Ronn Blankenship wrote:
> At 12:21 AM 5/24/01 -0700, Christopher Gwyn wrote:
>>> who gave their lives in the defense of
>> This phrasing always bothers me when I hear it - and particularly
>> when I knew the deceased. When I hear this phrasing it sounds to me
>> as if the people entered the situation that resulted in their deaths
>> *knowing* that it *would* result in their deaths - but many, if not
>> most, of the people whom are referred to by this phrasing were simply
>> unlucky (i.e. If they had done something slightly different the
>> bullet would have missed them). {snip}
>> So why does this phrasing continue when it so rarely describes the
>> events, and implies a death-wish that the deceased so rarely had? {snip}
> Such comments are for the deceased's family & friends, to make them feel
> that the loss of their husband/father/friend was not meaningless.
a good point - and one that clearly means a lot to lots of people,
but it doesn't explain why the phrasing is used when there are no
relatives present (i.e. public statements about Civil War veterans),
or in cases where the relatives know for a fact that the deceased
would feel insulted by the implied 'death-wish'. (particularly when
they know for a fact that the deceased died in an accident or some
other 'it is implausible that he/she decided to risk his/her life for
a 'greater good' situation.)
i don't expect that anyone has a definitive 'answers all' response,
but i do hope someone can provide me with some more insight as to why
this construction persists in spite of its inaccuracy. clearly some
people feel that a death has to have 'meaning' - but thinking over
the folks i know who have died (including a few who 'died
heroically') all that i come up with is that i miss them and wish
they were still here. i draw no comfort from 'knowing that things are
better because they died', if i do perceive a benefit from their
death i wish for a way to achieve that benefit without their death.
perceiving a benefit doesn't make it 'all right' that they died.....
regards,
christopher
--
Christopher Gwyn
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
