The Argument Against Whitney

Why do we care when celebrities die? The only feasible explanation is that they remind us of a time that we enjoyed with them. Michael Jackson gave millions of people audible joy throughout the 70's and 80's and then hundreds of boys an entirely different type of pleasure in the 90's, but the millions who grew up with the Jackson 5 or danced to PYT on a piece of cardboard back in the day will always think of Michael as a sign of good times. "Michael was with me when I had my first kiss!"

This supposed connection is enough to wipe away years of awful memories, years of mocking and not so subtle chuckling and yet, it still doesn't feel like an adequate excuse for sobbing. Whitney Houston is the recent heir to this throne of celebrities given the gift of a fantastic voice, great looks, and the constant need to medicate to "deal with the pain." I suppose this is a double edged sword, they can't deal with the fame so they need drugs, but when the fame starts fading they do ANYTHING to attempt to get it back. Sometimes successfully, sometimes not. With Whitney Houston it's important to remember she hasn't been relevant since the early 90's. While she had some massive songs in her peak years, she has done nothing but sully her reputation since then. Let's not forget that this not only happened, but she agreed to show it to millions of people on cable. She was THAT desperate.

Is it incredibly sad when someone with an immense amount of talent passes? Of course, but for the last 20 years we laughed at this woman's pain. We read the gossip magazines, watched her fail miserably on a reality show and bounce in and out of rehab without more than "poor girl" passing through our lips. People value celebrity deaths like family members - Twitter and Facebook exploded - and if that's the case shouldn't we be angry at what a waste of life this person was? She had the ability to be the voice of a generation, but just couldn't break her drug abuse cycle. It's sad, but I don't understand how death erases everything negative about a person's life. How are we so eager to mourn for someone who has been nothing but a doormat for us for years, just because she meant something somewhere in the corner of our mind?