So I'm sitting at Midas this morning, waiting for the nice folks there to finish the oil change on my car, when a local morning news show cuts to its entertainment reporter, and the first question she is asked is about the condition of Lamar Odom.
Now I don't want to imply that any life is more worthy than another, but it dawned on me that in the days since Mr. Odom's trauma somewhere a mother or father simply going back and forth to work was killed by an idiot driving drunk, that somewhere else a child was shot to death because some fool left a loaded gun where another toddler could get to it, and none of it registered more than a blip for a day on local news stations. Meanwhile, because a man could shoot a ball through a hoop--a feat for which he was paid millions--we have been inundated in print, radio, television, and the internet with stories about the condition of Mr. Odom after he put himself in a coma by snorting cocaine while taking erectile dysfunction drugs in a whorehouse. Has it occurred to anyone that Mr. Odom was using illegal drugs, that his use supports drug cartels, and that he was a participant in an act that objectifies, demeans, and exploits women? Why on earth is such a man worthy of such an outpouring of concern in the media?
Sometimes, this country is just a little too fucked up.
Peace,
emaycee
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I would actually add that his situation should concern the media, but not for the reason it is. Mr. Odom, from what I have heard, struggles with addiction, and, likely, some form of mental illness.
ReplyDeleteWe only talk about mental illness when someone decides to murder a lot of people with a gun. Mr. Odom likely needs a lot of help, and, luckily for him, he probably has plenty of money to get it. Unfortunately, for most this is not the case, and no one will pay for it. They will suffer, often in our prisons and on the streets. But
Moreover, Mr. Odom also lives in a culture that would view mental illness and addiction as weakness. As a professional athlete, I assume this did not make it any easier. His illness is real, and one that should be covered in a real and serious way by the media.
Sometimes, this country is just a little too fucked up indeed.