The high-profile R Kelly trial is upon us.As you all know, famed R&B singer Robert Kelly is finally about to walk into a court of law and face child pornography charges. If found guilty, he could go to prison for up to 15 years.
Kelly, 41 years old, was indicted on June 5, 2002, after the appearance of a videotape which police and prosecutors say shows him having sex with a girl as young as 13. But the woman identified as the victim says she is not the one in the video. Regardless, the judge has ruled that the videotape may be shown in open court. Coincidentally, the Grammy Award winner singer has settled three lawsuits accusing him of having sex with under-age girls.
Which leads me to this...
How incredibly inappropriate this is?
In an era where little girls are being kidnapped, sexually abused, and/or found murdered, what could The House of Dereon (re: singer Beyonce & mom Tina Knowles clothing line) could have possibly been thinking when it decided to take basically kindergardners and model them in "club-hopping" attire?
Which leads me to this...
Should the female in the R Kelly trial be held just as accountable, since she knew R Kelly was over 18 and that she shouldn't be involved with him sexually? Is R. Kelly the sole person in this situation who should be facing charges?
Whose responsible for the undeniable fact that young females are "growing up" entirely too fast? How in the world can a mother and father shield their young daughter from temptation when television programs, Internet, radio, music videos, and even fashion magazines seemingly encourage such behavior?
21 comments:
I make my living because grown folk are abusing and neglecting children and believe me when I say my job is SECURE.
Adults are always responsible for making decisions in cases like this even when the adult doesn't act responsibly. The adult has to bear the burden (period).
If any of these allegations are true, Mr Kelly has a serious problem. What happened to him when he was a child I wonder?
Now, The House of Deron...trash, trash, trash. Fathers and Mothers what are you doing to guide your children?
The mantra is that we must have a man. Unfortunately that is being communicated at younger ages. About a month or so ago here in Tulsa a 13-year-old girl was stabbed to death by a pregnant 14-year-old. The murder happened because of a dispute over a boy.
We know that he married a 15-year-old gal and I guess convinced her to say she was of legal age. There are men that are smooth talkers that literally can talk the pants off of women. If this gal was 13 years old she had no defense at all against a man that has been grown for many years. If grown women fall for that stuff, how on earth will a child resist? Especially one that has been influenced by the current culture.
I guess I feel that R Kelly is completely responsible. I do not know if you can charge the media for presenting a horrible picture of women and girls or not. They can say that not every young girl that has seen this type of media sleeps with men that they know are grown. You really cannot blame parents all the time because many are trying their best to instill good wholesome values in their children.
R Kelly knows better. I will never accept that it is the fault of the girls. I agree some girls lie about their age. However what is a 40+ year old man doing wanting girls young enough to be his daughter? He needs to be stopped.
At the end of the day, it's all about money. Celebs will sale their soul to the devil for the right amount. And trust me they have. (see my post "The Devil's Music...Hmmm?") My cuzins knew Kelly as a child in chicago. They use to play together and she said he wasn't too popular amongst the girls. A bit of a over weight geek. Well he couldn't get 14 yr olds then so he will get them now. And yes that is the girl on the tape even though she denies. Cant say how I know but I do. Should she be held accountable for sleeping with him? No I dont think so. Children are impressionable at young ages. She should've had counseling and her parents should be investigated, but a young child should not face any time. He is the adult. She needed guidance, love and a prayer.
We cant shield them. We can work to end the proliferation of course but while we're doing that we need to educate young girls.
As a little girl I was exposed (through school) to just as many country music-loving, rock and roll "fast" girls as hip hop. In fact, I didn't know a thing about hip hop back then.
Its all around and we consistently send our children into the woods with a raw steak around their neck (because they haven't been taught anything) and then are shocked when the wolf (two-legged one in this case) acts in accordance with what is his natural instinct. Which is to prey on the weak.
As far as those who hurt our children, I'm not too much into rehabilitation. Fry em, bury em...whatever they just don't need a second chance as far as I'm concerned.
The House of Dereon (and Baby Phat and Sean Jean and all the other major hip hop lines for kids) advertisement is disgusting. Why was it okay for Beyonce to approve this? Is she going to have her 3 year old in high heels and fishnet stockings? No, so why have other people's daughters?
Sadly, R. Kelly is not the only one at fault. We, as a black community, need to stop thinking that rape, assault, and kidnapping only happens in the white community. We need to stop thinking that the above things are something that "men do". We need to get to a point where mental illnesses or no longer taboo in our community. Then, maybe, we will begin to see more of our missing, dejected, and abused children will be seen as important in the media.
Can someone confirm whether R. Kelly is the father of daughters??
I definitely do not approve of the House of Dereon ad. Is this an ad for future strippers???
Yes, I know for sure that he has one lil girl..not sure if he had another one..I doubt it though cause his wife left him..unless he got another child with someone else.
@ tia real talk: yes i know that he has @ least one daughter. not sure if he has another but i will google it from work today and post. you make a solid point about the child being impressionable. i agree with you. i also agree that money plays a factor in everything.
@ attorneymom: when i first saw that ad from dereon i wondered what could beyonce and her mom been thinking. the little girl has on heels.
@ sassy j: i agree @ Is she going to have her 3 year old in high heels and fishnet stockings? No, so why have other people's daughters? a smiple question of would she dress her own daughter like this, pretty much sums it up. i also think that mental illness is the frame of many americans, black and white and latino.
@ symphony: good analogy. you speak the truth. that's what it pretty much boils down to - steak and wolves. i think r kelly should be thrown under the jail. without trial. he's been doing this for years.
@ pamela: They can say that not every young girl that has seen this type of media sleeps with men that they know are grown. another solid point. i feel you. if it were media alone then just about every man in the world would be sleeping with 13 and 14 year old girls. i keep forgetting aaliyah was only 15 when they got married. wow.
@ hagar's daughter: you, my friend, receives the comment of the day award @ I make my living because grown folk are abusing and neglecting children and believe me when I say my job is SECURE.
...sad, but true.
Good Morning,
AM, Don & Bloggers
I don’t feel sorry for R.Kelly estranged wife after his marriage was annulled from Aaliayah, How come she still went ahead and married the child molester, and then had three kids with him, but we have plenty of R.Kelly”s in our community. I remember when I was in High School which was 10 yrs ago, most of all the male teachers were trying to sleep with me and other girls, **SMH** Its not the girl fault because technically she is still a child, even if she wanted to have sex with him which she did (I saw the sickening tape) But R.Kelly should be hold accountable for this, and I’m so sick and tired of this Die-Hard R.Kelly stans! They see no wrong in this situation.
And as far as, House of DOIT WRONG, what did you’ll expect, Bey don’t even wear her own clothes but to dress these kids up in this foolwang looking like little future strippers, it’s ridiculous.
The sad fact is the mantra that a woman must have a man is still out there. In the so-called black community bw are told that we must help a brotha out. Basically we are not to have any standards when it comes to bm. That is our only romantic choice according to these fools. They will do better if we are there to support them. If we say we do not want these slimy men you are accused of 'hating men'. She was probably sucked into the madness and convinced that she could do no better or more than likely was enamored with the money he makes. She is a sick woman. Any woman that would want to be with a nasty man like R Kelly is sick. I'll gladly stay by myself. The bc will never dictate what I do. NEVER.
My real sympathy is for his children. They did not ask to be born to this really sick couple. I would be curious about what type of men she has chosen in the past. My guess is that those choices may not have been the best. Somehow the children need to be rescued or something. They do not deserve this disgusting mess.
Kimora Lee has been dressing her girls in the same manner for a couple of years now. Maybe this generation think that's its OK to dress their children like thugs and hookers.
Last year when Monica dressed her son like a young thug and people said something about it she got all up set. I pray that they open their eyes and see what they are doing before it's too late.
I can't see Tina wanting her grand kids looking like this so why someone else grand child?
@ mizzdallas- R. Kelly's wife was only 18 when they got together. There obviously a pattern/cycle to him. I think he prayed upon young, fatherless taught, vulnerable girls.
@ jjbrock considering how Tina has dressed Bey since the days of "No No No", I'm not surprised. The same with Monica, she was in love with a thug..C-Murder..nuff said..
SMH.....
I have a lot of thoughts and feelings about R Kelly and this entire mess, none of it is nice.
There are many factors that contribute to the mess that we now call society. You have media, role models (or lack there of), parenting, rebellion and many other things.
I am disgusted with Kelly and other like him. I hope that R Kelly gets what is coming to him, goes to jail, and is thrown in general population with some very large men...
I am disgusted with the Knowles family, but not surprised that they would "pimp" little children like this. Tina & Matthew "pimp" their own daughter so why not everyone else's??
I try real hard not to judge people and it gets harder everyday...
people with no taste uplift people with no talent and they all think they got something going on and act on it.
no integrity no honor...just money...
Hi everyone! {waves}
Nod to the blog host!
Well....okay...here's my take on this...
The minor is NEVER EVER at fault whenever a sex act occurs - consensual or otherwise - with a legal adult.
I do not believe that this should EVER be changed. We can not begin to make the children PARTIALLY to blame when sex occurs with an adult.
Oprah said on television once that her father could not accept that his own brother had raped her and he demanded to know the details of the entire incident. She told him that the details did not matter and he was an adult and she was not. She's exactly right.
It doesn't matter if a 14 year old BEGS a 28 year old man to rape her, if he does so, he does NOT get to say 'she begged me to'.
Come on, people...
R. Kelly will wind up in prison.
His trial will begin to make others who are exploiting young girls take notice in the entertainment industry.
Mike Tyson didn't have a lengthy sentence for raping Desiree so it is not clear what will happen with R. Kelly at the trial.
As for the House of Deron ads, Beyonce may have contracted an ad firm to design ads and may have given them approval of content. If she has, when she learns of the backlash about the current ads, she will change the arrangement that her company has with the ad firm.
Thanks for letting me blow my trumpet!
Lisa
http://blackwomenblowthetrumpet.blogspot.com
BC needs a lot of cleaning, bagging and burning.
AM
You asked what could Bey and her momma have been thinking when they approved that ad. That is the problem my sister, they weren't thinking, they had too many dollar signs in thier eyes. They know that there are parents that are going to dress thier kids like that and send them to school. I wish I had time to tell you some of the things I saw when I taught first and second grade back in the 90's It was truly a sad time.
thanks everyone for taking the time to read and comment. dialogue is always appreciated.
Robert S Kelly deserves jail time. End of story.
HOD ad - as a mother a three with two daughters I see ads like this and it's just another log on the fire. My girls are bombarded daily with Bratz dolls, My Scene Barbie, Hannah Montana, etc. The way I get around all of this is to teach them the way I was taught. Remind them daily of smart choices. Tell them right from wrong and above all tell them truthfully what's waiting for them out there. It's not pretty, but if you hold on to your faith, and listen to what I'm trying to tell them, then perhaps we having a running shot. I dress my girls like children. Not like miniature video gyrators. It's hard to even go to Target and find age appropriate clothing. Sadly people target only one or two items that are out of place instead of looking at the big picture. Just my two cents.
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