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Lamar Odom
I'm tired of reading, hearing, seeing the headline that he was found in a brothel.
In Nevada, going to a brothel is legal. Yes, it is the only state in the U.S. that is so, but it is. So, morally, you can question it all you want, but legally, he's done nothing wrong by going there.
The fact that he is in a hospital hooked up to a ventilator is not about sex or prostitution. It is about drug addiction.
The story should be that a man lost his career and his wife, and now is damn near close to losing his life to drug addiction.
Reportedly, his father was an addict which affected him greatly. Lamar was suspended from the NBA due to a drug violation in the early 2000's. He seemingly cleaned up, was a member of the LA Lakers and won two championships with them, married a Kardashian, had his own reality show, but tragedies seemed to surround him.
An infant child of his died from SIDS. He had a cousin that was murdered. He was in a car accident that resulted in another person losing their life. He's been in rehab and arrested for a DUI. His best friend died after contracting a flesh-eating disease from dirty needles used in drug use. Another friend died of a drug overdose.
If Lamar Odom's condition is going to be in the media, it needs to be less about brothels, prostitutes, sex, or the Kardashians and more about the message that drugs are bad; drugs ruin lives; drugs can kill.
I'm tired of reading, hearing, seeing the headline that he was found in a brothel.
In Nevada, going to a brothel is legal. Yes, it is the only state in the U.S. that is so, but it is. So, morally, you can question it all you want, but legally, he's done nothing wrong by going there.
The fact that he is in a hospital hooked up to a ventilator is not about sex or prostitution. It is about drug addiction.
The story should be that a man lost his career and his wife, and now is damn near close to losing his life to drug addiction.
Reportedly, his father was an addict which affected him greatly. Lamar was suspended from the NBA due to a drug violation in the early 2000's. He seemingly cleaned up, was a member of the LA Lakers and won two championships with them, married a Kardashian, had his own reality show, but tragedies seemed to surround him.
An infant child of his died from SIDS. He had a cousin that was murdered. He was in a car accident that resulted in another person losing their life. He's been in rehab and arrested for a DUI. His best friend died after contracting a flesh-eating disease from dirty needles used in drug use. Another friend died of a drug overdose.
If Lamar Odom's condition is going to be in the media, it needs to be less about brothels, prostitutes, sex, or the Kardashians and more about the message that drugs are bad; drugs ruin lives; drugs can kill.
Admittedly (and sadly), the Kardashians are a media empire. If Lamar Odom's status is forever joined to them, let's hope they can use that media platform to educate others on the perils of addiction.
Preach! The unfortunate thing here is that I don't think the Kardashians will use their platform to talk about the negative effects of drugs. It always seemed like nobody would ever talk about what was actually going on with Lamar.
ReplyDeleteYES. Such a sad story - all of it, and where he was found really doesn't matter. I hope that he can have another chance to save his own life.
ReplyDeleteSo agree!!!!! I am hearbroken about this story. I really like Lamar and he faced so much loss in his life. The fact that the media is making this about the brothel and the Kardashians is just ridiculous at this time when his life literally hangs in the balance. Sigh
ReplyDeleteGreat post. It's easy to focus on the "scandal" part of the news and forget what's the real message. I just hope this situation will impact others who are addicts and cause them to make a change before it's too late.
ReplyDeleteSadly, I don't think his story will. But, if we are a society that gobbles up celebrity gossip can somehow change our way of thinking and view these situations as ways to learn and grow, then maybe so. (Normally, I reply via email, but you're a no-reply blogger, so I don't get your email.)
DeleteP.S. I am going to follow you now on the blog and social media. Hopefully, you'll do the same and that my posts will make it worth your while :-) Thanks.
ReplyDeleteIt is so heartbreaking to see his struggles played out in the media. It is a very serious addiction that affects so many people. I hope he gets the helps he needs and makes it out of the coma.
ReplyDeleteThank you. I've been a longtime NBA fan and have loved Lamar for years, long before his connection to the Kardashians. I'm glad to see others who can see past that gossip-laden and tmz level of media and remember that he was considered one of the greatest players of our generation. He simply has had alot of demons and shadows overshadowing his life.
ReplyDeleteyep.... I so agree. Its like the media wants to pick the things that make a 'scandal' instead of the real issues. So sad.
ReplyDeleteI don't follow basketball (or the Kardashians) so all the information about his drug addiction is new to me. It's tragic, both the addiction and all the loss (personal and professional) he's endured as a result.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, talking about him being found in a brothel is way more scandalous and headline grabbing than simply saying he overdosed. It's also easier to write about than the true depths of addiction and since so much of the media relies on ease, that's what they work with. It's despicable that they're treating him this way, focusing on his being in a brothel rather than what's really going on.
Amen. Drug addiction is real shit and that's what the focus should be on.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea he was in hospital. I completely agree with everything you said though.
ReplyDeleteI love that you wrote this. I don't follow what goes on with him, and especially don't follow the Kartrashians but it's sad where he's ended up.
ReplyDeleteExactly. As far as the brothel goes, I have just felt so bad for him that that's where this happened, because I knew people would judge and condemn and make fun of him for that. The whole thing is about addiction. And that's the conversation that we need to be having right now. How do we help addicts?
ReplyDeleteI honestly don't know anything about Lamar Odom (and, really, I know very little about the Kardashians because I'm just not that interested), but I appreciate this post.
ReplyDeleteDrug addiction is very scary and very sad. Everything in the media always seems to be so sensationalized because everyone wants to read about "the next big scandal," but it would be better to share an article that gives real information about drugs/drug addiction and what you can do to help if you know someone struggling.
Completely agree! People are losing focus on the real issue and zeroing in on what's most gossip worthy.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for saying this! I haven't been following the media reports on this story closely, but you're completely right in that the narrative of these kinds of things are all wrong. Agree 100% and so glad you shared your thoughts on this.
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of him before but it is sad all those horrible things happened to him. I hope he will get better soon!
ReplyDeleteTotally agree, the focus should be on drug addiction and depression. I sincerely hope that his near-death experience leads him to a place of coping with and dealing with both. So very sad and scary.
ReplyDelete