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Politicizing and the Cult of Celebrity...aka Whitney Houston vs. Other People Worthy of Praise
Posted by Cantor,
06 March 2012
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933 views
[Note: This blog entry originated elsewhere, and was my somewhat bitter reaction to all the nonsense that was going on in the beginning, when there was furor over all the press coverage of Whitney Houston's passing vs. that of unspecified U.S. soldiers' deaths.]
I realise this is going to come across as a rant, and perhaps it is a rant... of sorts.
It's also a way for me to rid myself of some pent-up frustrations over the kinds of (probably well-meaning) comments from others protesting the attention being lavished on a deceased Whitney Elizabeth Houston. Some comments are downright insensitive, and others feel overly opportunistic.
You see, I continue to be amazed when people insert a political statement when the media reports on a dead celebrity.
(Insert extreme sarcasm)
I'm speaking specifically of all the negative, critical comments that have sprung up regarding the media's endless coverage of 'Everything Whitney E. Houston' ever since news of the woman's death first broke, and how the media seems to ignore 'real' heroes like soldiers who fight for their country.
Excuse me while I go digging for my Patriotism Badge...
Because we all know that soldiers who risk their lives for their country never abuse drugs, never kill innocent civilians, and are all-round saints that never do wrong.
Please.
We all have our faults, vices, and weaknesses. I'm not going to have 24-hour coverage when I die, and I'm not going to have a nation tuning in to my funeral when my time comes.
Why? Because I am not a celebrity. And I'm okay with that. Good Lord, who in their right mind honestly wants to be under a constant microscope like Whitney E. Houston was? You think she knew what she was in for as a fresh-faced, 19-yr.-old kid back in the 80s before there was even such a thing as Twitter, much less the monster that is Internet social media?
Yes, the media is going to cover a funeral of a celebrity because people felt like they loved her, knew her, and cared for her. Whether it's right or wrong isn't for me to say, because I was a fan, too. As a child, back when Whitney Houston projected a clean image of beauty and decency, I wanted to be a singer just like her when I grew up. So yes, I do mourn the loss of that person I admired, even if I didn't know her personally; even if the person I admired was just a facade. I mourn the loss of that ideal, just the same.
Who's going to watch a 4-hour-long funeral for a soldier?
Not me.
This is why America has Veteran's Day, so every time a soldier comes home in a coffin, we don't have to be reminded of the horror of war because there are TV cameras intruding.
This is why Canada has Remembrance Day. And I've participated in many a Remembrance Day service; I've worn my poppy and paid my respects in a way that was fitting.
Leave the media to its insatiable appetite for reporting every sordid, lurid detail of a celebrity's passing. They know what sells. I should say that it would be decidedly disrespectful for a soldier’s coffin to be followed around and to have pictures flashed back to our TVs and computer screens all the time. I don't particularly want to know his or her cause of death, or how his or her parents, extended family and friends are coping. I don't need to see where they died, or what their last meal might have been, et al.
If you believe the soldiers aren't given proper honour, then honour them yourself in a way you feel is fitting and proper. And if you think the only proper way for a fallen soldier to be honoured is through 24-hour media coverage, then you've been seduced by the lie that says the media only reports on worthy stories and causes.
A story's true worth isn't decided by the media; it's decided by the people who care about the story.
History will ultimately decide if Whitney Elizabeth Houston is worthy of the attention she's receiving in death. I don't believe anyone is whitewashing her very public battles with addiction, but they're also giving credit where credit is due: there's absolutely no denying that she was fabulously gifted with a magnificent voice. It matters not whether you liked her style of music - she was virtually peerless in vocal talent. She was also physically beautiful, something else we as a fickle human race value in a person.
She wasn't a flash-in-the-pan act, or a one-hit-wonder. I've read stories from people who cite Houston as a positive influence in their lives. One woman relates how, as a black child, growing up in the 80s, seeing Houston break barriers on MTV helped show her that she didn't need to be blonde and blue-eyed to be considered beautiful; was grateful for what Houston's image did for her sense of self-esteem. Another woman relates how the lyrics from Houston's hit, The Greatest Love of All saved her from making a decision that could have ended her life.
Houston was a hero to people like these women. No, Houston didn't go off and fight wars on behalf of her country; fighting war wasn't her brand of genius. Singing and performing was. Houston used her God-given gifts to entertain us as best she could. (Yes, a case could be made that she didn't treat those gifts with the greatest respect with her illicit drug use.)
What else should we have expected Houston to do with such an amazing voice? Sing ballads to terrorists in the deserts of Iraq? Or maybe she should have just kept her mouth shut, worked in an office and sung in the shower when the mood struck her?
No.
It was her destiny to become The Voice. Because no one lights a candle and puts it in the cellar. And this celebrity-crazy society loved her for shining her light. This celebrity-crazy society also kicked her aside when things weren't quite so rosy in her private/public/personal life - when that light started to dim due to her questionable lifestyle choices.
And now that the light has been completely snuffed out, yes, the media is right there again, making sure the world knows just what is going on.
Don't 'hate' on Whitney Elizabeth Houston just because the media spreads everything to be known about every moment of what goes on in the unfolding story of her death. If it offends you that there's wall-to-wall coverage of these events and there's a lack of attention paid to things you deem more worthy, turn off your TV, shut down your computer, and seriously meditate on things that are dear to you. Think about the people you admire, adore, and idolize. Think about how you would feel if that one person you call 'hero' were to die suddenly and under complicated circumstances.
Go on. Think about how you'd feel.
Have you now even the tiniest sense of how bereft you'd feel?
I imagine that's how Whitney Elizabeth Houston's mother, daughter, brothers, aunts, cousins and cherished friends must be feeling. I imagine it's even how her ex-husband feels, in spite of how acrimonious things seemed to be between them during her life.
So don't politicize this time.
Don't preach 'my hero or my cause is more important than yours' or 'she doesn't deserve the attention just because she sang a few songs people liked'. That's reducing the person she was to your narrow view of her accomplishments as a human being.
What she deserves now, in my opinion, is peace.
And that's my prayer for her, from the child in me that once held her in the highest esteem.
Rest in peace, Whitney Elizabeth Houston.
I realise this is going to come across as a rant, and perhaps it is a rant... of sorts.
It's also a way for me to rid myself of some pent-up frustrations over the kinds of (probably well-meaning) comments from others protesting the attention being lavished on a deceased Whitney Elizabeth Houston. Some comments are downright insensitive, and others feel overly opportunistic.
You see, I continue to be amazed when people insert a political statement when the media reports on a dead celebrity.
(Insert extreme sarcasm)
I'm speaking specifically of all the negative, critical comments that have sprung up regarding the media's endless coverage of 'Everything Whitney E. Houston' ever since news of the woman's death first broke, and how the media seems to ignore 'real' heroes like soldiers who fight for their country.
Excuse me while I go digging for my Patriotism Badge...
Because we all know that soldiers who risk their lives for their country never abuse drugs, never kill innocent civilians, and are all-round saints that never do wrong.
Please.
We all have our faults, vices, and weaknesses. I'm not going to have 24-hour coverage when I die, and I'm not going to have a nation tuning in to my funeral when my time comes.
Why? Because I am not a celebrity. And I'm okay with that. Good Lord, who in their right mind honestly wants to be under a constant microscope like Whitney E. Houston was? You think she knew what she was in for as a fresh-faced, 19-yr.-old kid back in the 80s before there was even such a thing as Twitter, much less the monster that is Internet social media?
Yes, the media is going to cover a funeral of a celebrity because people felt like they loved her, knew her, and cared for her. Whether it's right or wrong isn't for me to say, because I was a fan, too. As a child, back when Whitney Houston projected a clean image of beauty and decency, I wanted to be a singer just like her when I grew up. So yes, I do mourn the loss of that person I admired, even if I didn't know her personally; even if the person I admired was just a facade. I mourn the loss of that ideal, just the same.
Who's going to watch a 4-hour-long funeral for a soldier?
Not me.
This is why America has Veteran's Day, so every time a soldier comes home in a coffin, we don't have to be reminded of the horror of war because there are TV cameras intruding.
This is why Canada has Remembrance Day. And I've participated in many a Remembrance Day service; I've worn my poppy and paid my respects in a way that was fitting.
Leave the media to its insatiable appetite for reporting every sordid, lurid detail of a celebrity's passing. They know what sells. I should say that it would be decidedly disrespectful for a soldier’s coffin to be followed around and to have pictures flashed back to our TVs and computer screens all the time. I don't particularly want to know his or her cause of death, or how his or her parents, extended family and friends are coping. I don't need to see where they died, or what their last meal might have been, et al.
If you believe the soldiers aren't given proper honour, then honour them yourself in a way you feel is fitting and proper. And if you think the only proper way for a fallen soldier to be honoured is through 24-hour media coverage, then you've been seduced by the lie that says the media only reports on worthy stories and causes.
A story's true worth isn't decided by the media; it's decided by the people who care about the story.
History will ultimately decide if Whitney Elizabeth Houston is worthy of the attention she's receiving in death. I don't believe anyone is whitewashing her very public battles with addiction, but they're also giving credit where credit is due: there's absolutely no denying that she was fabulously gifted with a magnificent voice. It matters not whether you liked her style of music - she was virtually peerless in vocal talent. She was also physically beautiful, something else we as a fickle human race value in a person.
She wasn't a flash-in-the-pan act, or a one-hit-wonder. I've read stories from people who cite Houston as a positive influence in their lives. One woman relates how, as a black child, growing up in the 80s, seeing Houston break barriers on MTV helped show her that she didn't need to be blonde and blue-eyed to be considered beautiful; was grateful for what Houston's image did for her sense of self-esteem. Another woman relates how the lyrics from Houston's hit, The Greatest Love of All saved her from making a decision that could have ended her life.
Houston was a hero to people like these women. No, Houston didn't go off and fight wars on behalf of her country; fighting war wasn't her brand of genius. Singing and performing was. Houston used her God-given gifts to entertain us as best she could. (Yes, a case could be made that she didn't treat those gifts with the greatest respect with her illicit drug use.)
What else should we have expected Houston to do with such an amazing voice? Sing ballads to terrorists in the deserts of Iraq? Or maybe she should have just kept her mouth shut, worked in an office and sung in the shower when the mood struck her?
No.
It was her destiny to become The Voice. Because no one lights a candle and puts it in the cellar. And this celebrity-crazy society loved her for shining her light. This celebrity-crazy society also kicked her aside when things weren't quite so rosy in her private/public/personal life - when that light started to dim due to her questionable lifestyle choices.
And now that the light has been completely snuffed out, yes, the media is right there again, making sure the world knows just what is going on.
Don't 'hate' on Whitney Elizabeth Houston just because the media spreads everything to be known about every moment of what goes on in the unfolding story of her death. If it offends you that there's wall-to-wall coverage of these events and there's a lack of attention paid to things you deem more worthy, turn off your TV, shut down your computer, and seriously meditate on things that are dear to you. Think about the people you admire, adore, and idolize. Think about how you would feel if that one person you call 'hero' were to die suddenly and under complicated circumstances.
Go on. Think about how you'd feel.
Have you now even the tiniest sense of how bereft you'd feel?
I imagine that's how Whitney Elizabeth Houston's mother, daughter, brothers, aunts, cousins and cherished friends must be feeling. I imagine it's even how her ex-husband feels, in spite of how acrimonious things seemed to be between them during her life.
So don't politicize this time.
Don't preach 'my hero or my cause is more important than yours' or 'she doesn't deserve the attention just because she sang a few songs people liked'. That's reducing the person she was to your narrow view of her accomplishments as a human being.
What she deserves now, in my opinion, is peace.
And that's my prayer for her, from the child in me that once held her in the highest esteem.
Rest in peace, Whitney Elizabeth Houston.
