Sunday, February 19, 2012

The Celebrity Syndrome: Crack is Whack

The Celebrity Syndrome: Crack is Whack
This post may win me no friends but sadly that is not the point of this blog. It is about putting my snarky ass opinion out there, uncensored.uncensored
So with the funeral of Whitney Houston this weekend I got to thinking about what I call Celebrity Syndrome. Whitney was a very talented artist, a human being, and by all accounts a nice person.Greatest Moment Her problem was she became a celebrity. The planets aligned and stars collided or whatever happened and suddenly she was in the fame spotlight. For better or worse that spotlight changes people; we see this happen time and time again.
 
People, in America and to some degree the rest of the world, are fickle and cruel. We are no better than a gang of vultures or the Romans in the Coliseums. vulturesWe love to watch a person fall and sometimes bleed. We love to watch them rise from the ashes like a phoenix, but most of all we love to see them die.
 
Stay with me here. I am as bad as the next person. The day before Michael Jackson died I only owned his music on maybe a dusty old vinyl record somewhere. He was a damn pervert, a child molester and I was not going to support his lifestyle. NO! Not me. The day after, I owned every song I had ever loved by him on iTunes and discovered some I did not even know about!The King In my eyes, all his sins had been forgotten, and maybe were not even true. We should just leave him in peace; it does not matter anymore, and I guess it doesn’t.
 
The question remains, why do we not cut the same level of slack for regular people? Let us say a man in your neighborhood is accused of molesting a bunch of kids, never convicted but you are positive he did it, everyone says he did. This man becomes a social pariah and is a virtual shut-in and the subject of whispered accusations and scrutiny. Suddenly he dies. Does anyone abruptly start talking about the great parties he used to have or that wonderful recipe of barbeque sauce or chili he made, and then start cooking it again? Is his Herbertfuneral attended by everyone from the neighborhood; people fighting for the opportunity to eulogize and honor him? Nope. Sorry, that ain’t happening; not in a million fucking years. He was a nobody and therefore he does not have the celebrity syndrome.
 
Whitney Houston is widely known to have, had crack problems. A tragic addiction for any person, but we forget that she made that choice and we forgive it and then televise her funeral. There was an initial time in her life when she made that choice. She chose to take a drag on that crack pipe. (do you drag or suck on a crack pipe? Hell if I know) crackheadIt was her choice; unless Bobby Brown held her down and forced her to do it… but I really doubt that is how it happened. He may have been doing it and she, in a moment of weakness, said
“Eh, I’ll try it… what’s the worst that could happen?”

Well, Whitney, darling, the worst did happen you looked like a crack-headed lemming,I don't even know in some really bad dresses, for a long time and your voice was never the same again. That gift, God-given, talent was destroyed by the microwaved cocaine you sucked down your windpipe. She did give us the gem “Crack is Whack”. Then she died. Tragic and unexpected the night before the Grammy’s; no one is talking about her struggle with life and the law, only the sadness of losing such a woman.
 
Do not misunderstand me; I grew up on a healthy dose of pre-crack Whitney… I saw the Bodyguard. I had the soundtrack, who didn’t? Older and wiser “I Will Always Love You” (which of course I now own on iTunes) has a whole new meaning. my godWould we mourn the loss of the cracked-out hooker downtown selling her “talents” with the same vigor? No. Not a snowball’s chance in hell.
 
Amy Winehouse became famous looking like a hopped-up heroin addict. She did the hard bit of work looking normal and then the smallest modicum of fame in the United Kingdom changed her. WTFDid anyone stop her? Did anyone say we are not going to pay you anymore; no one in the industry is going to pay you anymore until you get off that shit? Nope. Instead, they shipped her over here, to the land of milk and honey, where we could celebrate her brokenness. Where the drugs were readily available and the line between right and wrong in Los Angeles is always blurred for “them”. She died not from the illegal drugs but from her liver finally giving up after she drank too much clear liquor. Clearly, this was a woman crying for help and instead of helping her we relished her demise, like fights at a hockey game or crashes in a NASCAR race. All of that forgotten now, she sings with the angels. 
 
Until we start holding our celebrities to the same standards as average people we cannot expect anything better from them. Until our heroes herobecome the people that actually deserve it, like that firefighter who went into the raging fire to save a mother cat and her litter of kittens. Does anyone not related to one of the 9-11 firefighters even know one of their names? Did you go out and buy firefighter gear and start wearing it around after that? No, you didn’t. You bought a Yankees jersey with some steroid-using athlete’s name on the back because they had that special 9-11 jersey. Some of that profit went to the Police and Firefighters fund… I guess. It is fine by me, Alex Rodriguez is freaking hot. I am only pointing out that we are all guilty. These are only the most recent occurrences but it happens time and time again.Lindsay normal.wowgeez
Should we expect more out of our celebrities? Or should we allow them the Celebrity Syndrome? Would we like them less? Or is it possible we might like them more?
Nah… that’s not gonna happen. dog knows

9 comments:

  1. Yeah, valid points. I have thought mostly the same things.
    Also, when I went to New York a year ago, I bought a t-shirt that benefited the NYFD & the 9/11 memorial. I do my research.
    That is unlike the people I saw in New Orleans in 2008 wearing over-sized t-shirts with Obama's face, like they were supporting him - you give to the campaign, not some random crackhead on the street!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. well, well, "Unknown"... do your research.... -_- and make sure you only give your money to worthy crackheads... not the random ones. LOL You also have some valid points.

      Delete
  2. I disagree. I really think we need more compassion in this world. We need more compassion for the "cracked out prostitute" as well as the "cracked out celebrities"...we are all just people. I think the general public has a much harsher judgemental view of our celebrities. When people die we do not forget all of their flaws we just reflect and celebrate the contributions they made in life.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think in a round about way we are kind of on the same page here... Some differences, but mostly I think the compassion we show a celebrity when they die should be the same. The judgement should be the same.

      Delete
  3. People celebrate the celebrity because at first glance they seem to have the very qualities we fail to see within ourselves and others. We concentrate on that celebrity, when if we just looked around a bit, we would see someone that exemplifies those very same qualities we think we see in that celebrity. The truth is that celebrities are regular people too, but with the bank accounts and enablers that help them become the drugged out, spouse abusing douchebags they end up becoming, before they die...usually by their own hand. Southpark did an episode detailing just that when an animated Britnie Speares, blew off her own head, then spent the remaiser of that episode trying to live a "normal" life. She then dies, surrounded by those that once adored her, but in the end celebrated her fall. People focus on celebrity failings because they are plastered all over the media, when Joe, the firefighter who actually does things worthy of fame may just get his 15 minutes for saving folks from a 3 alarm fire. Subsequently, he is forgotten by next week, because someone published yet another worthless shot of Lindsey Lohan's crotch for the upteenth time. I'd rather read about the fire fighter...I mean really...haven't we all seen enough of Lindsey Lohan's crotch already? Just sayin....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dave, I really do not understand why you don't want to see Lindsay Lohan's crotch... Actually (and I feel pathetic knowing this) she is one of the few of that bunch we have not "accidentally" seen her whooha... She had to do Playboy and then "leak" it for it to sell before anyone saw it. And even then given her obsession with Marilyn Monroe I am thinking she has had it altered to appear just like Ms. Monroe's. Just saying.

      Delete
  4. Sorry I'm just now getting to these.. but A.MEN!!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am glad that you at least liked this one Bandaid! I hope you at least laugh at me....

      Delete