Young, White Death

They still don't know what killed Heath Ledger, who died suddenly of something last week in his New York City apartment. It's always sad to see someone die so young, but the inconclusiveness of the autopsy only adds to the despair that his friends and family feel.

But me being the ghetto, militant philosopher that I am, I'd be remiss if I didn't point out how differently young, white death is portrayed vs. young, black death. Or, black death period

When young, white folks die, whether it's accidental or purposeful, their deaths always are romanticized. You ever notice that? White folks can clown Nigros for their refusal to let Tupac go, but dammit if they don't treat Kurt Cobain like his grungy-ass is on a $20 bill. People act like Cobain's death was somehow an accident, but he chose to check out. He is treated as a hero. It's certainly tragic he took his own life, but like 'Pac, he became an icon once he died. Nirvana was good, but if Cobain hadn't committed suicide, they would have been considered a good, not great rock band.

I call this the Al Gore Phenomenon. Best thing that ever happened to Al Gore was losing the presidential election to Dubya. The country went to shit, and because of that plus the shady circumstances that surrounded Bush's victory, there always will be an assumption that Gore would have been a great president. We don't know that for sure, even though I like Al Gore and respect him. But we have to assume 9-11 still would have happened and while I consider Gore a rational, peaceful man, the country wanted a swift response, even if it wasn't aimed in the right direction. It's easy to say Gore's principles are above involving us in a pointless, shady war. But one thing we know about politicians is that they all have doctorates in covering their own ass. How do we know that an astute Gore wouldn't have involved us in a war just to guarantee a second term?

Now, Gore not only gets the benefit of the what-if, but he also gets to armchair quarterback. He also gets to speak his mind about issues I'm not sure he would have been so strong about if were president. Gore isn't held hostage by special interest groups the way the president is, so he can make a documentary about how we're killing the environment. Maybe I'm being a cynic, but if he were in office, that documentary never gets made and I doubt if he accomplishes anything that brings us closer to protecting the environment. So I'm not convinced Cobain would be considered this great rocker if he were alive. For all we know, Smells Like Teen Spirit might have been the last, significant hit Nirvana had.

Anyway, when black people die, there always is this underlying current that we were complicit in our own death. Even if we weren't. Just look at the first few days of the Sean Taylor coverage. If Heath Ledger would have gotten shot, nobody would dare say he did something to deserve it, but a lot of people had no problem drawing that conclusion about Taylor, who it turns out was killed by some opportunistic punks. Even though Aaliyah died in a plane crash -- one of the most unpredictable deaths that could ever occur -- how much luggage she had on the small plane became a huge issue. Of course, it's apart of the story, but the coverage took a dramatic turn and made it seem as if she hadn't had that Louis Vuitton bag, she would have lived. Ike Turner recently died of a cocaine overdose, and in no way was his story romanticized. If you think I'm being paranoid, just watch what happens when Keith Richards finally dies. My point will be made. Black death always is seen as something that's deserved. White death is always viewed as the opposite. The insinuation seems to be, how dare someone this fine, white citizen leave this Earth?

If it turns out that Heath Ledger was someone at fault for his own death, it's not going to change how his story is covered. He's been established as a tragic figure. He was a good actor, but I wouldn't be surprised if acting skills all of a sudden get put on Robert Deniro's level.

I could get into a whole militaristic rant, but my main issue is being tired of seeing black deaths marginalized. Heath Ledger's death was a tragedy because he leaves behind a little girl. No matter the circumstances, he was made human. That's all anyone deserves.