It used to be that whenever a celebrity died, regardless of reputation, there was some sort of respectable sadness. Even if they had a vile reputation, it was still sort of frowned upon to talk about the negative surrounding them and best to just not say anything at all if it wasn’t R.I.P.; until recently as last week. That is when rapper XXXTentacion was murdered in an attempted robbery while leaving a motorcycle dealership. Upon news of his death, there was a swift division of reactions. While some offered the ordinary kind words and condolences, there were others quick to express a slight sentiment of nonchalant or, at times, a relief that he met an early and unfavorable fate. Sure, Tentacion was facing domestic abuse charges for allegedly beating his girlfriend, but has the world pretty much casted itself as judge and jury at the click of a button?
Not every person that has died has been liked or lived a perfect, sanctified life; so why bother even acknowledging your joy for their passing, especially if you have never met them. The difference between what is mentioned in the first paragraph and what is happening today, is that there is a lot more access to celebrities’ lives now. It’s not just social media, but there are blogs who are reporting these rumors and allegations of public figures quicker than the grocery store tabloids. Soon as people get the information, they are able to process it in their minds, however long they want to, depending on the interest level. This means it could be either a throw away click or the catalyst for a Twitter rant/thinkpiece. For XXX’s case, he was the subject of quite a few violence against women essays, along with some other rappers and high-profile individuals. But people have also pointed his antics of bickering with other rappers and constantly rapping about violence and death. However, at what point does a public figure’s actions warrant implied excitement?
The respect, or lack thereof, at a celebrity’s deaths will probably depends on how severe their transgressions or how recent they might have occurred. It’s naïve to think that these celebs are close to being the angels they portray in through works of art. Ike Turner’s death was probably the last death I remember where people sort of backed off wishing any condolences because of the abuse he was known for, but they weren’t lining up to dump on him either. However, it was a different time then. We probably didn’t know about the half of the stuff Turner actually did or did not do. A lot of our disgust came from watching “What’s Love Got to Do with It?”, so God bless Laurence Fishburne as well for his performance. The same could be said about president Ronald Reagan, as people reflected on how his political policies affected the black communities back in the late 1980’s.
As social media got better acquainted into our lives and thoughts, people’s outrageous opinions got bigger than their manners. Whitey Houston died when Twitter was essentially at the top of its game, thus giving a platform to anybody who chose to use it as their own weaponized disposal. There were quite a few people voicing their judgment when the singer died of an overdose in the bathtub. Can we really get mad at people for wanting to put a cautionary tale out to those partaking in those same activities or does it have to bleed over into Houston knowing the consequences so nobody should be surprised? Given Houston’s reputation as a legendary singer, the love outweighed the judgment of her ill fated choices.
Now that time is moving forward, no doubt there is a list being compiled right now. Bill Cosby has been a symbol of fatherhood for over 2o years, until 2014 when he was accused of sexually assaulting over 60 women by drugging them. It is a crime that has almost wiped out his entire legacy and will stick with people’s minds a little more than the Jello pudding and nice sweaters. The same could be said for R. Kelly’s alleged misconduct as well as Donald Trump and his current presidency.
Regardless of what you thought of XXXTenctacion, nobody deserved that type of death. He did not get what was coming to him when going out to purchase a motorcycle. XXX was no saint, but you will be hard pressed to find one in the music industry or even among your own circle of friends. There might be someone you’re close to that have done things 10 times worse than what XXX is getting posthumously slammed for. You would not want your friend to be trashed on the day they died, no matter what type of dirt they did. People can not let their fake outrage take them out of their real character.
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