If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less

When Osama bin Laden died, I had to spend the next week or so listening to very preachy people talk about how it was wrong to ever take delight in the death of a human being, no matter how evil they might have been. About how anyone who thought that this was a cause for celebration ought to take a serious re-examination of their standards as a human being. About how it symbolized America’s utter lack of civilization when people actually held impromptu parties in the street.

When Margaret Thatcher died, I had to spend the next week or so listening to very preachy people talk about how demands from Thatcher-worshippers that everyone else tone down their real feelings about her were ridiculous and offensive. About how much they loved this Guardian piece on misapplied death etiquette stating that “the demand for respectful silence in the wake of a public figure’s death is not just misguided but dangerous”. About how awesome it was that some Britons actually held impromptu parties in the street.

I have no data about the overlap between these two sets of very preachy people, but I bet it’s larger than anyone with any faith in humanity left would naively predict.