Kehlani Parrish's recent suicide attempt for the most part sparked concern, worry and sympathy. Sympathy from every one except singer Chris Brown who went on a Twitter rant against Kehlani, calling her out for her rumored infidelity to boyfriend Kyrie Irving (who is reportedly a friend of Brown's) and accusing Kehlani of faking a suicide attempt to get attention. You can see a few of his tweets below:
The recent issues surrounding Kehlani and Chris Brown remind me of a Degrassi: The Next Generation episode in which a rather new and not well known character, Cam Saunders, commits suicide. This caused a bit of controversy among viewers wanting to know the details and the why of Cam's death, but reviewer Kary, in his review of the episode on Degrassiblog.com, mentioned that this might have been the point of Cam's character. In his review, he wrote the following:
"As human beings we feel we need answers, insight and as many details as possible as to why things happen, and if we don’t receive them, we’re left uneasy. But in the case of suicide, there aren’t always going to be answers... A lack of explanation as to why Cam committed suicide, or lack of further digging into his mental state lends itself to an overall theme that has hovered over Cam’s existence on this show: no one really knew what was going on with him."
This theme from a TV show often reigns true with celebrities, and that brings me to the recent events surrounding Kehlani. When it comes to celebrities, despite our many tendencies to assign character traits or knowledge that we have read from this tabloid or heard on that radio show, we truly don't know what goes on behind closed doors, and often what we do learn can come much later and in bits and pieces.
We have observed this with countless celebrity crises -- Kehlani being the most recent example. Despite the rumors and reports going on around her, no one but she, and those closest to her, knows what happened, and we may never know. Thankfully, Kehlani did live to tell about her suicide attempt.
It is because of this that comments made by people like Chris Brown are so troubling and problematic. In his tweets, Chris Brown accused Kehlani of not only cheating on her boyfriend (thus adding to the merciless cyber-bullying she was already experiencing), but also of attempting suicide and posting about it on social media to get attention. Suicide and suicide attempts, whether successful or unsuccessful, are nothing to take lightly and if someone feels that level of desperation, no one -- especially not Chris Brown -- has the right to assign whatever motives they might believe were in place to an act that serious.
Like Kary said in his review, as humans, when something like this happens we want (notice I said want, not deserve) answers. It is in our nature to be inquisitive and curious; we want to make order out of the chaos that can often go on in someone's mind, but it isn't okay to bully someone or minimize their issues just so that we can have a reasoning that makes enough sense to us.
Let's say, just for the sake of argument, that Brown is right, Kehlani did in fact attempt suicide for attention -- that is still not normal behavior and is indicative of a much deeper problem, one which shouldn't be trivialized in a series of hateful tweets. Brown may have found an answer to the question of "why?" in his tweets, but he also completely trampled over any right that Kehlani might have had to a struggle or emotional gray area.
Death is uncomfortable, suicide is even more uncomfortable, but just because we have questions, doesn't mean we are entitled to answers, certainty, or comfort -- especially when it pertains to someone else's personal life. With his barrage of tweets, Chris Brown showed himself to be childish and unsympathetic towards another human being;s pain, when he himself is no stranger to self-destructive behavior, harmful relationships, and public displays of emotion. He turned a blind eye to another person's suffering and stuck with whatever made him feel better. Maybe it was Brown and not Kehlani who was trying to garner attention so that the comments on his past, rather than under his photos, didn't look so bad.
If you or a loved one is having thoughts of suicide, feels depressed, is being bullied, or just needs to talk, call 1-800-273-TALK (8255). You’ll be connected to a skilled, trained counselor at a center in your area. You can also TEXT “GO” TO 741-741. Both services are free 24/7 and 100% confidential. For additional services, visit the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, as well as Stop Bullying.