(Or Hell To The No…!)
I was determined not to blog about the late Whitney Houston—to let her finally, “rest in peace.” But I was moved to break my promise by comments from the ignorant, the racist and those without a soul. Somebody has to say, “Hell to the no,” in defense of Lady Whit.
For the record, however, this is not the first time I’ve written about her. In 2005, I wrote an article about then-husband Bobby Brown’s reality show. I was not too flattering; nor have I been supportive of her comeback in two of my blog entries last year.
But it does not mean I am not a fan; indeed, a huge fan, I am. Like most of the world, she, “had me at ‘Hello.’” From, “Saving All My Love,” to ,“The Greatest Love of All,” and then her performance at the Super Bowl (say what?), to, “The Bodyguard (movie and soundtrack),” then, “Waiting To Exhale (ditto),” and of course, “The Preacher’s Wife (ditto times two).”
Unfortunately, by 2000, her music slowly began to fade for me; never stopped being a fan of her talents, but ceased digging, “Whitney the person,” as it were.
Fame and drugs were killing the Whitney I knew and loved—period, point blank.
Still, it was probably the Diane Sawyer interview and the now infamous, “Crack is whack” statement that officiated the end of my support of Whitney. Nevertheless, afterwards, I continued to give her much propers for all she gave us. I still blast, “I’m Every Woman” and her other up-tempo songs during impromptu dance fits. Or, I croon to her love ballads as if they were written just for me. Plus, I have my own doubt-erasure elixir of Whitney’s gospel music—“Joy” and “Help Is On The Way,” are my choice singles. And my true Whitney favorite, especially when there’s a new man in my life, is the obscure cut, “My Heart Is Calling.” I truly wish she knew just how much that song moves me!
It simply breaks my heart that in her death, folks trying to honor her or support her family are being bombarded with bullshit. And it’s not just one topic; it’s multi-layered venom. The speculation of how she really died, the unceasing reminders of her issues with drug addiction, the deafening whispers that her voice, “had been shot for some time” and that perhaps, marrying Bobby Brown was not her best move. People dwelling on the negative are present on every other newscast, blog, Twitter feed and Facebook status post.
Moreover, this active duty veteran and current reservist finds it disturbing that some people are upset over the Governor of New Jersey’s decision to fly the state flag at half-mast in her honor. Those outraged ranted about her not having been to war or “officially” serving our country. Hmmmm. Let’s see, the media was always out to get her, she battled drug addiction, and attempted to continue performing despite the naysayers—sounds courageous to me.
The fact that she touched so many lives with her music and films has been drowned out by the constant highlighting of her personal troubles. No one besmirched the names of Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor (who could not sing, by the way) or Elvis Presley when they died; all had drug issues. Elvis not only died of a drug overdose but was grossly overweight at the time of his death. And what of Judy Garland…?
In almost 30 years, Whitney accomplished what most people only dream of; she dreamt it, she dared to do it and we loved it! And then, for all of that, in both life and death, she is treated like dog shit by the righteous few because of some serious mistakes that did not hurt anyone really except Whitney herself. Is that what being an American is about? Hell, is that how fellow humans treat one another? If Whitney were guilty of killing, harming or stealing from someone, perhaps the posthumous vilification—which technically began the day after she and Bobby Brown married, could possibly be justified.
For the sake of her family, why can’t we let her find the peace, quiet, rest and respect, she so aptly earned and deserves? If it will help any, why not, to quote, “A Time To Kill,” simply, “…imagine she’s white?”
