I would like to talk about something that's been on my mind for a while and that is our society's almost complete apathy and disregard for artists and their mental health. I know it's a road that's been traveled, but not enough. Let me take you on this journey, real quick.
I've noticed a bit of hypocrisy in the way we treat ourselves, the general public, versus how we treat those who have something useful to offer us: entertainment.
We fangirl over them,
scream at their concerts,
buy their art,
idolize them,
follow them on social media,
fork out money to see their work —
day in and day out. We tell them we love them and they thank us. They lift us up when we're down. They always know the right words to say. They relate to us in ways that you feel no one else can. And yet, since they relate so much to us on such a personal level, no one seems to be able to rationalize the fact that maybe they might actually be human. Maybe they are capable of messing up and having emotion other than those you can directly relate to.
Artists are not your personal, robotic pick-me-up.
They won't always be able to release things when you want them to. Nor will they always be inspired to do so. The constant demand and limelight can be taxing on the mind. For example, look at Kanye:
This man has been sending out cries for years, and no one has seemed to care. Song after song, album after album, interview after interview, no one picked up on it. He was just crazy. But let's face it, since his mother died, Kanye has never been the same. His Rock was no longer available and no one so much as batted an eyelash while awaiting his next album. Imagine getting into a car accident and pretty much breaking your jaw, your best friend passing away, your family being threatened at gunpoint, finding out the friends you had really weren't all along while also receiving constant criticism for any and everything you do. Are these things exactly an excuse for how insane he acts, not entirely. But thinking psychologically or even empathetically, you should be able to see how someone could end up this way after all that has happened.
Now, I would mention Kid Cudi, whom I love, but thankfully, he's had overwhelming support while dealing with his mental illness. The only thing about that is, he came out publically and spoke about it. People are more forgiving of him because he's been in a lot less controversy.
Next up, we have Kehlani:
For those of you who don't know, Kehlani was caught up in a petty controversy a few months ago, landing her depressed and pushed over the edge, ending with her in the hospital. No matter how much she expressed her inner turmoil, she was still endlessly ridiculed for her apparent mistakes, and there was a complete and utter disregard for her mental health and emotion.
Last but not least, Lindsay Lohan:
We all know how childhood stardom and hard times pushed her over the edge. Yet we still failed to acknowledge the fact that she was going through a mental breakdown and that we should be trying to lift her up, not call her crazy, or insane, or hysterical. After countless stints in rehab, Ms. Lohan finally bounced back, better than before.
Bottom line, we have to do better. We need to address these problems for what they are. We cannot be the same people crying for acceptance while shunning those who show the desperate need for acceptance. Mental illness is not something to be taken lightly, and artists' psychological experiences are not just for your entertainment. We have seen what happened to people like our beloved Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, and Donny Hathaway. Continue to take these things lightly, and your favorite artist, just like any regular person, could soon be gone.
