De mortuis nil nisi bonum (never speak ill of the dead) is a maxim we might all care to revisit, particularly in these social media-obsessed times of instant news and instant response. While public and historic figures are unlikely to be afforded such niceties, generally speaking it must surely be the height of bad taste to slander those unable to defend themselves, especially when one is not in possession of the facts.
I read an outrageous slur on Matthew Perna’s character recently on social media (which I shall not dignify to name here out of respect for his family), and although it was undoubtedly written by an internet troll who had neither known Matt nor any intention other than to shock, nevertheless it compelled me to write in his defence.
For those this side of the pond unfamiliar with his name, Matthew Lawrence Perna was caught up in the January 6th Capitol riot, and tragically committed suicide in February 2022, having spent 13 torturous months awaiting sentencing. I shall refrain from political comment on the event myself – there are others far better placed to do so, but I strongly suspect Geri Perna’s moving tribute is a lot nearer the truth of Matt’s involvement than anything I have read in the mainstream media. I say this, because I knew the man firsthand.
I met Matt back in 2011, having just gotten off a plane to South Korea. We ended up in the same small town, and although you couldn’t meet two more disparate people, I warmed to him immediately. I’m a short, aggressive, conservative Brit; Matt at something like 6’3’’ was the opposite – a kind, liberal, gentle giant of an American, who saw the best in everyone – including me. No one in the expat community had anything bad to say about him, nor do I think I ever heard him criticise any of them, even the ones screaming out for condemnation.
Matt opened my eyes to many things, not least of which my ridiculous bigotry towards Americans. He was almost entirely non-materialistic, buying his clothes from the old ladies in the street-market; preferring to line their pockets, rather than those of faceless corporations.
Unlike the majority of the expat community, Matt was genuinely respectful and interested in South Korea, Asia, and other cultures generally. He had taken the time to get to grips with the rudiments of the language (no mean feat in itself), and had made friends all over the world thanks to his travels, and his habit of writing postcards to (I believe) random strangers. To many that would have seemed strange, but it wasn’t strange to Matt – to him, everyone had value.
While I was happier at the bar, Matt would prefer the open air – a few drinks at one of the local nujeongs (pavilions), gazing at the stars and exchanging ideas. One of the many themes which came up was the malaise he had clearly identified at the heart of America, and the West generally. That a conservative such as myself should be disenchanted with the utter failure of the British right to conserve anything, is hardly a surprise. That Matt’s natural liberal inclinations had led him away from the Democrats into supporting Donald Trump however, should elicit introspection and soul-searching from the American left.
Naturally, I understand there are those who will merely look at the photographs of January 6th, and conclude that everyone who was there should pay the price. Certainly, people should be held accountable for their actions. But in a case of this nature, with so many imponderables, and with the obvious failures of government and lawyers to show the slightest humanity, exactly what price should that be? Should it be a man’s life, if he finds himself unequal to the Damocletian burden of an unknown sentence, 13 months after the event?
My sincere condolences go to his family. Losing a child, a nephew, a brother under any circumstances is surely unbearable – but losing someone you know to be pure in heart, who may simply have been in the wrong place at the wrong time, throws cruelty and injustice into the bargain.
Matt was the nicest guy you could ever hope to meet. His death is not only a tragedy, but an indictment of the American justice system. In the event of his passing, we should ask ourselves a question: If America and the West are so great (a case for which could certainly be made), why was it that a man so clearly devoid of aggression and so full of love, could find himself sufficiently trapped that suicide was the only escape?
RIP Matt, I miss you buddy.
If you’d like to know more about Matt, please visit the website dedicated to his memory.
Frank Haviland is the author of Banalysis: The Lie Destroying the West, and writes a Substack here.
If you enjoy The New Conservative and would like to support our work, please consider buying us a coffee – it would really help to keep us going. Thank you!
