Whitney (Houston) We Have a Problem
Share this Article
Twitter
Facebook
Delicious
Digg
Stumble
RedditAuthor:
Harrison
Tags:
addiction alcohol death drugs fame steven tyler whitney houstonYesterday’s article A Perfect Storm of Big Government did not upload correctly – apologies it has since been corrected.
I was never much of a Whitney Houston fan but clearly she was – at one time in the past – a massive star in the music and movie industries. She’s dead because of her own weaknesses but the excuses (from others) just never stop coming.
Mainly I’m thinking of Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler saying that “this disease” of alcoholism and drug abuse must end:
I hate this disease — alcoholism and drug addiction. This disease takes so many of us down. It’s a terrible thing.
Many people battle addictions but to call these types of weaknesses “diseases” pushes things a little too far. Accounts – and footage – of the final days of Ms. Houston appear to show someone out of touch and control.
And New Jersey Governor Chris Christie ordered flags to be flown at half-staff (just as they would were a U.S. president to die).
There’s a reason Ms. Houston hadn’t done much of note for several years and, like Michael Jackson, it was clearly only a matter of time until she died.
It’s tough for most people to understand how someone who once had the talent, looks, fame, and money could wind up drowning in a bathtub with a bunch of prescription drugs around.
The “average American” doesn’t live life like that but then again most people live in a world of accountability.
By calling the circumstances that led to Houston’s death a “disease” that absolves her of much of the blame and takes away from people who battle real diseases like Cancer, Parkinsons, etc…
I also find it highly ironic that someone like Steven Tyler is now decrying booze and drugs… isn’t that how he copped his bad boy rock ‘n roll image which he used to sell records?
The entertainment industry is just a generational farm where each new crop of would-be performers do the exact same things as those who came before them in order to become famous… destroying hotel rooms, being a diva, drinking, smoking pot, snorting cocaine, or just acting like an asshole.
If said rock ‘n roller survives they always do the same thing and caution others not to do what they did.
That’s sure easy to say once you’re a multi-platinum album selling artist and can sit back with your fortune and “save” the rain forests or something.
And now that Ms. Houston is dead those who surrounded her – and perhaps didn’t do her any favors regarding pointing out her self-destructive behavior – will now profit nicely as her albums begin selling again and she becomes another artistic martyr.
It used to be that mamas shouldn’t let their babies grow up to be cowboys but maybe, instead, they shouldn’t let them grow up to become their favorite singer.
Politics and Finance has a good article about the Christie flagpole flap.
Did you like this article? Get new articles daily for free via RSS or Email.
2:45 AM
Perhaps those who call this a disease are also trying to absolve themselves for not helping her. Not only is this a way to excuse the behavior of the “diseased” it is also a way for others to rid themselves of any guilt they may otherwis have been feeling.
Steve Dennis recently posted..Did Ron Paul actually win the Maine Caucus?
3:41 AM
Didn’t realize that about Christie. That is an absolute joke!
It’s sad she died because it’s sad when anyone dies but this attention is out-of-control.
How about 1/1000 of the attention to an American hero (aka US military) when one dies serving the country to allow people like Whitney Houston to live the way that she did.!
Mike
7:19 AM
I think this was the objection made regarding the flag being flow at half staff.
4:13 AM
Great post, Harrison. Yes, it is sad that Whitney Houston has died, but she contributed greatly to her own demise. It isn’t a disease, it’s an addiction, and to call it anything else is pure sugar coating. I’m surprised they haven’t found a doctor or someone else to blame it on, like they did for Michael Jackson.
LD Jackson recently posted..Smart Stimulus: Retrofitting
7:16 AM
Good point on the doctor(s). I’m sure that is coming.
6:48 AM
Well, these people are lessons on the fragility of human nature. What does it say about humanity when we see so many people go down this route?
I mean, she wasn’t born an addict. Had she not become famous she likely would have just led a normal, healthy life. But when some people are suddenly given the chance to have everything and to do everything they could possibly want, I think it takes an exceptionally strong will to resist one’s darker desires.
I would hope that fame and fortune wouldn’t lead me down that path, but I can’t really know for sure unless I’ve been there.
Jack Camwell recently posted..Jack Camwell: Selfish, Immoral Fascist Part I
7:28 AM
hey Harrison:
I linked to you at an article I just published called “Mortal equivalence: Whitney Houston versus Gary Carter versus…?”
The Christie flags at half-staff is just ridiculous!
http://politicsandfinance.blogspot.com/2012/02/mortal-equivalence-whitney-houston.html
Mike
Michael Haltman recently posted..Mortal equivalence: Whitney Houston versus Gary Carter versus…?
5:24 PM
Christie should have waited a few decades. Houston was a great vocalist (not my cup of tea either, but credit where credit is due). It’s a good tone to start deifying them a few decades following their death, though.
edge of the sandbox recently posted..Fashion and Style Pick-Me-Up: Designers, Meet Michelle Obama