or ill. Should we stop hating someone who is dead because they would now be old or ill had they lived. It makes no sense.
While I can see you can make an appealing case with sentiment like "World has enough hate in it without hating on sad sick old ladies." I don't think there's any actual consistency to this claim.
That's not what I read Bunn as saying: I thought she was saying that wishing ill on people is pretty unpleasant anyway, but hard to distinguish from joking. Then she's said that's it's worse to kick someone who's down, which implies that if you're kicking anyone it's marginally better to kick someone who can at least understand what you're doing and respond appropriately.
I agree with that. Which may be because I'm reading my views into what Bunn's said, but I don't think so.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2012-08-01 04:13 pm (UTC)World has enough hate in it without hating on sad sick old ladies. :-(
no subject
Date: 2012-08-01 04:42 pm (UTC)Essentially, you don't seem to have objections to wishing ill on someone who is healthy and young. However, if that person becomes old and/or frail it is no longer acceptable. I'm afraid I find that really morally suspect. Why do we (or should we) stop hating someone because they happen to have become old or ill. Should we stop hating someone who is dead because they would now be old or ill had they lived. It makes no sense.
While I can see you can make an appealing case with sentiment like "World has enough hate in it without hating on sad sick old ladies." I don't think there's any actual consistency to this claim.
no subject
Date: 2012-08-02 07:48 am (UTC)I agree with that. Which may be because I'm reading my views into what Bunn's said, but I don't think so.
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Date: 2012-08-02 08:37 am (UTC)