Black Arm Bands
August 26, 2008
Mourning rituals are really important and wearing an armband would be helpful. Why did this custom go away? I'm glad I don't have to wear only black for a year and never leave the house to do fun things, because while in mourning, the gods know you need some levity! But now it seems as a culture we deal with death by pretending things are fine, putting on a brave face and getting over it. That's a load of crap. Why not wear our hearts on our sleeves a little bit? It doesn't mean we (those of us in mourning) would go on and on with our sad story to anyone who will listen (that's not my style, anyway). It would just be like having a sign that says, "handle with care" and let people know that some serious shit has gone down and you might need a little bit of space and time.
I would like that.
(President Roosevelt in December, 1941.)