I’ll get this out of the way right now, I’m a progressive socialist and Kissinger’s legacy in the world is one of reactionary repression and suffering. I find pretty much everything he stood for to be wrongheaded and harmful to society.
That said, celebrating someone dying in the way that’s happening now shows disrespect to human life and an utter lack of humanity. I understand the motivation, but it should be fought against by remembering that no one is ever just one thing, everyone is a mix of good and bad, and we certainly shouldn’t give in to the desire to rejoice at another’s death, no matter what we think of them.
@LopensLeftArm I totally understand what you’re saying. With most of these high profile deaths (Thatcher, for example) I would tend to agree with you.
But Kissinger was a mass murderer on an unimaginable scale.
Celebrating his death is like celebrating the eradication of malaria or smallpox. Even though life on earth is sacred, there are some living things that cause so much misery it’s okay that they are extinguished.
The fact that he thrived, admired and celebrated, completely insulated from his crimes, cast a long shadow over us. To learn about Kissinger was to lose your innocence. For many of us, knowing he is dead makes the world feel brighter.