The Debate Over Remembering Whitney Houston: Brains at Half-Mast
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New Jersey Lowers Its Flags for the Iconic Singer and People Get Unhinged
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This week, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie decided to lower American flags throughout the state to half-staff to honor the late Whitney Houston. Naturally, in today’s highly cantankerous society where people disagree on the time of day just to be heard, there was an uproar over Mr. Christie’s decision. To be sure, there were those who truly believed that such honor is reserved for those who are in the military or similar calls of duty and much can be said how we don’t recognize them like we should. But there were also armchair moralists, many who would not want nor survive the application of the high standards to their lives that they are applying to Ms. Houston.
The governor responded to such criticism by stating “I’m not saying that Whitney Houston is a role model. She’s not a role model in that respect……………..But what she is is a cultural icon in the history of this state. I’m disturbed by people who believe … because of her history of substance abuse, that somehow she’s forfeited the good things that she did in her life. I just reject that on a human level.”
Well put, Governor.
Ms. Houston gave much to the public via her music. Any damage she did was predominantly to herself and not others. No reasonable person can argue that she is somehow responsible for getting people hooked on drugs, let alone advocating such. Those finger-wagging pilgrims would spend their time far better by seeing that the Kardashians are erased from society’s conscious.
But for those whose heartburn is so great over this matter, allow me to suggest a compromise: New Jersey flies flags at half-staff to recognize the good she has done but she loses the last 35 years of her life (starting last week) that she would likely have had if she did not make the ultimately fatal decision of using drugs.
-I.M. Windee
