It isn’t nice to bid good riddance to the newly dead.
Sheila R. Lyons, a Barnstable County commissioner and Democrat who is running for state Senate, discovered that fact of life after Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia died and she posted this sentiment on Facebook: “I know it’s disrespectful to feel happy but Justice Scalia orchestrated tremendous power to benefit the powerful who have controlled the message to the American people.’’
She deleted her words shortly afterwards and apologized for her mistake. But, no surprise, criticism was swift and brutal. A spokesman for the Massachusetts Republican Party called Lyons out for “comments that degraded the life and work of a longtime public servant.’’
Across the country, the political establishment mostly hailed Scalia as a brilliant and witty jurist who left an important, if severely right-wing, mark on the court. High praise came from colleagues who passionately disagreed with him, such as Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the liberal yin to his conservative yang (or vice versa, depending on your ideology). Of course, the bickering over Scalia’s replacement began instantly, as Ohio Governor John Kasich lamented during last weekend’s Republican presidential debate.
But, especially on social media, Scalia’s opposition to gay marriage, the Affordable Care Act, affirmative action, and other progressive causes, generated instant, ungracious responses from those who disagreed with his opinions. That, in turn, elicited outrage from offended Scalia fans. “Liberals can’t hide their morbid glee in attacking the dead,’’ declared the Boston Herald.
Round-ups of disrespectful reactions turned up this tweet from comedian Marc Maron: “Good timing. RIP Scalia.’’ Writer and producer Drew Emery tweeted, “I will not at all be surprised when the coroner confirms the cause of death as marriage equality.’’ And the satirical Onion issued this zinger: “Justice Scalia Dead Following 30 year Battle with Social Progress.’’
What about the line between minimum respect and outright contempt?
Michelangelo Signorile, editor-at-large for the Queer Voices section of Huffington Post, walked it skillfully. He ran a photo of the two men smiling together at the annual White House Correspondents Dinner, and recounted how, after he was introduced to Scalia that night, the Supreme Court justice “repeated my name several times, with the proper Italian pronunciation.’’ Then Signorile identified himself as a gay journalist who would be in the courtroom the day of arguments in the “gay marriage case.’’ The justice shrugged, but held his smile. Signorile said he confronted Scalia directly about his sexuality because he believes such human interaction is important. But now, he added, with Scalia’s death “our options are much bigger than revealing ourselves to him in public. Already, as of this moment, a right-wing, conservative homophobic, racist, misogynistic grip that held the court tightly for decades has been released.’’
A heartfelt “Hallelujah!’’ might be implied from that observation, but was not explicitly stated. It’s nice to know a modicum of restraint applies even in this age of hyperbolic insult.
As for Lyons, she first agreed to discuss her Facebook post, but then changed her mind, saying she has apologized and now wishes to move on. After deleting the offensive post, she posted again, this time calling Scalia an “accomplished and brilliant scholar’’ and adding, “I disagreed with his opinions, his ideology. I’m not saying he’s a bad man. I’m just relieved he’s no longer serving on the bench.’’
It’s not necessary to agree with Scalia in order to value the life he lived and understand there are people who loved him. Meanwhile, speaking ill of the dead is an old taboo and should be broken with caution. There’s a time and place for candor. Social media simply make that too easy to forget.
Joan Vennochi can be reached at vennochi@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @Joan_Vennochi.
