Celebrity deaths - aren't they pretty?

USA says on 2012-02-12 01:36:44 about JwTVoCVmlx

Dsq4tN Interesting. We are waiting for new messages on the same topic!!...

Joe Hepperle says on 2009-12-09 15:20:32 about funny jokes-vs-ethics and morals

It would be difficult for me to 'teach' you here what your parents should have taught you -- but I'll take a stab at a condensed version. First, it is clear that you have no children of your own. If you did, you would know that it sets a bad example to speak badly of someone else at all, let alone someone whom has passed on. The following headings (below), "Training for Children" 101, 102, etc is not implying that you are a child but rather that these are some of the things that parents should have taught their children.

Training for Children 101 : Do unto others as you would have them do unto you (aka 'The Golden Rule')

First, let's get some details out of the way. Your Michael Jackson joke is funny, okay? But it is the type of humor (humour) that we can't allow to ourselves. An example to demonstrate this concept (things that 'feel good' but we can't allow to ourselves) can be taken from the world of sex. It would be very stimulating and exciting for me to have a carnal relationship with my neighbor's wife while he is off to work.
But I don't.
Likewise with my brother's wife -- she's one hot babe!
But I don't.
Why do I indulge? Because those are examples of specific relationships that, even tough they would feel Great, I can't allow to myself. Care and concern for other people is the watchword here. Respect for others also. Think of it this way-- how would you like it if your sister came to your apartment and 'rode' your boyfriend every time you went to work? (Or, if you are male, how would you like it if your brother came by your house two or three times a week and 'plowed your field' when you were at work?).

Training for Children 102 : Don't pick on those who are smaller than you or those who can't defend themselves.

A distinction must be made between those people who are still living versus those who have died. In your complaint above you've mixed the living (Winehouse) with the dead (Jackson). When a person is alive, we have more leeway in what we can say about them. Your parents should have already taught you to never say something behind someone's back that you aren't prepared to say to them, to their face. Dead people cannot defend themselves, so we are limited to stating only facts when touching on the possible 'badness' of that person. Facts -- not rumors, suspicions, or gossip.

Training for Children 103 : Honesty is the best policy.

The ethical and moral twin of Honesty is Truth. If a dead person did something bad and it is known as a FACT that such is so, then that can be spoken about, but making jokes about it is in bad taste. Beware though, a conviction in a court of law after a trial is not proof of anything. The only 'Truth' that can be spoken is that the person was convicted of such-and-such crime. Prosecutors across the land will tell you that. In the reverse, prosecutors are quick to let people know that when someone is found NOT guilty, that doesn't mean they're innocent. In the same way that a not-guilty verdict does not prove that you are innocent (..cough, cough, ojsimpson, cough,cough), a guilty verdict does not prove that you committed the crime.

Now, about Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson was found Not Guilty of all charges by a full jury after the prosecution had spent two whole MONTHS presenting testimony and questionable 'evidence'. How can anyone with any ethics or morals now make a joke, after his death, that he died from food poisoning from eating 12 year old nuts? He didn't die from food poisoning. And a jury of his peers adjudged that he had nothing to do whatsoever with 12 year old nuts. Michael Jackson, through his lawyers, already proved in court that those accusations are untrue but yet you want to perpetuate those false accusations, after his death, for the sake of a few chuckles? How low are you? The only truth we know about Michael Jackson is that he's dead, and he was found Not Guilty of all abuse charges.

You can personally 'believe' that twelve people who actually heard and saw ALL of the evidence and testimony firsthand are somehow 'wrong'. You can personally believe that you, thousands of miles away - with only 'selective' newsbites to go on, have somehow psychically gained the "true inside story" -- that's irrational, but it is your right (i.e. to believe in UFO's, ghosts, and other non-real things). But to make a joke about a dead person that consists of false information is crude, immoral and unethical. Your parents should have taught you that-- right after the lesson about 'if you can't say anything good, don't say anything at all'.