The Conundrum Of Clichés
There have been a lot of eulogies as a result of the death of Christopher Hitchens (there's a bunch of highlights here), and some responses, like this one, which demonstrate how some people manage to define, or rather re-define, the meaning of words to suit their own purpsoes. Let's just say that Bryan Fischer's idea of love does not coincide with mine.
Death also has a knack of prompting people to trot out all that 'comforting' nonsense, about the deceased person being in a better place or [insert supernatural cliché of your choice here]. They do it even when the deceased was known to be an atheist, and, worse still, when the deceased's loved ones, who are grieving, are known to be atheist. I say "worse still" because grieving is difficult enough as it is, without having to remind people, in a way that doesn't hurt their feelings, that what they've just said is completely inappropriate.
The thing is that those clichés do trip of the tongue very easily, not necessarily because the person quoting them believes the words, but because it's what you say at times like these (which, of course, is how it's become a cliché).
Clichés are actually quite powerful. If you can get people saying something without giving it any thought, you can consider it a win. If you can hijack a single word, and manage to alter its perceived meaning to coincide with your own, you've hit the jackpot.
Take the word 'god', for example. It's been hijacked. Worshipers of Yahweh have hijacked it, changing it, via the capitalisation of the 'g', from a generic term to a specific reference to Yahwey. Now that's a jackpot of enormous proportions.
But getting back to stuff which easily rolls off people's tongues (an almost involuntary process which I can understand), I struggle to understand it when I see such stuff in print, when it's written by someone who should know better. I felt compelled to comment on JT Eberhard's eulogy to Hitchens, on his What Would JT Do? blog. entitled RIP Hitch. Rest In Peace? I know it's one of those things that people say, but coming from an atheist, in respect of another atheist, I really don't understand the thinking, or perhaps lack of it, which resulted in its use for the title.
Beware the irrational, however seductive. Shun the 'transcendent' and all who invite you to subordinate or annihilate yourself. Distrust compassion; prefer dignity for yourself and others. Don't be afraid to be thought arrogant or selfish. Picture all experts as if they were mammals. Never be a spectator of unfairness or stupidity. Seek out argument and disputation for their own sake; the grave will supply plenty of time for silence.
I'm sure I don't have to tell you whose words those are.
