The truth, the half-truth and nothing of the truth

Der Letzte Weg 2001 from chris caliman on Vimeo.

Good word, embalm. Its vowels and its consonants are gentle, emollient, reposeful. Balm. Calm. Serene. Peace, perfect peace.

It definitely sounds like a nice thing to do to a dead body, yes?

Undertakers hold the view that there are things we don’t need to know and they may even have a point, if what they do is really necessary.

The jaw suture, for example, to close the mouth.

So if you go to Videojug, you will hear an undertaker, Mr Maguire of the NAFD, no less, tell you that embalming is but a simple injection which leaves a dead person looking lifelike.

Lifelike??!!

It takes two sides to have an argument, and I can take both at once. One of my best friends is an embalmer. Others of my best friends would say that embalming is a violation and a desecration.

If you don’t know what it looks like, watch the 11-minute video above. But before you click play, let me warn you: you need a very strong stomach.

If you can’t face it, have some fun at the freshly made-over Videojug site. It’ll tell you how to striptease, make your breasts look bigger, avoid a trapped arm when cuddling in bed—oh, all kinds of indispensable things.

Do tell Videojug what you think of Mr Maguire. Leave a comment. This is a public information site. In a free(ish) country like ours, people have a right to know.

My thanks to Bob Butz for putting me on to Thanatopraxie. More about his excellent new book, Going Out Green, another time.