[hfsh]

> But, just as much, the dead do deserve our attention and respect.

They do in a way, but don't fool yourself that it's actually about the individual dead. It's about humanity in general, and the contribution – good, bad, or meaningless – that every single human life has made to our collective existence. It's good that we admire rainbows, but that doesn't mean we should revere every droplet of water.

> The dignity of a person doesn’t cease when they are dead.

It doesn't 'cease' inasmuch as it becomes a meaningless term. The dead don't have dignity, they are no longer people. It's the memories of the dead have dignity. Those memories are not a part of the dead, they are a part of the living that remember them.

[DiggyJohnson]

I'm not sure you believe what you're saying. The dead don't have dignity? They aren't people anymore?

Treating the dead with dignity isn't solely for the sake of the dead, it's literally one of the oldest cultural norms of homo sapiens and perhaps even our homonid ancestors.

A homeless man is found dead outside city hall. He is nominally identified, but no relatives can be identified. What should the city do with him or - excuse me - his remains?

[shrimp_emoji]

> Treating the dead with dignity isn't solely for the sake of the dead, it's literally one of the oldest cultural norms of homo sapiens and perhaps even our homonid ancestors.

When people thought the dead were in an afterlife wherein their circumstances depend on how good their funerary arrangements are? (There's people who still think that, by the way.)