The Jamaica Star :: Commentary :: Making a killing out of death

Dwayne Mcleod, Staff Reporter

In recent times I cannot help but notice the evident lack of respect for those who unfortunately have passed away.

At a glance, this may seem to be just a simple matter, but by putting a little thought to it, one will definitely agree.

Let's be honest, aren't funerals becoming more and more like fashion shows?

Some two months ago, I got a call from an acquaintance telling me that his aunt had died.

Being the sympathetic person that I am, I immediately started to pour out my condolences. I was, however, cut short when he said: "Mi affi go crush dem a di funeral eno ... . Yu nuh have nuh bad shirt weh mi coulda beat?"

I had no choice but to end the conversation as it was quite evident that the true purpose of the call was within the aspect of 'looking good' for a funeral and not asking to me to turn up and pay my respects.

Hit at the funeral

By the way, I would eventually hear nothing of whether his aunt was given a good funeral or not. All I heard was what he wore and how many phone numbers he collected.

Speaking of respect, how many parties have you heard of with the name of an individual in the title?

I personally know of a few. And while it can be argued that it's a way of showing respect, the manner of these parties clearly indicate that it's all for the money.

For example, a weekly party, which is hosted in an east Kingston community, was held only two days after the death of the individual who's name was in the title of the event.

When I heard of this, I could not help but imagine the thought process which followed after the man's acquaintances learnt of his death.

Financial gains

This obviously seemed like the perfect opportunity to make some financial gains, after all, the deceased was a rather influential individual and one would definitely imagine that persons would have no reason not to attend the 'memorial' party.

I am by no means a hater of having fun or making money, but when that comes in the wake or at the expense of death, I tend to become a bit edgy.

Maybe it's because I'm an orphan or maybe not.