Money Can't Buy Class (Sorry, Mariah)

Don't believe the hype.

Mariah Carey. Chris Brown. Souljah Boy. Donald Trump. Discuss.

No? Tired of discussing these people that are highly irritating and have nothing to do with you trying to pay your mortgage and Christmas credit card bills this month? Well, as far fetched as they are, they are prime examples of just how money can turn you fool.

I'm as die hard a Mariah Carey fan as they come, but I can't help but feel that sense of superficial celebrity fear when you start to see someone talented go in the direction of Whitney or countless other drug-and-fame abusers before her. It's the saddest sight imaginable, because what MOST of us would do and accomplish with ONE million dollars...we sit and observe these ridiculous "public figures" squander and exploit with many, many multiples of that. And have the nerve to be unhappy and unfulfilled.

But clearly. They are unhappy, and unfulfilled. The alcohol, the drugs, the spotlight, and the attention must be a major mind f*ck because time and time again, we see these fools (what else can we call them?) turn into trainwrecks before our very eyes.

In the case of Mariah, I believe she has a drinking problem...I believe she is a ridiculous diva on levels of diva-ness that others don't have time to get to. I believe she lives in a false reality, and that she needs to check herself before...oh. The worse has already happened. She's wrecked herself. She's been exposed. She is coming across as a class-less, petty, unprofessional, whiny, botoxed diva, who can't even humble herself enough to admit that she is not the flawless songstress I fell in love with musically in 1990, and instead she is turning into a strained has-been who is desperately trying to stay relevant.

Even her reality show is a hot mess. The lighting is music-video-perfect, the segments are beyond staged, and her "people" are clearly only there for one purpose: to do, and be whoever she needs them to be.

It's sad. It's sad to watch one of your creative "idols" turn into a joke. It's sad to see someone who has/had soooo much talent, waste away into an attention whore, and a delusional addict. It's sad to feel that like Michael Jackson, and countless other "stars" who had so much going for them...that they couldn't mentally handle it, or the industry that they ruled...eventually ruled them.

By the way, I've already spent over a hundred dollars to secure tickets to Mariah's Toronto concert in the spring with Lionel Ritchie (I have NEVER missed one of her Toronto tours. EVER.) And I hope she at least has the decency to give us SOMETHING live. For the sake of the money.

So I've watched one of my all time faves, Mariah, turn into a class-less old hag. It sucks. As for Chris Brown and Souljah Boy, their fall from grace was so less dramatic. Equally entertaining (yup, I watched all of the Instagram beef go down, because I'm addicted to entertainment media like that)...but ridiculously class-less. Yes, they're little boys. And yes, maybe a bit less refined than Mariah to start the race. But ew. Like, take your millions of dollars, and albums, and awards, and mansions, and sports cars and STOP YOUR MADNESS.

I won't even give Donald Trump more attention by getting into his cyber mess. All I'm saying is, I do kinda fear for my future, and hope that the nuclear fight doesn't cross the Canadian border. God help us all.

Moral of the story: I'm tired of these uber-rich jerks thinking that just because they have money, that they can act a fool, and get away with anything.

Let me bring it back to the Toronto level. There's no amount of money (and we all know, money doesn't run that deep with our "celebrities" they way they perceive it to), and no amount of "status" in the world that is acceptable for you to act like an assh*le. Especially when everyone in this small town knows WHO you are, WHERE you came from, and in most cases can cut you back down to size with a few short--but true--statements of fact.

People need to slow their roll, when it comes to public exposure, and the braggadocia, and the flossing, and flaunting. Self proclamations of excellence and showing off lifestyles and creating these false illusions about what is real, and what is cool. It's not cool. It's tacky.

Class is a serious thing, and the older I get the more I realize it has less to do with money and financial status, and 100% to do with community respect, common manners, and a broad understanding of how the "real world" works. Whether you're Mariah Carey, or whether you're [insert local celebrity name here], when you're in a higher class than most financially, that doesn't mean that you have permission to be a jerk, act entitled, and expect anything more out of life...than what you've put in.

Not naming names, but I do believe that HAPPY IS THE NEW RICH, and based on what I've seen over the past few weeks, and experienced personally, I'd take the happiness route ANY day, over the rich-and-switch wankster way, if it means I can walk in public with my head high, and my dignity in tact.

Somewhere along the line, it would be nice to see the people with money and power (or at least access to power) learn how to act, and use all those superpowers for good, instead of continuing to feed into their erratic impulses and fabricated lifestyle imagery.

I'm just saying.

But I still can't wait to hear Mariah lip sync "Hero" and "Butterfly" in March...those songs got a young Canadian sister through some hard times back in the 90s and early 2000s. I hope old Lionel (someone who has handled his success and fame, and millions with grace) will give Ms. Carey a bligh, and hopefully show her how it's done ...how to transition into old age with your fame AND dignity.



Written by Stacey Marie Robinson for Kya Publishing's "Urban Toronto Tales" blog.