system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Why is it inappropriate to "speak ill of the dead" even if the person who has died wasn't a very good person?
gpt
The dead cannot defend themselves. In most ethical systems, a person has the right to confront their accuser and attempt to defend themselves, or choose a person to defend them.  The dead obviously cannot do this, so it's generally considered impolite to attack them.  This idea has been around for centuries.