Those Annoying Whitney Houston Internet Meme's.

First of all, I'm not a Whitney Houston fan. Let that be clear. But I keep seeing things like this come up on Facebook. You should be able to click the meme to make it bigger.





These are annoying me to no end. Let me explain why I wish these meme's would just die already.

Let's start with the second one, because I've seen a TON of meme's acting outraged by the fact that Whitney is making headlines by dying, when soldiers in Iraq aren't. So we'll attack that first.

Look at it again, just for good measure.



We'll ignore the fact that the idiot who made this can't spell Whitney, and start with what it says about the late pop icon. Whitney Houston, who was famous for going into rehab and dying in her bathtub, is making worldwide news.

It would seem that the public are having a major case of "what have you done for me lately" syndrome. Let's give some examples of why Ms. Houston was ACTUALLY famous (and no, I can't force myself to post "THAT" song. You know which one I'm talking about.)







You see, unlike Paris Hilton, who never contributed a damn thing to society…



Whitney Houston gave us great music, and also memorable films!





Like Whitney Houston's acting and music or not, I don't care. The point is that she was a beloved musician and actress who created music that resonated with people, and movies that people had their first kisses too. She was an integral part of millions of lives all around the world.

Later, sadly, she declined into drug use, and eventually died. Now everyone seems to have forgotten that she was once world famous for her talents, and not for her drug use.

Aside from how appalling it is that someone could judge someone else's entire life based on the bad things they did while forgetting the good, those who are spreading these meme's seem to be acting like those bad things are all she ever was. This annoys me. She was a talented singer, and even though I was never really a fan of her music, that lady was on top of her game at one point and could outsing the best of them.

Now, let's examine the other half of the Soldier meme. Let's show it again, for good measure.



Lt. Michael Murphy, Navy Seal, Medal Of Honor, Gave his life for his squad….forgotten.

First of all, I've never seen Michael spelled with the E before the A. Maybe this was the one instance where I'm wrong, but I'm gonna assume the idiot who made this can't spell their way out of a kindergarten class.

That said, the accomplishments of Lt. Michael Murphy are admirable. But the last line of this implies that he was forgotten. Well, evidently he wasn't if he's now on a vastly viral internet meme. Lt. Michael Murphy, I salute you for your bravery. I'm saddened by your sacrifice (if you're real….let's face it, I don't doubt the person's existence, but this would be easy to fake, and the person who made this didn't even use spell check. I don't care enough about this topic to research his existence). If you are real, Lt. Murphy, then thank you for your service to our country.

That said, how is an anonymous soldier in ANY WAY the same as the death of someone who was world famous for touching the lives of zillions of people around the world in a deep and personal way? Soldiers are doing a thankless job, and they aren't doing it to be famous. Ms. Houston IS famous. That's why she's front page news!

So let's look at another soldier who is also famous.



Pat Tillman was a celebrity who died in battle. Let's leave out the tragic circumstance of the friendly fire that killed him, and focus on the fact that this was a FAMOUS soldier who's death DID make headlines.

Now, let's look at the meme about the underground metal hero.

Let's just show it for good measure.



Ok, we'll focus on "Quorthon" instead of Whitney, because I've already gone there.

Tomas Quorthon Forsberg was in a swedish black metal band called Bathory. Here's a taste.



You know, black metal is such a niche'd genre of music that it has never reached top 40 standing, at least not in the US. I don't know about other countries.....but I doubt it. That's not a knock on black metal, that's just how I see it. In my opinion, the people who play this genre don't do it for the fame and fortune (because, well, WHAT fame and fortune? Comfortable living off of your niche'd fan base, perhaps, but fame and fortune?), but instead do it because they enjoy listening to and playing this style of music. So the fact that Quorthon died without making front page headlines doesn't surprise me. Nobody outside of the black metal scene has even HEARD of this guy.

One upside of Quorthon being tied to Whitney Houston in this meme is that Bathory's record sales could see a spike. Just sayin......

These memes are annoying because they are implying that anyone who dies deserves to be given front page headlines across the globe. That's flawed. What impact did the person have on the planet on an individual level? That's the factor that decides what headlines they get.

Quorthon, you are mourned amongst the black metal community. I saw "RIP Quorthon" on several Bathory youtube videos while looking for one to post. Lt. Michael Murphy, if you are real, you are mourned by your family and by your country for giving your life to protect it.

Whitney Houston, you died in a profoundly sad way after surrendering yourself to drug addiction, and it's a sad waste of your talents to see you go down the road you traveled, but your accomplishments will never be forgotten by the millions of lives you touched personally with your music and movie career.

RIP Whitney Houston, Lt. Michael Murphy, and Tomas Quorthon Forsberg.