Everyone has an opinion. So I guess I’ll share mines. 🤷🏽‍♀️

Trust it ain’t what you think so you may want to read before forming an opinion about my opinion. My disclaimer up front. Everyone thinks differently. No one person thinks or feels the same about any one situation.

Firstly, I will not scream that if you are taking up for R Kelly that you are a monster. How does that make you a monster just because you want to know why the girls were at the studio in the first place. That’s a very valid question. So in this blog, let me share various opposing sides of this argument and which side I’m on…in case it matters…for the sake of mattering.

1) “Kelly is SICK!” Yep, probably so. He was molested as a child himself. We all have learned at some point that often abusers return the abuse to others. Kids with alcoholic parents often become alcoholics.

Is this an excuse? Nope. But it is a reason for his behavior. If you don’t believe so, just remember the next time when you provide a reason for your family member, friend, or own behavior. IJS. As humans, we often get amnesia when it comes to ourselves or the ones we love.

Don’t believe me…next time someone is murdered, check out comments from the killer’s family. Enough said.

2) “The girls had no business around a grown man!” I can’t argue with you there. There is a chance many of the girls were promiscuous or just groupies due to the fame of Kelly. They could’ve just been infatuated with him and did things they shouldn’t have, made some poor decisions, or missed all the signs. Surely no other girls have ever done that before in the history of girls (sarcasm folks).

Well maybe the girls (and their parents) thought they had a talent to offer, a dream to fulfill, and they did what they thought was necessary to succeed. They may have felt Kelly was their ticket to fame and fortune. If they performed well, they could become rich and take care of their families. Like isn’t that like every child’s dream??? Just maybe the girls were dreaming too hard and just got caught up in a nightmare.

3) “The parents were pathetic. They didn’t protect their kids.” Yeah I can see how that opinion was formed. I’m imagining this studio was on the roughest side of town. Known to you as the hood. Most families in the hood are financially disadvantaged with many of the parents working the shifts and jobs that many middle-or-high class don’t want. Therefore, parents could be working all hours of the day and be physically and/or emotionally unavailable.

That doesn’t mean the parents didn’t love their kids or try to protect them. On the richest sides of town, many of those parents work around the clock too and may not be available for their kids. No one is calling them pathetic or bad parents. Nope! And you know why?!?!

That’s it! The ONLY difference between how Kelly should’ve been treated and how he was treated and why he was able to do what he did to so many girls and women was his MONEY!

The love for money! That is the issue! No broke-ass man can get away with what Kelly got away with. Name one that could. I’ll wait!

There is none! There is no one parent that would trust him and his crew had he been broke. Kelly’s money afforded him to be trusted. Money allowed so many to witness these young girls hanging around and didn’t say anything. Money shut the mouths of all of Kelly’s employees or those who were gaining off of his fame. Like who is going to snitch on their bread and butter?

No one! Including many of us. How often are we snitching on our bosses in the corporate world? Can you see me shaking my head? Not many of us. Why? Because we need our paychecks that’s why! Money determines morals and values for a vast number of us. Real talk.

I swear I can write on this for days but I won’t. I haven’t even touched on the SEX part! 🤦🏽‍♀️ My entire point is this. When money becomes the most important thing, it will be the important thing. No one will risk it. Many will do whatever to get it and retain it.

You will be judged off of it and you will be treated according to it. It amazes me how a job can determine how people treat you; a car, how one dresses, the side of town one lives, or accent; all can determine if one is worthy of love and/respect.

So what am I saying? Kelly is who he is or whoever he became. He became a monster but truth he told, he was allowed to become this monster. Many turned their eyes to what he was doing for their own reasons. I only know this: I hope that when my kids start dreaming big that I can steer them in the right direction, help them make good decisions, keep my eyes and ears wide open, and respond accordingly.

So who’s at fault? Well, the better question, that I’m not seeing, is “what are we going to do to prevent this from reoccurring?” Note: it’s not just entertainers, surely not just black entertainers since these are the ones being commercialized. It is our politicians, CEOs, bankers, investors, drug dealers. Bottom line: Money gives power and power rules.

Thanks for your attention. Remember you are your own competition.

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