Cecil's demise has brought about one small benefit. In my classes, I have a discussion where I present to my students the lives of Patrick Tillman and Robert Mugabe. This summer term has been the first where the universal reaction of the class has not been "who the [expletive] is Robert Mugabe?": they knew him as the guy who took care of Cecil.
P.S. The purpose of the assignment is essentially to mess with their brains. I begin by pointing out that Tillman was scrupulously ethical, gave up everything for his country, and died from friendly fire at 27, while Mugabe has been scrupulously unethical, and at 91 has lived a very long, very successful, very happy life. I then ask the students whom they would rather be. Everyone says Tillman. Then I point out that Tillman was an atheist which means (if Christianity is correct, see tagline) he is not only dead but in eternal hell, while Mugabe is a practicing Catholic, meaning if he's been keeping up with his confessions and gets extreme unction, he not only will have had a wonderful life but (perhaps after some time in Purgatory, I will allow my Catholic friends to sort that out) will obtain eternal bliss in heaven. I then ask the students again, based on the new information, whom they would rather be, at which point I get to sit back and enjoy the rest of the discussion.
Sad, but not at all shocking...