Corpse Response

BEHIND THE FORMALDEHYDE CURTAIN:

There wasn't one particular quote in particular I felt the need to respond to. Rather, I chose to respond to the whole essay, what I learned about the embalming process. I'm really glad I read this and that now I know more about the practice.
Anyway:

On one hand, it's a load of time, skill, energy to make the corpse look good, preserve its dignity, if you will. In the corpse's looking good, the bereaved family looks good for having spent the capital to have the body look the ost artificially alive, and lay in a pricey, color-correlated casket and pillow set. Families have the body mutilated, cut-up, filled-in, pieces removed, replaced, destroyed, recreated rather than accepting the corpse's natural state. This aspect is all about appearances: the corpse's looking healthy and well, the family looking especially caring for the deceased, the mortician looking sympathetic to the family and caring about their pain.
But who is this for? I have strong doubts that the uninhabited body is going to notice the color-coordination of its surroundings.
Mortician have great skill, provide a service, a bit of a morbid art. It's on the family's part where you find thoughtless adherence to custom; no one opposing to the embalming of the deceased. The mortician, funeral director and others involved, on the other hand, put plenty of thought and consideration into the "show" of the funeral, making sure the actor (the body) is in full costume, the set fully designed, color coordinated and looking its best, and the audience soothed and ready to take in the scene.
..I think the whole practice is kinda bogus.