Why do people hate iconoclasts while they are alive but cherish them after they are dead?

Question

Iconoclasts don't block new directions of thought they open doorways to new ways of thinking.

Answer 1

Because they are no longer threatening when dead. Once they are dead they become a symbol or metaphor, rather than the potent living breathing force they once were.

We can afford to be hypocritical once the threat is removed. It's like saying at a mafia don's funeral 'he was a good man.' We know its not true, but death gives dignity.

Hope that helped

Answer 2

Because iconoclasts break the icons, or sacred images, that represent ideas that worked for some people or groups in the past, but block new directions in thought.

New ideas eventually take hold, and the iconoclasts, who made way for them, become the new icons.

Answer 3

Now you can argue over the wisdom of the statement and not worry about the author saying you're wrong!

Answer 4

That is not always true. Just when they die in the name of the cause. They become martyrs.

Answer 5

Coz by then, they have become icons themselves.