when we die, what will they say?

one of the courses i'm taking this semester is basically an intro to news writing focusing on the basics-- objectivity, leads, AP style...that sort of stuff. it's pretty easy and i guess i'm just using it to fine-tune my writing so if by some miracle i get picked up by a campaign next cycle i won't suck as bad as i did in '06.

i haven't really through much about the assignments for the course until now. the professer asked us to write an obituary for richard nixon, without looking at any of his obituarys from when he died in 1994. i think it's a really good assignment, if only to see how my classmates attack this. there is so much you can say about a person, especially one with a tumoltious history as nixon has (had?).

the whole assignment got me thinking... when i die, what do i want written about my life. it's standard just to stick to the fluff "a loving individual", etc. but, 50 years from someone's death if you read the obit, it never really gives you the escence of the person. what was their favorite color? did they sleep late? when it snowed, did they love to take walks in it? what were their vices...drugs, cigarettes, an attitude? did they organize their closet and room (house?) to the point of perfection? did they believe in god? you're not going to get the real picture of who someone is (was?) from reading about which church they attended or quoting their gushing family members who only want to remeber the best.

but then...what is the point of even writing on obit anymore? they all sound the same. it's as if the newspapers have a fill-in-the-blank form for just the specifics.

when i die... i dont want them to write "she was nice to everyone and always had a smile on". i'm not that nice and i dont smile that much. i want my family to pick up the newspaper and read about the real me...the passionate me who doesn't believe in doing anything with less than 100% effort applied to it. the me who can't parallel park, who loves photography and calls the hour before sunset the "magic hour" because the light is so perfect. the me who hates what the religious ultra-conservatives have (had?) to say but will fight to the death to protect their right to say it. the me who thinks people who don't vote are lazy.

but nobody would publish that...
because then their undeniable truths would come out too. and secrecy is the name of the game.