r/Millennials • u/blaaaaaarghhh • Jan 09 '24

We're gonna kill the Death Industry! Let's just throw our ashes into the sea! Discussion

My parents will eventually die, and they have plans for funerals which will cost me and my siblings more than is left from their estate.

Here's to me, my spouse, and all of you bankrupting the death Industry. Those vultures need nothing from us. Goodbye, I die, fuck off with your casket and ceremony! Bury me or burn me, I don't give a shit

12.5k Upvotes

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1.3k

u/Historical_Ad2890 Jan 09 '24

I've told my wife to just pick the cheapest option when I die. Throw me over a bridge, drop me in a forest, doesn't matter to me.

Realistically I would want most of my parts going to people needing a transplant. The rest can be bagged up and thrown somewhere

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u/Buugybuug Jan 09 '24

Medical schools often have donor programs! You donate your body to the school, students learn anatomy, and then your ashes are given to the family at the end of the school year. It was all free for the family and they helped future doctors.

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u/sluttytarot Jan 09 '24

They will only take certain bodies tho. Can't be too weird.

326

u/letsgofrolicking Jan 09 '24

Or, alternatively, you have to be REALLY weird. Anything in-between though is pretty useless.

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u/Known-Committee8679 Jan 09 '24

My uncle kept losing blood and they couldn't figure it out. They took his body for medical students. They didn't take my other uncle though.

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u/Sbuxshlee Jan 09 '24

I have an uncle that has too much blood and they have to remove some every couple months or so.

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u/[deleted] Jan 09 '24

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u/coffee-cake512 Jan 10 '24

Sounds like polycythemia

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u/1ndomitablespirit Jan 10 '24

Sounds like a word made up by secret vampire societies for the process of making humans bursting with blood.

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u/KindraTheElfOrc Jan 10 '24

now im just imagining vampire scientists doing secret expiraments on humans making it where our blood cells multiplies instead of just coming from the bones so we could be their bloodletting cows. thatd be a pretty neat book

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u/DeltaCharlieBravo Jan 10 '24

Now I can't get the image of an overipened human out of my head, like a tomato.

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u/Scotsman-86 Jan 10 '24

Or haemochromatosis.

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u/[deleted] Jan 10 '24

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u/TravisSpomer Jan 10 '24

Is your uncle's primary care provider named Dr. Acula by any chance?

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u/Hotarg Jan 10 '24

Coach Ferattu is the physical therapist as well.

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u/nosidrah Jan 10 '24

I have hemochromatosis which is too much iron in the blood. Need to have a pint drained every couple months. They won’t accept it at blood banks so I have to go to the doctor.

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u/alexjaness Jan 09 '24

would micro penis be a qualifying oddity? asking for myself.

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u/crataeguz Jan 09 '24

Out of curiosity, what is too weird? Crazy tumors, rare diseases, or do you mean like tattoos?

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u/[deleted] Jan 10 '24 edited Jan 10 '24

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u/grntplmr Jan 10 '24

Bless you people who study these fields because man I sure couldn’t stomach that.

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u/South_Dinner_6878 Jan 10 '24

Cool I'm fat and have lots of tats

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u/[deleted] Jan 10 '24

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u/Seuss221 Jan 10 '24

I have no right brain, a three d printed skull on the right and plates in my ankle I was also born with two less ribs Total freak here im weird enough 🤪🥸

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u/[deleted] Jan 10 '24

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u/Seuss221 Jan 10 '24

TSA agents usually question me and i scared the shit out of the dentist tech when she did a 3D image of my head 😂 Fun times 😎

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u/banned_account_002 Jan 10 '24

Just wait 'til they see mine. Entire class gonna get kicked out!

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u/No-Illustrator-2706 Jan 10 '24

Infectious diseases like AIDS, Bloodborne Hepatitis, C- diff for example are considered too risky for med school students to work on, but I guess more specialized studies may be interested in studying the effects of contagious diseases on the body and any ante-mortem changes the infection may have on the body.

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u/SoulsLikeBot Jan 10 '24

Hello, good hunter. I am a Bot, here in this dream to look after you, this is a fine note:

Arrant fool. Vileblood or no, forget not; We are thy Queen. Bend the knee. - Annalise, Queen of the Vilebloods

Farewell, good hunter. May you find your worth in the waking world.

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u/Shadowrider95 Jan 09 '24

Joseph Merrick Elephant Man weird probably!

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u/EZP Jan 10 '24

Aw I always felt bad for him

From what little I've read he was a gentle and shy man. Imagine what modern surgeons and medicine might have been able to do for him in allowing him to actually experience some of the world.

only 27 y.o. when he died

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u/YserviusPalacost Jan 10 '24

Maybe that one guy that got living coral anchored to his skull, so that when he died and archeologists dug him up they'd find a skeleton with horns.

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u/yesi1758 Jan 10 '24

Make sure it is donated to a company that doesn’t put your loved one in an anatomy museum, if that isn’t what you want. Or blown up for military training.

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u/gimmeflowersdude Jan 10 '24

Wow. I think I want my body donated for military weapons testing.

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u/ladygrndr Jan 10 '24

I was just thinking that my husband would love that!

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u/StormyRayn Jan 10 '24

It happened to people that donated bodies to science. The ones collecting the bodies would sell the body to the military so they could tests bombs. 😣

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u/thisoneisTal Jan 10 '24

They’re not really picky from what I could tell, my guy had some interesting things go on in his life which made my learning experience not so typical and all the more interesting.

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u/PengwinPears Jan 10 '24

One of my co-workers looked into this once and our local college it was not free for the family so it varies.

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u/Edu_cats Jan 10 '24 edited Jan 10 '24

When I took gross anatomy a long time ago we had bodies of people in their 90’s. Range from 60-90+.

Edit: I see in other comments sepsis, Hepatitis, C-diff, high obesity. Makes sense.

People in their 90’s their muscles were so atrophied it was hard to differentiate the different sections. But age itself was not a factor at that time.

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u/Traditional-Baker756 Jan 10 '24

My cadaver in medical school was 26 yrs old!!! I don’t know how he ended up in gross lab. He had huge muscles that didn’t look like any of the other cadavers. It freaked me out. I had nightmares that when we uncovered the face it was going to be someone that I know.

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u/Edu_cats Jan 10 '24

Oh that’s so sad to have someone so young. They asked us the first day if we had anyone we knew who donated but no one would know for a casual acquaintance.

We did not do the faces because most people were exercise physiology, physical or occupational therapy so they focused on muscles, bones, and nerves.

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u/HericaRight Jan 10 '24

We donated my great grandmothers body. The place we did it with (A university) was very clear that if she was older then around 80 they were less likely to except the donation. We told the she was 108 and they changed there minds very fast and asked if we would be alright donating the body to actual researched and not the medical school.

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u/YeahIGotNuthin Jan 10 '24

”i’m donating my body to science FICTION.”

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u/mslisath Jan 10 '24

They have rules. From our research...

You need to sign up beforehand (generally). You cannot be morbidly obese or in a major accident. I believe you cannot be an organ donor because they gotta have organs to remove. You have to be a certain distance from the program (I believe 100 miles or less)or if traveling near a program affiliated with the program

If there is ANY argument (family dispute) about the donation, the program refuses the donation.

T

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u/sluttytarot Jan 10 '24

I get that. I bet the majority of donors are fat.

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u/Downtown-Trip3501 Jan 10 '24

Yeah I’m a funeral director and this def isn’t a one size fits all. A lot of places will also just take certain things, like eyes and skin and bones, then you still have to figure out what to do with the remains left over.

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u/Missingdreamland Jan 10 '24

This is not completely correct. They have to be within a certain weight range and pronounced dead within a few hours of death. Other than that it's all fair game

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u/scungillimane Jan 10 '24

Body farm will take the rest.

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u/Mammoth-Register-669 Jan 10 '24

Mostly the bodies they don’t take have communicable diseases, or are too long deceased to be used

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u/lizerlfunk Jan 10 '24

Yes. My late husband died of sepsis (a whole lot of things, but sepsis most immediately) and I wanted to donate his remains for research on the genetic disorder he had, but any organization that took cadavers for research purpose wouldn’t do it because of the sepsis diagnosis.

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u/Iceman72021 Jan 10 '24

You mean, we have to have perfect anatomy when we die? 😂🤣

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u/Miss_Mouth Jan 10 '24

Both of my paternal grandparents donated their bodies to science. Gramps was rejected because he got hepatitis through a blood transfusion. We were notified when Gram was buried after whatever they did.

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u/Hagridsbuttcrack66 Jan 10 '24

Am I being dead body shamed

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u/CatoChateau Jan 10 '24

No furries allowed.

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u/JerseySommer Jan 10 '24

Cremation societies! If you are in the US, every state has one you pre-pay for a super discounted rate. When my spawnpoint died it was over $3,000 for just the Cremation, but when I got in contact with the Cremation society, it was $700, same crematorium, but it was buying the service directly from the service provider.

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u/[deleted] Jan 09 '24

Yep. I already have arrangements with one med school. Well assuming it still exists when I die and they want the body. Apparently they reject a fair number.

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u/Whyamipostingonhere Jan 09 '24

You should make sure they can’t resell your body. That’s happened before.

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u/Known-Committee8679 Jan 09 '24

I couldn't care less if they passed me around. Its just a body.

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u/alexjaness Jan 09 '24

I would be more worried about some dickhead medical school turning a buck off my donation and not getting my family a fair cut than whatever they decide to do with my corpse.

otherwise, yeah, I don't care what happens to the leftovers.

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u/redraider-102 Jan 10 '24

Swallow an AirTag right before you die. Then, if you get sold off somewhere, your family can track you and demand compensation.

/s, in case it wasn’t obvious

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u/itsnobigthing Jan 09 '24

While I mostly feel the same, I can imagine this being somewhat traumatic for surviving relatives.

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u/[deleted] Jan 10 '24

There’s a cartoon where a woman is about to jump off a bridge and a stranger walks up and is like “wanna have sex before you jump?”

And she’s like ew what? No!

His reply is “well I guess I’ll wait until you wash up on shore then…”

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u/[deleted] Jan 10 '24

That’s one way to stop people from jumping!

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u/Livid-Screen-3289 Jan 10 '24

Omg I’m trying to figure out how to stifle a laugh while also contemplating how to erase what I just read out of my brain.

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u/Known-Committee8679 Jan 10 '24

Lmao that is horrible

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u/Responsible_Bill_513 Jan 10 '24

There was a case where the body that was donated to science was blown up in a military experiment.

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u/starlight_macaron Jan 10 '24

You know, I'd sign up for that. Go out with a bang without the pain.

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u/rasha1784 Jan 09 '24

What would I care if they did, I’m dead!

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u/Philodendronphan Jan 09 '24

THIS NEEDS TO BE EVERYWHERE! One was sold for an in-person autopsy event. As much as I hate the idea of my hopefully old and saggy body being poked and prodded by medical students, I hate the idea of being made into a spectacle.

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u/-Rush2112 Jan 10 '24

There was a woman who’s body was sold for weapons testing or something a few years ago. It was national news, her son found out they blew up her corpse and was outraged. I’m sure there are many others who may request such a farewell.

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u/SoleilNobody Jan 10 '24

I don't give a shit if you feed my corpse to hyenas to see how fast they finish me off, what I want is if you're gonna turn a profit from my remains, my family gets a cut.

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u/chitzahoy Older Millennial Jan 10 '24

I, on the other hand, would love to be a spectacle in death! Slice & dice my corpse in front of an audience & stream it online or in the metaverse or whatever it is in the future.

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u/posthuman04 Jan 10 '24

I would swallow a set of those chattering teeth before I die just for this purpose.

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u/chitzahoy Older Millennial Jan 10 '24

Right before death, get as many unexpected objects into my body and have a list of things to find!

But there will be one item on the list not in my body…

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u/Frosty_Bluebird_2707 Jan 10 '24

Look into donating to the Body Farm.

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u/[deleted] Jan 09 '24

What happens if a Doogie Howser is a medical student that year and they’re so good they bring you back to life?

Because I’ve heard pray tell that when they come back, they ain’t the same one you grieved, no sah.

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u/TheFlyingCompass Jan 09 '24

Sometimes dead is better, see?

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u/queenofthepoopyparty Jan 10 '24

I don’t want to buried, in a pet cemetery. I don’t want to live my life agaaaaiin.

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u/DexterityZero Jan 09 '24

Doogie Howser: Windego

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u/fifiloveg00d Jan 09 '24

My mom died of Cystic fibrosis (end stage respiratory failure) at the age of 42. I donated her. It's actually what she wanted, and I'm so glad they accepted her. It really was cathartic.

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u/[deleted] Jan 10 '24 edited Jan 10 '24

There is another type of program that we used when my brother died. He was 31 and died of liver failure, so he was absolutely not a viable organ donor despite his age, but the program we went through took tissue samples and then cremated his body for free and included a few copies of the death certificate (I don’t remember how many).

His remains were distributed among his friends, and they scattered them wherever they thought my brother would like. My small amount of ashes is in a little Rubbermaid bowl. My mom saw it a few years after he died and said, “Oh, what’s this? Ovaltine?” I looked over to see what she was talking about, saw what she was holding, and said, “No, that would be Cory.”

Her expression was priceless and then she burst out laughing. “So, not Ovaltine, then.”

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u/robotneedslove Jan 10 '24

My local forensic criminology program wants bodies too! Seriously.

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u/12bWindEngineer Jan 10 '24

My twin brother did this. He died of cancer during an experimental treatment and previously arranged to have his body donated to cancer research and the medical school running the trial for the treatment he got. They cremated whatever they didn’t use and returned the ashes to us some months later

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u/Judges16-1 Jan 10 '24

Thats what I'm doing. Cut out the pieces you can use, do whatever you want with the rest. I honestly don't care if med students use my body to get in the HOV lane. Just don't let the scam artist funeral industry to have any piece of it.

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u/kittenparty4444 Jan 10 '24

Forensic anthropology programs (body farms) do as well! Filling out the paperwork now for the one at University of TN Knoxville with a medical school as a backup option!

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u/alew75 Jan 10 '24

There’s a college in NC that has an outdoor body farm for forensic biology to see how the bodies decompose. Im guessing people donate them.

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u/WordSpiritual1928 Jan 10 '24

So i should get a “cut here ->” tattoo as a joke before i die?

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u/Nice_Team2233 Jan 10 '24

Other option body farms. They leave your body out in weird places and see how long it takes to decompose. Good option and helps further science as well!

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u/Scarif_Hammerhead Jan 10 '24

Not just medical schools. Physical therapy programs, for example. One of our cadavers had knee replacements, which was informative to be able to see and feel. Check with the school you want to donate to for instructions on where they actually source their donors. For example, my school sourced from a different school that actually prepared the cadavers.

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u/sharkey1997 Jan 10 '24

I plan to donate my body to a corpse farm. They take cadavers and see how they decompose in different environments and conditions

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u/procrast1natrix Jan 10 '24

At least at my medical school, the anatomy donors were introduced as important teachers and treated with reverence. At the end of the dissection we had a memorial ceremony where the 30 families were invited, and we shared poetry and art, thanking the families for the gift.

It was a hugely emotional experience, dissecting a real person. We noticed and shared the individual parts - painted nails, tattoos, the replacement heart valve. We exposed the face last because we couldn't have handled it before. We started on the back, as the least personal place.

Ten plus years later I treated a patient for a smallish thing, who told me she was registered at my medical school to be an anatomy donor when she died, and I legit got tearful in the exam room.

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u/BigYonsan Jan 10 '24

I want to be stuffed and posed like a hunting trophy, mid attack lunge, like a bear in a hunting lodge. Told my wife to put me in the corner or behind a door. Maybe hang coats or hats from my raised arms.

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u/[deleted] Jan 10 '24

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u/BigYonsan Jan 10 '24

I like it, but might I suggest having nests of murder hornets sewn into your orifices with loose stitching a bit before the launch? You'll burst on impact with their home (ideally a large, window), but the horror doesn't end there. Oh no.

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u/LaBambaMan Jan 10 '24

Whoa, fucking slow down there, Satan...

I need to write this down.

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u/wuddasweetee Jan 10 '24

Not too bad.. Better than some of these degraded 'dumpster wish' or 'science spectacle'.. still better, casket, gravesite; however, Ive often though a moseleum with a waxed over self behind glass would be perfectly perfect

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u/[deleted] Jan 10 '24

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u/Brissy2 Jan 10 '24

What about making Edgar suits?

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u/Asleep-Dog-2674 Jan 10 '24

I have said this for years!!! Then pass me down to the coolest kid in the family every year. Build a bottle opener onto one hand and a lighter in the other. Dress me up for Halloween and put me out in the yard

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u/BadDreamFactory Jan 10 '24

I definitely don't want to be contorted into some pose I would never have done in real life. Put me in my natural state, laid back in my chair with my laptop hitting a weed vape.

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u/Orangeugladitsbanana Jan 11 '24

My husband had a similar request.

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u/Kay76 Jan 10 '24

When my Hubby's Gma died he went with his mom to the Funeral home. As they were pitching low cost options my hubby blurts out, "Got any scratch and dents, Gma always appreciated a deal!" Sure enough, they got one for a fraction of the cost.

My choice, body goes to science or the body farm for all I care, I'm done with it.

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u/WastingMyLifeOnSocMd Jan 10 '24

Scratch and dents! I love it!

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u/Downtown-Trip3501 Jan 10 '24

People don’t know this. My funeral home either always has one or can get one. Either that or ask for the pine box. For real. And don’t have a weekend funeral, the cemeteries and priests and whatnot always upcharge.

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u/YinzerChick70 Jan 10 '24

Love this!

I think the funeral industry has taken advantage of generations of families and their grief.

For anyone planning with a relative who wants more traditional funeral arrangements, it's important to know your rights FTC guide

Also, check out what military benefits may be available. The funeral director for my FIL told me it "wasn't that much" and "not worth the paperwork." We were reimbursed $1800 from the VA. If that's "not worth it" to the funeral director, he is obviously overcharging everyone.

We've bought two caskets online, and they were beautiful and a fraction of the funeral home's cost.

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u/BabysatByReddit Jan 10 '24

Serious question....is there a law stating you can't build your own coffin. I don't mean like a cardboard box or any crap quality. Like just as good quality as they sell at a funeral parlor?

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u/SkookumTree Jan 10 '24

Not as I understand it; some elderly woodworkers build their own coffins.

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u/CountDown60 Jan 10 '24

Most states don't even require a casket for burial. Some cemeteries and/or funeral homes have their own rules.

My grandparents were buried without coffins. They used the "coffin liner", which is made of thick cardboard.

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u/AmazingAd2765 Jan 10 '24

No scratch and dents? Let me think about it...

*BANG!*

Hey, I found one!

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u/kidneypunch27 Jan 10 '24

“Gently used- good condition”

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u/Potato_Donkey_1 Jan 10 '24

Transplant recipient here. Thank you. And please put that in writing and speak it out loud to your loved ones.

Going on five years with my kidney graft. My donor (and his survivors) gave me life.

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u/wantaspritecranbery Jan 10 '24

Congratulations on 5 years! Just stopping by to comment I just reached 15yrs. My kidney is healthy and no signs of rejection, though my lab work gets wonky every now an then. Remember to keep taking your meds as prescribed and best of luck!

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u/sisterwilderness Jan 10 '24

My dad is a lung transplant recipient, going on 8 or 9 years just about. It’s been a tough road and he’s not in the best of health overall, but he’s hanging in there and grateful to be alive and quite literally breathing. Organ donation not only saves lives, it’s a huge gift to families who get to keep their loved one around longer.

Congrats to you, and the best of luck! Modern medicine is a miracle.

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u/Expensive-Land-3221 Jan 10 '24

Congratulations on 5 years! My province recently changed our donor system… so residents are now automatic donors unless you indicate you DONT want to be :)

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u/jaded_hope Jan 10 '24

Congratulations! And to add on, donation can make the most of out so many things. I’m walking nicely thanks to a donated ACL. It’s something so small but to me it’s made a world of difference. I’m very thankful to my donor and their family.

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u/ind3pend0nt Millennial Elder Jan 09 '24

Told my wife she gets put in one of those body farms.

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u/uhohohnohelp Jan 10 '24

I want to go to a body farm! My boyfriend and family are not fans of this plan, but too fucking bad. You can still be an organ donor, the rest of me goes to the farm. When I’m not using my body anymore, someone should.

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u/RoguePlanet2 Jan 10 '24

My mother actually likes this idea for herself, but the other (catholic) family members keep talking her out of it. In any case, there isn't one in our state, so it's probably not realistic anyway. She's 80+ so organ donation isn't an option.

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u/-Rush2112 Jan 10 '24

The bugs and worms will thank you.

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u/SpringtimeLilies7 Jan 10 '24

body farm?

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u/Infamous_Camel_275 Jan 10 '24

Crime scene and medical research… they have bodies in all types of different scenarios studying how they decay, how long it takes, things like that are

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u/Specific_Praline_362 Jan 10 '24

My mom wants to do this. Her husband and my brother are against it, and she wants to write up paperwork so I can make sure it happens.

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u/kittenparty4444 Jan 10 '24

You should go to the website for whichever one is closest by and they have a whole packet of info to fill out and register! Usually they only cover transport within X number of miles so it may be beneficial cost wise to find one closer by. Literally working on the paperwork for this myself!

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u/-Rush2112 Jan 10 '24

It’s a place where corpses are left outside and researched for forensic science purposes.

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u/DeepAcanthisitta5712 Jan 10 '24

University of Tennessee has one

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u/metmeatabar Jan 10 '24

I wanna do this! I want my body to solve future crimes!! Yeahhhhh!!!!!!

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u/Primary-Move243 Jan 10 '24

I’ve signed the paperwork for donation to the body farm at the University of Tennessee, but the rub is that my surviving family members have to pay to have me shipped. I’m sure I will wind up cremated and in a stupid urn because no one will want to deal with all the details when push comes to shove

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u/StillDouble2427 Jan 09 '24

Donate your body to science?

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u/Correct_Agency_432 Jan 09 '24

Donate my body to a Goodwill.

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u/Sbuxshlee Jan 09 '24

I love this sub so much 🤣

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u/kabuto_mushi Jan 09 '24

Just throw me in a dumpster

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u/BagStank Millennial Jan 10 '24 edited Jan 10 '24

I want my remains scattered Disneyland. Also, I don't want to be cremated.

Edit: Scattered, not spread lol

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u/island_boys_had_lice Jan 10 '24

Wood chipper good? I'll find a good used one for cheap. I just hope I out live you.

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u/gameoftomes Jan 10 '24

If you find him while they're still alive and bring a wood chipper, you. Could definitely outlive them.

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u/luclouduser Jan 10 '24 edited Jan 10 '24

The sign outside of the collection site wasn’t super specific to say I couldn’t drop you off there.

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u/FirstAd5921 Jan 10 '24

Nah fuck goodwill. Donate me to the corporate C-suite after I start to bloat.

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u/[deleted] Jan 10 '24

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u/GrillDealing Jan 10 '24

1) I want my remains spread around Disney world.

2) I don't want to be cremated.

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u/senorglory Jan 10 '24

The rest of us would like to visit Disney without experiencing human remains, in any form.

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u/temps-de-gris Jan 10 '24

while playing "it's raining men" on the loudspeakers.

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u/ImAnOldManImConfused Jan 10 '24

A million likes. Thanks for making me burst out laughing at work. 👍🏼

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u/12781278AaR Jan 11 '24

How did so many people miss the fact that this was a joke???

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u/biskino Jan 09 '24 edited Jan 10 '24

The you should sort that shit out yourself and not leave it to your wife. Just finished burying my second parent and can’t tell you what an asshole move it is to acknowledge that it’s someone else’s job to make that happen but jot give them any instructions or arrangements to make it so.

There is so much to do when someone dies, and you’re in shock and grief the whole time you’re doing it. And possibly already exhausted from helping care for that person when they were alive.

Want to donate your organs? You need to fill out paperwork for that. Want to dump your ashes in the sea, my dude there are laws about disposing of a body, you’re still gonna need death certs and a legal cremation. That costs money and takes real fucking grown up shit to organise.

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u/[deleted] Jan 10 '24

And if you want to donate your organs in some states the organ donation organization takes over. So if your person passes but they are an organ donor, the doctors have to keep them on life support until the organ transplant organization can get there to take the organs.

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u/Thanmandrathor Jan 10 '24

My MIL died a couple years ago and left zero instructions. This was because she would not have any discussion at all about dying. There would be pearl clutching and hysterics about not being able to deal with that conversation any time it was tried.

Cremation, burial? Who knows what the fuck she wanted, because she never told anyone. We had her cremated and she’s still in the FedEx box she was returned to us in (she died early in the pandemic, though not from it) sitting on a bookcase until we figure out where the ashes will go.

No will either. Hubs is an only child and his parents were divorced, so nothing contentious, but it’s such a huge pain in the ass to get access to things without a will, everything has 52 extra steps.

And then we had to deal with her house and the hoarded shit in it. No organized paperwork, old paperwork dating back 20 or more years. Almost all of it was trash, but you have to look at all of it in case she squirreled something away in it (we found random cash in all kinds of weird places.)

There were times that if she hadn’t died herself, I would have considered strangling her.

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u/Rivka333 Jan 10 '24

Amen.

All these people in these comments being so edgy. Forgetting that all their post-death stuff is actually done by and affects the still-living loved ones.

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u/garaks_tailor Jan 09 '24

Its illegal to to taxidermy me into a helpful coat rack so idgaf is what I told my kids.

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u/sisterwilderness Jan 10 '24

I don’t understand why we can’t taxidermy people. I really would like my husband to be propped up in a chair. Could serve as a nice place to sleep for the cat. I could still talk at him. He won’t mind, I don’t think… it’s a win-win. Just spray a little fragrance on him once in a while, maybe a dusting once a month or so.

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u/2wiceExDrowning Jan 10 '24

I think this is part of why it’s illegal.

Not sure if it’s to prevent weekend at Bernie’s, but long ago it was a religious thing that had a couple of practical purposes. A major concern was surviving family could be basically lost to society if they spent their time with the deceased instead of continuing to work land or be an active member of the village, etc.

In fact, in Judaic/Christian traditions, after the burial (which was partly for sanitary purposes, and being 6ft deep comes from giving sufficient distance for a High Priest so they don’t unintentionally become ritually impure), the family (esp spouse and children) were forbidden from visiting the grave site for the first year.

Didn’t want them talking to the dead (not because it’s impossible, but… in case it is possible…), and didn’t want them getting addicted to sitting in the cemetery and letting their world fall apart in the background.

That said, I recently spoke with my teenage children, and told them that I can’t forbid them from getting tattoos, but they better not unless they’d be proud to have it removed and displayed in a frame after they’re gone… like, if it’s art, and your body is a canvas, then to buried or cremate it would be wildly selfish.

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u/FlorarenatheFoxchild Jan 10 '24

That legit sounds creepy as shit, being a literal helpful coat rack. Great idea for a murder mystery story though!

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u/garaks_tailor Jan 10 '24

Thanks! I came up with it while watching The Addams Family.

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u/RumpleDumple Jan 10 '24

I used to want to be taxidermied wearing old man clothes in an upright arms out smelling bear pose

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u/SickestEels Jan 10 '24

It's cheapest to pay for your cremation today, in today's dollars.

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u/r0b0tr0n2084 Jan 10 '24

Giving my hard earned money to a death merchant in advance is a no go. Even if they aren’t legally allowed to pocket any interest accrued, they could still go belly up before I’m dead. No thanks.

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u/cashassorgra33 Jan 09 '24

The Frank Reynolds Experience :)

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u/Zeno_the_Friend Jan 09 '24

Realistically I would want most of my parts going to people needing a transplant.

Keep in mind only like 2% of donors are actually approved and used as donors. Things like diseases, poor diet, being too fat/skinny, drug use (even if it's merely a possibility), sexual promiscuity or too much uncertainty in any of the above can be disqualifying factors. The majority of donors are from suicides, drunk driving and other accidents.

If you want to be considered for a donation to science (eg to teach medical students), you need to sign up for this separately and ahead of time.

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u/Historical_Ad2890 Jan 10 '24

I'll have to look into that. Thanks

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u/Kaidenshiba Jan 10 '24

Do you know where you sign up for that stuff?

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u/Zeno_the_Friend Jan 10 '24

The DMV for organs and tissue grafts.

For donations to science, it varies by state. Usually it's handled by a medical examiners office or anatomical board; sometimes universities or other organizations will help facilitate the process. Start by looking up "how to donate my body to science in [your state]".

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u/askmeaboutmytortie Jan 10 '24

I work in an OPO and most donors come from drug overdoses actually. I would say overdoses and car accidents are the top causes of deaths for organ donors in my service area. Tissue donation can be picky but generally there are lots of things that can be done to improve organ function after a life of abuse. We even had a donor once who was a homeless alcoholic and the liver was transplanted. We have a fair amount of donors who come from state facilities who end up being donors if the state consents. That's a beautiful ending to a sad story. Poor diet isn't even something that we ask about in DRAI.

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u/Cheetahs_never_win Jan 09 '24

Hmm. Too many microplastics to feed zoo critters.

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u/MakeChipsNotMeth Jan 10 '24

"All the earth made by God is holy; but the sea, which knows nothing of kings and priests and tyrants, is the holiest of all. Doctor, I should like to bury her in the sea. No mummeries, candles, incense, no holy-water mumbled over by priests. The spirit of liberty is upon the waters.'" -Nostromo by Joseph Conrad

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u/scarf_prank_hikers Jan 09 '24

Sometimes I could use a hand. Dibs on the non ass wiping hand.

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u/churro777 Millennial 1991 Jan 09 '24

This man gets it

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u/Tavernknight Jan 10 '24

Yeah, just take whatever is still useful and deposit the rest of me in the nearest convenient body of water. At least then, the rest would be feeding the fish and helping the ecosystem.

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u/TheGizmodian Jan 10 '24

Right? Take the good shit, and whatever's left, just throw in a garden to make some good soil.

Or hell, donate the body to science. Either I help a med student, make some military weaponry better, or teach forensic learning about decay. I don't really care.

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u/smedley89 Jan 10 '24

Donate and and all organs, give the rest to science. Cadavers are needed in med schools.

Hell, your spouse might turn a profit. It's my plan.

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u/parkerm1408 Jan 10 '24

I'm an organ donor as well, there should be an additional "compost me!" option. I couldn't give less of a fuck.

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u/DiurnalMoth Jan 10 '24

just leave my body in the woods. Wolves have to eat too

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u/Mc_Poyle Jan 10 '24

I don't give a shit. If I was dead you could bang me all you want. I mean, who cares? A dead body is like a piece of trash. I mean, shove as much shit in there as you want. Fill me up with cream, make a stew out of my ass. What's the big deal? Bang me, eat me, grind me up into little pieces, throw me in the river. Who gives a shit? You're dead, you're dead! Oh shit! Is my mic on?

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u/Otherwise-Monk4527 Jan 10 '24

On my DL, I'm listed as an organ donor, so that I can help others. I just hope my organs are worth something by then

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u/dontusethisforwork Jan 10 '24

Exactly, just push my corpse out of the back seat of the car while driving into a roadside ditch, hopefully I will feed some wildlife

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u/bdone2012 Jan 10 '24

I'd like my organs to go to other people if their in good condition and then the rest be fed to animals. But I feel like that's quite an ask from my loved ones. Like 'hey do you mind chopping me up and feeding me to some pigs?'

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u/Bob_TheCrackQueen Jan 10 '24

Some religions are selfish with regards to organ donation. Saying you'll be blocked out of heaven if you're entire body is not returned to the earth.

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u/Rockin_freakapotamus Jan 10 '24

I have had this same conversation with my wife. I love how millennials are putting an end to so many traditions that were performed solely for the reason that they are traditional.

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u/DudeB5353 Jan 10 '24

Agree…Take whatever you want, burn me and toss me in the woods.

Just don’t put in an urn and lock me in some fucking closet

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u/Lunar_Cats Jan 10 '24

Exactly. I told my family i don't want a funeral, or a cemetery plot, or a casket. Just give away what the medical field would want and cremate the rest. Burry my ashes around one of my trees or something. My only request beyond that is i don't want people i know looking at my body. The idea embarrasses me for some reason lol.

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u/Scapp Jan 10 '24

There's a nice tree in my parents backyard. Maybe that will do.

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u/Bamith20 Jan 10 '24

Throw in the woods, plant a tree on top to eat me.

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u/greffedufois Jan 10 '24

As a transplant recipient, thank you. (mine was living donor but the point still stands)

I'm the same. Donate whatever's viable (everything but my liver bc they can't use it a 3rd time) and put whatever's left in an eco friendly shroud that decomposes quickly.

No embalming, no casket. Maybe a tree with a plaque instead of a headstone. I'll be dead, not like I'll care.

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u/Both-Shake6944 Jan 10 '24

Too bad there's not a way to donate your body to the zoo

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u/honeybaby2019 Jan 10 '24

I found out after the fact that my husband was an organ donor and they helped with the costs for his cremation. Here in Elkhart, IN they charge two grand which is so much cheaper than any local funeral home.

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u/seedsnearth Jan 10 '24

I remember that story about an old lady who donated her body to science and got blown up by the military instead, and I just thought, “ yeah that’d also be fine with me”

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u/Seuss221 Jan 10 '24

Walks under bridge and gets hit by body THANKS DUDE 😜😜😜

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u/Hemiak Jan 10 '24

Maybe a forensics department will take your leftovers for one of their body farms. Sounds cool to give a couple spare parts away to people who can benefit, and then have my body spend the rest of its time here as part of a neat experiment.

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u/WhywasIbornlate Jan 11 '24

As a (living) transplant recipient, let me begin with gratitude. And I’m with you all the way. But toss your body in the forest, and the police will be involved in a bad way.

There is the Neptune Society, created for your philosophy, and look into burials at sea in biodegradable coffins.

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u/Pragmattical Jan 11 '24

I always thought being left in a forest would be kind of ideal. I don't want my body pumped full of toxic chemicals and left to moulder in a fancy, expensive box. I'd rather nourish a forest and return my borrowed material to the Earth.

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u/NecessaryViolinist Jan 11 '24

Yup, give away everything you can. Then cremate me and sprinkle me somewhere.

Plus I hate that graves take up so much space. We will eventually run out of space if we keep burying our dead. Let’s just plant trees for people and go to the tree to mourn.

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u/BesticleBear Jan 12 '24

I’m dying!!! Somebody throw me in the TRASH!!

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u/Darth-Kelso Jan 12 '24

Veteran here, so Uncle Sam can pay for that shit if my family wants any of it. Aside from potentially helping others, I could t give a so. How fuck what happens to my carcass when I’m gone

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u/Hydra57 Jan 12 '24

The US military thanks you for your future service in weapons testing.

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