HW 51 - Second Third of "The American Way of Death"

Cemetery owners use the fact that cemeteries are tax-exempted and gain profit from selling burial places and offering other services. Funeral companies are almost forcing customers to buy pre-need graves,  implying that its now or never. In short - everyone employed in the funeral trade is trying to make business out of other peoples' grief, and that is what they have been doing over the last thirty years or so. This has already reached the point where, in desperation, they have criticized religion and tradition. 

The biggest enemies of funeral directors are crematoriums. When a body is turned into ash, it no longer needs a casket and might not even need a proper grave. If more and more people prefer to be cremated then what is the point of all the casket selling strategies? Of course the sale of urns would rise but what fun is it selling urns that are at more than twice as cheap. However, taking all into account, it should still be all about what the customer and/or his family wish for. After all, without them, the funeral business would never have the right to exist.

~~~

Quotes I enjoyed:

• "In the distance, the group of people entering one of the churches could be either a wedding party or a funeral party; it's hard to tell the difference at Forest Lawn." (p.103)

• "The guidebook says [the entrance gates] are the largest in the world (…) and (presumably to warn anyone rash enough to try hefting one) adds that each weighs about five thousand pounds." (p. 102)

• "Well I think it will be better to have [Mr B's dead mother] here, because there is a window here, she'll get lots of air." (p. 127)

• "They went so far as to cremate one another in defiance of the authorities, thus subjecting themselves to public censure and even to criminal prosecution." (p. 113)

• "God's Little Million Dollar Acre"

~~~

I think it is sad how funeral directors do everything to make cremation look like the worst thing that can happen to a dead person. "One mortician suggested telling the family that if they only knew what went on in the crematory resort, they wouldn't even have a dog cremated." (p. 115). I feel this is very disrespectful to people, and families of people, who have been or want  to be cremated. I don't believe the mortician's statement quoted above. If crematoriums were in unacceptable or poor conditions, most would already be closed down after some sort of inspection (I suppose there must be something like a crematory inspection). 

It is terrible to think that people are fighting over money even in such a delicate field as one concerning death. It is already difficult for the family to bear with the loss of a loved one; they don't need the additional stress and thoughts on what is right, what is wrong or what would be best.