Mortality and Legacy

I'd be lying if I said the first thought to go through my head after hearing about Charlton Heston's (iD&Di: .04) passing wasn't a joke. Of course, that same joke, it seems, has occurred to everyone. I think Shortpacked! delivered the punchline best, and I'd encourage you to take a look.

The finer points of good taste are always called into question in situations like this, and one can't help but feel for the family. But this is something of a special case: Heston more or less invited this. As far as showing respect for the dead, well, he did once hold an NRA rally following the events in Columbine.

Of course things are never simple. This is a man who once marched beside Dr. Martin Luther King. He fought for equality and starred in several science fiction movies, which would otherwise elevate him in the eyes of the Geek community.

He could have been remembered differently, and, in some sense, perhaps he should have been.

But to some extent we choose our own legacy. He felt strongly in his politics, and while his passion is certainly admirable, his means were questionable and his actions at times were comical.

A few sneers seem called for, but lets not forget there was more to the man than the above picture suggests.