Let love be the guiding light to our actions
Brothels, sex, Kardashians and Lamar Odom sounds like a media wet dream. It is odd how the story plays in this order: brothel, sex, Kardashians, oh and Lamar Odom is potentially going to die. Something about this story doesn’t ring true. Why are we speaking about everything other than the potential health conditions of a man that has spent his life entertaining millions of people?
The intent here is not to shame our media or our society but we need to rethink what we share and say. If Lamar Odom passed away in a brothel, do we dare judge the way in which he passed? We would have nothing to say if he picked-up some groupie from the bar that would have sex with him for cocaine. It would be fine if he was found in the home of a d-list actress with a dildo up his butt on the floor of the bathroom.
We question if it is the fault or the responsibility of the Kardashians to look after this grown man as if he is a lost puppy, simply because he had problems with his father. Isn’t the real story here about his health and his potential for death without the help of loved ones? This is a systemic problem that has to do with how we deal with drug addiction.
You should also read: Bruce Jenner digs into Kanye West
We are so stuck on the “shame-game” that we ignore our public responsibility to show compassion and love when someone needs it. Lamar Odom probably went to that brothel to feel something. He probably went there to be connected to someone and still be faithful to his estranged wife. We do not know what was going on in his head but how this story is playing out is awful.
We have become a group of people that want to point the finger as opposed to lend a hand. We want to judge as opposed to use the pain of others as a means to become introspective and alter our own lives. These celebrities are no different from us yet we treat them like gladiators in the ring of ancient Rome.
Why are we so dismissive when we know that someone is in pain? It must be an attempt to avoid our own sex scandal, our way of avoiding our own issues with in-laws, our way of disassociating from our own problems. Maybe instead of looking at Lamar and the Kardashians as we would if we saw a train wreck, we should re-imagine how these horrible events have a bigger implication on our society at large. Maybe the brothel is a representation of the whoring of our humanity. The Kardashians are a representation of the illusion of fame and fortune. Lamar Odom is an archetype of Apollo trying to put the whole world on his back and being overwhelmed by it all.
Regardless of what we think about this tragedy, we should deem it just that. We should not laugh about the pain of others. Or we will have to expect others to laugh about our own pain. Celebrity is a word we use to categorize people that are popular in our society. At no point does that mean we can strip them of the decency we would provide to family, friend or neighbors. My thoughts and prayers are with Lamar Odom his family and the Kardashian family. It truly does take a village and some of us do truly care.
