Death and Elections
First there was cautious optimism.
Then: Kubler-Ross’ five stages of dying:
1) Denial and isolation: 10pm-midnight (election night)
2) Anger: midnight-1am (election night)
3) Bargaining: 1am-2:30:am (election night)
4) Depression: Nov.2nd
5) Acceptance: Still working on it
November 4th, 2004 at 11:18 am
Why is it when people mention the 5 stages, they always preface it with “Kubler-Ross” or “Elizabeth Kubler-Ross”? Why not just the 5 stages of depression? Are there more theories out there than this one? Did she copywrite it? Is it common medical practice to reference the theorist’s name before the theory if the theory has been popularly recognized as an actual phenomenon?
The only reason I make note is: 1, I was going through the same thing that night; and 2, these stages (referencing Ms. Kubler-Ross) were the backbone of a scene in the play I teched for back in August. In the anger section, the character going through it says “Elizabeth Kubler Ross can sit on my face!” In the bargaining phase, the character says, “If I let Elizabeth Kubler Ross sit on my face, will I get better?” Since that play, I hear the 5 stages referenced all the time, prefaced by ‘Kubler-Ross’s’.
By the way, election night, we went to a very cool restaurant whose house Pinot Noir was called “Parker Station”; made in Santa Barbara. The bottle we had was from 2002. You should try it sometime, it was a very nice wine. Can’t describe it in wine conoisseur’s terms…I do not have control of that type of vocabulary.
November 4th, 2004 at 11:19 am
Oops, I called it 5 stages of depression…meant dying.
November 4th, 2004 at 12:08 pm
I have no idea if there are other, competing, stages. I just said “Kubler-Ross” because that’s what Google told me to do.
November 24th, 2004 at 11:59 pm
We have it (Parker Station Pinot Noir). Thus come.