This is discussion archived from a time before the current discussion method was installed.
From YKTTW Working Title: Due To The Dead
Sabre Justice: Y'know, I don't see why this article can't have Real Life examples of the burial practices and customs of various cultures from around the world and across history, just to put the examples in context. I'm not sure where the flamewars come from.
Golfritha: Because this is not an article about burial customs. It's an article about the moral caliber of people as depicted by how they treat the dead.
Luxa: Yet it has the completely unexplained painting of Duke Karl Insulting the Corpse of Klas Fleming. Without any mention of it in the article. That's just unfair. Now I have to look it up.
Goldfritha: That's not Real Life, that's painting.
Luxa: True. Added under painting.
Lawyer Dude: What about carefully-selected real life examples? I'm sure that there are examples that were considered repulsive at the time and place they were performed. What if we limited them to notable pre-twentieth century examples and agreed to strike anything that caused controversy? One example I'm thinking of is the Cadaver Synod of 897, where Pope Stephen VII dug up the body of Pope Formosus, dressed it in robes and put the dead man on trial for various church law violations. After being found guilty, the body was mutilated and dumped into the Tiber. People both then and now viewed it with horror.
Ranchoth: Strictly speaking, it's not a mark that distinguishes humans from ALL animals...Elephants are known to cover their dead with branches, and some ants will take the bodies of dead ants to their colony trash heap (granted, not so much "funeral" as "remove for orderly disposal," which seems perfectly antish). And, depending on how you define "non-human," Homo Neanderthalensis graves have been discovered. This has been a pointless and pedantic message from Ranchoth.
baconistasty: I agree with adding real life examples, but without commenting on the morality of it. The trope description as written doesn't necessarily read as "how you treat a corpse show heroism," it describes "different cultures had different funereal rites and sometimes villains don't show proper respect for those rites." Is there any history of why they aren't allowed (ie, previous flame wars) or another trope that works for "different funereal rites"? Because then I'd be okay with living this as is.
