I wanted to clear up some things said on twitter earlier today, and I decided 140 characters wasn’t going to cut it. I figured I should take to my blog, so here goes nothing.
I signed into twitter on my phone as I normally do. I actually signed on to tweet about the game (Yankees vs. Athletics) but that never happened since I saw tweets about Amy Winehouse. According to reports, she had died in her London home. Most of the tweets were ‘R.I.P. Amy Winehouse’. Simple and to the point. Others were more in depth about her music and how it changed some people’s lives. She died at age 27 so some mentioned how she is now a part of the ’27 club’ (Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison all died at age 27). Then of course, there were tweets that I found offensive. I’ll just throw out a couple below. And I won’t mention twitter names.
forgive me if i dont cry for a talentless drug addict like Amy Winehouse but choose instead to think of the 90 kids murdered yest in Norway
Amy Winehouse was a drug addict who died of an overdose. Her death is a shame, NOT a tragedy
Amy Winehouse died because she was a drug and alcohol addict and couldn’t control her own desires. Now it’s all over the news and people are crying about it.
Why is everyone so sad over Amy Winehouse? A drug addict died of an overdose, how did people think she would die? In her sleep at age 80?
RIP Amy winehouse…thats what happens when you’re a drug addict and an alcoholic.
Yes, those are all actual twitter quotes. I didn’t change them at all. They are word for word by the person who wrote them. I couldn’t make them up if I tried.
I’m not here to defend her as a musician. If you liked her, great. If you didn’t, that is fine too. Personally, I wasn’t a fan of hers as her type of music is different than what I normally listen to. Not saying she wasn’t talented; actually from what I did listen to, she was a talented musician. And I’m sure her fans will miss her terribly. But again, this is not why I’m here.
I’m here for a different reason. What gets me most about all the tweet mentions above is that every single one of them in one form or another claimed that because she was a drug and alcohol addict she deserved to die and got what was eventually going to happen to her.
Why does it matter that Amy Winehouse was a drug addict? She is DEAD. The woman was probably fighting her own demons and couldn’t get out of her own way! Who are you to judge her?
Drug addiction (just like any addiction) is a disease. To those who said her death was ‘preventable’ or ‘self-inflicted’ you clearly know nothing about drug addiction. If Amy Winehouse’s death was so preventable, she would still be alive. But she isn’t so clearly nobody could prevent it. Repeated drug use alters the brain and causes long-lasting changes to the way it looks and functions. These changes interfere with your ability to think clearly, exercise good judgment, control your behavior, and feel normal without drugs. These changes are also responsible, in large part, for the drug cravings and compulsion to use that make addiction so powerful. Long exposure to drugs can make it extremely difficult for the addict to simply quit on sheer willpower, which most people on twitter believe can happen in the blink of an eye. Some people battle the addiction their whole lives (with or without help) and others are able to overcome it with therapy, medication and other treatments.
On a more personal note, someone in my life has battled with drug addiction their whole life. He/she has sought treatment but to this day has been unable to overcome it. Do they have their good days? Of course they do. But sometimes the bad overshadows the good. I love them regardless. That being said if the person I love were to die (for whatever reason) and people said that he/she deserved it because of their drug addiction, I would be crushed. Think about the people who loved Amy Winehouse. Her closest friends and family. Would you tell them that her death doesn’t matter because she was a drug addict? I didn’t think so.
I would also like to address the people who claimed that I made Amy’s death to be more important than the 92 children who died in Norway. I said that neither death was ‘more important’ than the other. You can’t compare the two. One was tragic and one was sad. But death is death and no life is worth more than another. That said, I do understand what people were trying to get across. When a celebrity dies, all other deaths (no matter how big or small) take a backseat. I have several friends who are oversees (army/marines) that see death every day. But we don’t hear about them except for maybe when it is a slow news day.
I wasn’t defending Amy Winehouse on twitter because I thought her death was worth more than those innocent civilians who lost their lives in Norway. I was defending her label as a drug addict. To say she deserved what she got because she was a drug addict was just pure ignorance to me. That’s why I talked about it. Because I can imagine what her family and friends must be feeling right now. And it isn’t a nice feeling. Trust me.
R.I.P Amy Winehouse || I hope you find the peace in Heaven that you couldn’t find here on earth. My hearts goes out to friends & family.
My prayers are with Norway & the families of the innocent victims in the terrible tragedy that happened yesterday ;; may you all R.I.P
This is a tragedy. Addiction is a DISEASE and kills more people than cancer, yet when someone has cancer, its “poor Johnny”, he has cancer. When someone is suffering from addiction, their a weak piece of shit.. It’s just a typical example of the “American way”——-it seems more and more people choose to live in a fantasy world with “blinders” on.. not only with this particular problem, but with everything important in the world today. Very good piece. I’m glad you are raising awareness.
Well said. It is always sad when someone is unable to overcome something like drug addiction, regardless of whether millions of people expected it or not. I don’t think people who weren’t fans of Amy Winehouse’s music are obligated to act like they’re devastated that she’s gone, but there’s no need to be disrespectful.