Well...it had to be WILL.

 

Well….it had to be Will.

I didn’t see the Oscars, I was enjoying a nice dinner out with my Friend that night.

One of the Top Designers in the Caribbean, we were an Asian restaurant — it was my first time eating Bittermelon with a tasty tang sauce. I turned over my shoulder to peak at the outfits the speakers we wearing, occasionally. My friend commented on the attire too — laughing, nodding, wincing, approving with a smile or a joke or a smirk.

It was the next day — in the morning time, I rolled over and read that Will had “took a punch” at Chris Rock and didn’t believe what I was seeing. After I fully came too, I made the wrong move — investigating this further which led to I’m sure like so many people on their phones trolling for a close-up, a downward spiral of endless video clip replays, meme pop-ups, opinion columns, Twitter buzz and more…annotating the event about the “King Richard”, Oscar-Winning Lead Actor. 

What can you do? It is true what Denzel Washington said, watch yourself in the hour in which you rise to shine… the Devil rises too to steal your Glory. But, how can you defeat him/her/it if you don’t even know that it’s there? 

What we saw was a clear example of how the toll and weight of supresssed bouts with Mental Health can do to a person; antagonized and handed a front row seat in front seat to your doom. Many would like to say that this is a poor representation of the Black Community, while I personally think that these are the effects of what “real representation” of Black People[Men particularly] looks like; the effects of what we are facing each day, the anxiety and pressure that comes with the expectation of success and achievement; whether from Family and Friends or the world which is constantly onlooking, judging and waiting to pounce on your every move.

Celebrity Status. Adoration and Idol Worship. It’s dangerous. And much like fire at any time, a person can get burned.

There have been no real attempts to rectify the larger issue here, which is that celebrity or not — Mental Abuse looks very different than what we think. It is doesn’t always come from badgering or rejection. But it can show its ugly- dark head when the lights are shining constantly on an individual; shining so brightly that it blinds a person of that line we tow between reality and fantasy. 

What is sad is that — so many know Will to be a genuinely good person. In more ways than one, and it isn’t just his charitable efforts, his conscious giving and protection of those around him, it is more than the humor and warm-heartedness with which he carries himself with on set or when just running and jumping around being a big kid. 

It is in the resilience that he has shown through the years, rising to excellence despite the backlash he has recieved about his family’s controversial lifestyle — selling out box offices for decades. 

Although Hollywood and many others are going to great lengths to band him and dismantle his title and efforts. No one can take this away. His reputation may be tarnished, but the legacy that he has built speaks volumes….much louder than this silly mistake. A lapse in judgement — a moment that caused us to see FAME — incomplete, temperate, and conditional…a place full of broken and hurting people too.

So if it had to be anyone to take a hit like this. It had to be Will. May his laughter and big smile shine brighter than that light that blinded him on on that day. Bounce back well Biggie Willie, the World is not done with you yet.