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Life in the USA Death in America American Attitudes
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American Attitudes
Hush, Hush. Americans do not like to talk directly about death. In America, people don't die; they “pass away,” “expire” or “kick the bucket.” Dead people are “the departed,” or “loved ones.” They are “laid to rest” rather than buried. People about to die are “terminally ill.” Perhaps Americans have trouble talking about death because it is often so remote. People no longer die at home, but in nursing homes or hospitals. Insulated from disease by medical science and from the horrors of war by two great oceans, Americans have made death what sex once was, a subject only alluded to. Next Section: Keep it at a Distance Death in America: Chapter Home
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Page. The URL of this site is: http://www.lifeintheusa.com/death/hushhush.htm
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