Appreciation v/s Idolization.... "Who do you believe in?" by 2Pac
"Hate the way you make this hate flow, all through us, steady looking for flaws through us!" Jay-Z "Lucky Me"
Who's your favorite artist, or entertainer? Your favorite ball player, rapper, civil rights leader, comedian, motivational speaker, or even evangelist!? Chances are, no matter who you choose to be loyal to as a fan, at the end of the day, they are still flawed humans.
I don't say these words as a disgruntle fan, or even as a hater, I'm writing this blog to bring a different perspective to the notion of cancelling someone after they've been found guilty of not being perfect. My intention has nothing to do with excusing or condemning, but I've noticed the position that Blacks continue to be put in when one of our public figures gets accused of something they may or may not have done.
Whether or not we should be as forgiving as we're known to be, going back even to Michael Jackson when he was on trial, it was never our thing to completely cut a person off. There have been numerous artist that we didn't always agreed with off stage, but we appreciated their craft so we rocked with them anyway.
R. Kelly comes to mind, as does Prince for me, as does El Debarge, Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston. We all watched Ike Turner abuse Tina Turner in the movie WHAT'S LOVE GOTTA DO WITH IT, but in my opinion they made the best music of her career together. Again, not dismissing anything that the individual may or may not have done, I believe the true judge, which is God will righteously judge us all at the appointed time. I just don't believe in throwing the baby out with the bathwater!
The Cosby Show to me is a great example of scrubbing one of our best, most wholesome, as well as progressive stories, because of the accusations of the individual who created it. I personally have my doubts about the Bill Cosby case, but still that's not my point! What he, and everyone who contributed to the Cosby show created was and still is the best show on t.v. It was unfair for television networks to stop airing the old episodes, especially to the cast members who hadn't been working as much and depend on the shows royalties. It was just a few years ago that Geoffrey Owens who played Elvin, was spotted bagging groceries due to his lack of receiving work as an actor. I'm not certain as to why Harvey Weinstein's movies haven't been pulled also, but it does bare suspicion!
It's funky when you work and sacrifice, only to get what you worked for taken away from you, but I imagine that it's beyond foul when the people you've worked so hard to gain approval from, and make strides for turn their backs on you. We've become as bad as outsiders when it comes to cancelling our own. T.I. is one of the most recent to be accused of misconduct in a serious manner. Some of his television and movie deals have already been stripped. This is what's often done to athletes who are accused of wrongdoings, usually the young Black ones.
Have you ever met a perfect human, because I haven't! I named this piece appreciation v/s idolization, meaning to appreciate shows gratitude towards something. To idolize is to put something on a pedestal, when you aren't able to reach it how can you be mad. Why don't we focus on the attributes of the person instead of their personality. Personalities, become characters, in a place called fantasy island.
I appreciate T.I. for being a family man and artist, not an activist. Many of us loved Tupac for his passion, but his work ethic is something I can strive to duplicate. I love R. Kelly's ability to create great music period. I grew up respecting Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam's discipline, but Farrakhan isn't my savior. When we look at the offering of the person, instead of trying to make them out to be everything and all to our world, we get the opportunity to appreciate and understand them better, in doing so, we learn to understand ourselves better also!