Many African families spend fortunes burying their dead

Post by card_zero » Sat, Apr 11, 2026, 5:51 AM UTC

kingofmen wrote: post #239

card_zero wrote: post #156

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's no good way to measure wealth creation. If people are getting what they want - if there's no extra government tax them to pay for the digging and re-filling of holes, but it's all done freely, out of desire to have it done - then it might be of some value, because they think it is. We can say "but it plainly isn't purposeful", but the same applies to pets, vacations, every kind of art and craft, fancy cuisine…

> If people are getting what they want "If". It appears (from this article, I haven't done any exhaustive research) that when the Ghanaians have the option of hiding money from their families and from the funeral expenses, they exercise that option with flair and alacrity. That suggests that they are not getting what they want out of this whole digging activity. And while we cannot read off what is best in life from…

Post by kennyadam » Sat, Apr 11, 2026, 5:18 PM UTC

jasonwatkinspdx wrote: post #234

kennyadam wrote: post #213

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you able to share any details about how you found the healthcare advocate or who I could talk to about it? It's just me and my dad now with some of my cousins between 2 and 4 hours away, so when my dad is on his way out I'm quite anxious about dealing with it all and have basically no money. We ended up using the Co-op to cremate my mum, skipping any funeral services and going with the most basic offerings and it…

Dad found her through his church. My impression from talking with her is that this is a relatively new and uncommon concept in the industry, but one that is growing. Another big benefit is having someone who can help with the insurance companies. Thankfully that wasn't an issue with my dad, but I saw how bad it can be with my roommate when his dad went into a care home. Not just Kafka-esque but cravenly maliciously s…

Post by tim-projects » Sun, Apr 19, 2026, 7:54 AM UTC

watwut wrote: post #233

tim-projects wrote: post #182

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> In many cultures it used to be (or still is) quite common to treat brides as property. Property is not the right word for this. Responsibility is the right word. When a bride price is paid, you give money (or goods) to the family. In return the responsibility of the care of the woman is passed down. This is not a traditional monetary style transaction in the way it appears. In practice, a lot of families that accep…

Property is the right word. If it was you taking on responsibility, they would be giving you salary.