re: Maya Angelou dead at 86

Typing RIP has nothing to do with the point I was trying to make.


You don't have to know someone to show respect for when they pass.

Maya Angelou was truly a great person. An author, who has inspired so many people across the world. She was also a civil rights activist. You may not have been personally influenced by her. You may not have been able to relate to her works. But please, just show respect. That's all that is asked. And to Maya

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I've been to events where speakers get upset when you interrupt or just stand up and walk out

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I don't care for that attitude. If someone wants to leave, who cares? The other 99% of the audience is appreciatve of your words and is actively paying attention, why make a scene and make things awkward because of 1 guy wanting to leave? And what if he had diarrhea or something?

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Stop making disingenuous arguments. Saying that being black and female helped one person doesn't mean it'll help everyone. Not ever black politician will become President.

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Octavia Butler was a black female science fiction author. Surely if our culture were elevating people simply because they were black females in a field without very many black females, she would have been on that list.

My argument is that you come across as saying that the PRIMARY reason for Angelou's fame is her race and gender. I disagree with that premise.

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But please, just show respect. That's all that is asked.

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Why?

Why do you feel the need to totally dismiss and disrespect a lady who just passed

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Oh, and using that as an example that she "hated white people" is laughable.

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I did not do this.

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Ever notice how at some events the ushers don't allow people to enter or leave except at specific times?

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Only on very rare occasions.

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Or are such things too high brow for your tastes?

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Glad you get your jollies by trying to assert yourself over an anonymous message board. You, clearly, are a much more sophisticated and enlightened person than me.

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Bottom line is that you don't just get up and walk out while someone is speaking.

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I've seen people get up and walk out (for various reasons) from speeches given by CEOs, governors, foreign dignitaries, artists, and numerous others. You'll forgive me if I (and others, obviously) have not heard of your rule.

You feel as if you don't need to respect her. Why do you feel that way?

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Why do you feel the need to totally dismiss and disrespect a lady who just passed

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I don't have a dog in this fight, and I haven't disrepected MA at all in this thread, but I have a question out of curiosity. Taking the flip side approach of your point, why do people feel the need to get worked up when famous people die?

That didn't really come out right, but here's what I'm getting at. You never met Maya Angelou. Most people ITT couldn't name a single work of hers besides 'caged bird', and even less could probably recite more than 1 line of any of her work. So why should we feel this great debt to pay our respects? For example...what if there was an old dude in my neighborhood who donated to charity, volunteered in soup kitchens, had a service based job and raised a wonderful family. If I said that dude died most people would be like "ok?" or "oh, that kinda sucks I guess". What's the difference? Yall don't know that guy any more than you know MA. It just kinda seems weird that people want to try to force other people to show respect even if it's unfounded.

Like I said earlier I'm not showing any disrespect at all towards MA. I have no reason to do so. But at the same time, my life has been affected in absolutely zero way by her life or death. I'm not going to shower her with 'RIP's and "she will be missed!"s arbitrarily just because "I'm supposed to".