5 Shameful Ways People Cheapened Important Legacies - Celebrities

5 Shameful Ways People Cheapened Important Legacies - Celebrities - Nairaland

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5 Shameful Ways People Cheapened Important Legacies by UrennaNkoli(op): 10:17pm On Sep 01, 2015*

5. Nelson Mandela’s Family Turned Him Into A Corporate Mascot
When Nelson Mandela died in late 2013, it triggered an outpouring of grief that shook the world. Here was a man who had changed history, who had stood up for democracy in the face of decades of repression. His death ensured Mandela’s name would forever mean “freedom.” His family had other ideas. They wanted Mandela’s name to live forever as a byword for tacky memorabilia.

Even before Mandela’s death, some of his children and grandchildren had started using his name to sell merchandise. When he died, the process went supernova. Mandela’s name and image are now attached to everything from T-shirts emblazoned with his prison number to baseball caps showing his face to a range of mid-priced table wines (despite Mandela’s stated wish that he never be associated with alcohol or tobacco). At one point there was even a Mandela-themed reality TV show.

Perhaps more concerning is the effort two family members have been making to remove anti-apartheid activists from the Nelson Mandela Trust’s board to consolidate their hold on his brand. Their rationale is that everything Mandela did was with the goal of providing for his family. That’s a kick in the teeth to everyone who thought his actions had more to do with democracy and human rights.

4 .Stieg Larsson’s Family Hired A Hack To Finish His Books
Best-selling author Stieg Larsson left behind a mere three books when he died of a heart attack at age 50. Although he’d had a series of 10 planned, the completed Millennium trilogy managed to form a pleasing whole, bringing the story of hacker Lisbeth Salander and journalist Mikael Blomkvist to a close.

At least, it did until word got out that a half-finished fourth book was among Larsson’s possessions. Some of it was already written, and notes indicated how the story would progress. With the right scholar or a great crime writer at the helm, a respectful version might even be finished. Instead, his family hired a guy known for soccer biographies to finish the job. On a literary level, it was like hiring an ESPN columnist to edit J.D. Salinger.

It also made Larsson’s 30-year partner Eva Gabrielsson furious. She claimed the new author, David Lagercrantz, was an awful choice, as he lacked Larsson’s activist credentials or commitment to feminism—something that played a massive part in the writing of the Millennium trilogy. Her protests had no effect. Under Swedish law, all of the unmarried Larsson’s intellectual property passed to his family when he died, leaving Gabrielsson unable to influence legacy decisions.

3. Bach’s Alcoholic Son Pawned His Father’s Manuscripts
Johann Sebastian Bach has a good claim to being the greatest musician who ever lived. We’re still listening to his music and studying his roughly 1,000 compositions 265 years after his death. At this point, it’s clear his legacy is largely intact, but that’s no thanks to the best efforts of one of his sons. Upon inheriting half of his father’s work in 1750 (the other half went to a brother), the alcoholic composer Wilhelm Friedemann Bach proceeded to lose or pawn off nearly all of it.

At the time, Bach was far from being the titan of music he’s known as today. Nonetheless, he was respected enough for son C.P.E. Bach to consider it worth preserving and publishing his half of his father’s inheritance. Unfortunately, Wilhelm had more pressing problems of his own to worry about. At the time of the elder Bach’s death, Wilhelm was descending into paranoia and drunkenness, which in turn led to crippling poverty. Faced with a choice between sacrificing his inheritance or being penniless, he chose to kick his father’s reputation in the teeth. Although most of Bach’s compositions are today available, a small number remain missing.

2. James Joyce’s Grandson Tries To Sue Everyone
One of the most admired writers of his generation, James Joyce wrote novels so multi-layered and occasionally unreadable that most of them cry out for serious study. Yet for years, academic research into Joyce was severely hampered because his grandson would sue anyone who wrote anything about him.

In 1982, Stephen James Joyce inherited the Joyce estate and copyright of his grandfather’s works. Stung by a recent biography that printed James Joyce’s saucy letters to his wife, he quickly established what became known as a “copyright dictatorship.” Writers and academics were sued for millions of dollars to stop them publishing new books about Joyce. Anyone who wanted to quote even a fragment of Ulysses could find themselves tied up in a legal nightmare. When the Irish government tried to stage public readings and exhibitions to celebrate 2004’s Bloomsday (June 16, the date when Ulysses is set), Stephen threatened to sue them, causing Ireland to pass an emergency law preventing him from doing so.

At times, the lawsuits became farcical. Performance artist Adam Harvey once memorized a passage of Finnegans Wake, only to receive an aggressive letter from Stephen claiming he’d already infringed copyright. (He hadn’t.) For three decades, Stephen single-handedly destroyed Joyce scholarship, stopping a serious appraisal of his grandfather’s works. Finally, in 2012, the estate’s copyright expired. It’s now legally possible to film yourself reciting Ulysses (without getting sued) and email the video to Stephen—just to annoy him.

1. The Tacky Merchandise Of 9/11
When two planes slammed into the Twin Towers on the morning of September 11, everyone knew the moment would go down in history. We just didn’t expect it to happen thanks to the legions of merchandisers who would co-opt that day’s dreadful legacy.

Over the years, their items have done their absolute best to water down the sense of tragedy felt by millions. Coffee mugs that cost $50, commemorative mailboxes for $12,000, “Never Forget” ties, 9/11 wedding cake toppers, and Twin Towers boxer shorts have all appeared online over the years, making a few very rich. It’s even possible to buy 9/11 commemorative wine for $19.11—a price tag that both pays tribute and adds an extra 10 dollars to the seller’s pocket. That’s before we get on to the advertisers using a national tragedy to sell stuff like mattresses.

Meanwhile, at the gift shop at the recently opened National September 11 Memorial Museum, the organizers were clearly just trying to help fund the memorial’s upkeep. But the seemingly insensitive inclusion of stuff like coffee mugs and key rings seriously offended the families of the victims.
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