Susie Bright on death
2005-03-01 20:11:56.594299+00 by
Dan Lyke
4 comments
Non-stop code refactoring and clean-up this morning, with a breather in between before I dive back into this stuff again. The breather is Susie Bright talking about Hunter S. Thompson's death, both reminiscences of him, but also a few good harsh words about the cultural treatment of suicide:
If Thompson planned his death like other friends of mine have, he likely set a deadline; he might have confided to one or two. Because it's illegal to plan your death anywhere but Oregon, (and most people do want to die at home) the hardest task his family would face would be knowing that they couldn't be with him when he died without facing criminal charges.
Loved ones who collaborate with their dying friends' wishes either hide their presence, or they clear out. Can you imagine if you had to be born alone?— If it was against the law to have your family and friends close around you?
It's not too far from there to the related issue of health care costs. today's SFGate.com has an article about a woman who refuses to leave a hospital, and Leo points out some hard truths about "universal health insurance".
[ related topics:
Health Sociology
]
comments in ascending chronological order (reverse):
#Comment Re: made: 2005-03-02 13:15:20.708631+00 by:
petronius
The proponents of a single-payer national health scheme rarely admit that everybody rations health care, one way or another. In England they use long waiting perioeds for non-emergency care, or simply nopt offering some services, like dialysis for people over 50. In Canada, they cut back on captial expenditures so that there is a shortage of things like MRI machines. In the US, we have bunches of people who just don't get care.
#Comment Re: made: 2005-03-02 16:48:12.017742+00 by:
Pete
[edit history]
Susie's comments on Hunter are full of shit.
>It was, by his lights, considerate for Hunter to shoot himself,
>although I wouldn't recommend it to just anyone. He made the
>sheriff's work cut and dried, and no one will charge that someone
>else held the weapon to his head. It spares his family scrutiny,
>it spares his body inquiry.
Bullshit. He killed himself in his kitchen with his six-year-old grandchild in the house, without warning anyone. That's pretty far from considerate or sparing anyone trauma.
#Comment Re: made: 2005-03-02 17:34:52.063023+00 by:
Dan Lyke
Yabbut, he couldn't warn anyone without making them part of a felony.
Admittedly it probably would have been better to do it outside where the clean-up would be easier.
#Comment Re: made: 2005-03-02 18:00:55.566984+00 by:
ebradway
From the aritcle Pete linked to:
> "He wanted to leave on top of his game. I wish I could have been more supportive > of his decision," she added.
Did she mean that she disagreed with his decision or that she wished she could have been there to help?