This morning I was taking my walk and listening to music. Amy Whinehouse came on Spotify and I went down a “Rabbit Hole” of her songs. I always knew that she was talented but as I was taking in the sun and listening to that deep soulful voice it truly dawned on me that we did this woman wrong. And not just this woman but so many like her who have been in the spotlight. Marilyn Monroe, Chris Farley, Heath Ledger, Aaron Carter, Lindsay Lohan and so many more.
We need to do better, We are all guilty of it, the “train Wreck” effect. It sells more papers I guess, or in today’s world it will get more clicks and likes. We run to the comments to see what people wrote and cringe as we read the hurtful words of these keyboard warriors. It is so horrible to think that no one wanted to see a sober Chris Farley, that people instead wanted to see the sloppy, overweight alcoholic on a drug fueled binge, If that man was to walk out of a hotel looking sharp and sober these vultures would have been genuinely upset. The same people who claim they love a comeback story are the same ones who love to kick these falling stars on their way down.
These paparazzi sit outside these celebrity homes and popular eateries just waiting for their shot. But they are no longer looking for that glamour pic or that smile. They are willing to take a thousand pictures in hopes of that one bad one, regardless if it tells a true story or not. They live for that wardrobe malfunction, or drunken smirk, slip and fall, etc…
Everyone acts shocked and upset when these people overdose or take their own lives. They put up posts claiming to pray for their family, praying to rest in peace. Yet, just weeks earlier they were sharing and commenting on the most unflattering pictures of the dearly departed.
We need to do better, myself included. We need to focus on what we can be doing to raise each other up. To highlight each other’s accomplishments, to forgive one another’s errors and to extend a hand when we see someone is down.