A Great Spectacle

(2)

The 'neglect' aspect of her immanent death was seized upon today by that paragon of Senate morality, Tom DeLay, who observed that, in Florida, allowing a dog to die of neglect was a crime punishable by a year in jail. DeLay did not succeed in putting it that elegantly but we got the idea: will Terri Schiavo suffer for a week or two before she finally goes to Heaven? If so it is barbaric!

Tom DeLay is an ignorant politician who appeals to equally ignorant constituents. But I think that he has 'put his foot into it' this time. Most people know that Terri lacks the cognitive power to 'care about suffering,' even if she can actually 'feel' such suffering, which is highly doubtful. 'Feeling' is one thing; 'caring' is quite another.

Terri's lingering death will not bother Terri one bit. But it will bother us. As she wastes away on her journey to Heaven we will feel immense pain for her. We will suffer. That is the problem.

As Terri declines, the world news media will linger around her in an eternal voyeuristic vigil. We will receive news reports 'on the hour' of her progress toward God.

Those millions among us who have the most abject fear of death will be most disturbed. We will demonstrate our abject fear (of death) in various public places, and the news media will cover those disturbances in great detail. Terri Schiavo will not suffer one whit, but we will all suffer in her place as we unconsciously contemplate our own inevitable demise. It will be a great spectacle.