Thursday, September 28, 2006

25 million reasons to be alive?

Whilst fluffing my afro this morning a bitch overheard the news of a certain Terrell Owens and his alleged suicide attempt.

Terrell Owens, who plays football for the Dallas Cowboys, may or may not have tried to kill himself yesterday. He says he didn’t…the Dallas Police are currently incoherent on the matter…but Terrell held a press conference to deny it and his denial was then backed up by his representative’s statement.

“Terrell has 25 million reasons why he should be alive.".

Which caused this bitch to pause mid afro fluff and hit rewind followed by play…twice.

$25 million reasons to be alive.

$25 million reasons to be.

I must have watched that shit 20 times.

For real...a bitch was late to work!

It really disturbed me…which was disturbing on its own, since a bitch couldn’t pick Terrell Owens out of a line-up.

$25 million reasons to get up in the morning?

To not kill yourself?

It just doesn’t work that way.

If it did, a lot of rich people wouldn’t be dead.

I finished getting dressed and that press conference kept spinning around in my mind.

It was both illuminating and so very sad...I feel as if I’m in mourning for something.

Something about watching a room full of reporters shoot questions at a man who may or may not have tried to kill himself less that 24 hours ago…and then watching it wrap up with his public relations rep saying he has $25 million reasons why he should be alive felt wrong.

Sigh.

Mayhap this way of thinking is the new norm in a world where churches preach the gospel of greed and the faithful worship material things?

If Terrell Owens isn’t happy with $25 million dollars then what does that say about us regular folks?

If money and the things it can buy isn’t what gets his ass up in the morning what does?

Which brings me back to 25 million reasons to be alive.

In this new normal...where greed is good and wealth is the reward for the prayerful...$25 million dollars equals 25 million reasons to be alive.

Oh mercy, mercy me...things sure as shit ain't what they used to be.

17 comments:

GayProf said...

I agree that the $25 million is hardly what makes life meaningful. On the other hand, I am sure it doesn’t hurt.

A White Bear said...

I guess, by that rationale, I have -63 reasons to live. Ought I off myself, or wait for my check to come in?

Anonymous said...

i think people can't deal with depression, or a suiced attempt, so they make stupid comments like tht. just to oover, to avoid shame and embarrasment.

although, i have 2 dollars, and i am defifnetley feeliing a bit low...

ben said...

good grief. i guess if we just paid the elderly more, they wouldn't go dying on us.

Anonymous said...

Amen,
When I lived in West Africa, the happiest people in the world were the people who had nothing because they knew what life was really all about.

winterssoulstyce said...

you know, people say dumb shyt like that all the time. what blows me is that they even get this look on their faces as if they have uttered something so profound.

sooo...i am guessing that self-worth < intelligence < money.

yes. it is sad.

Avatar said...

You know, I was thinking the exact same thing. Materialism is America's faith, and we worship at retail. It's a sad state of affairs, isn't it?

Travis Reems said...

I have at least 1,000,075 reasons to be alive.

They come in the form of a 40-inch-tall 3-year-old with:
10 fingers
10 curly "piggies"
2 innocent, bright eyes
1 adorable button nose
1 cherubic smile
1 mischievious grin
5 ways to ask for a a cookie
2 naps a day
and a million ways to my heart.

Anonymous said...

Well, our world and the media just gobbles up these pr soundbytes regardless of their truth (they seem to engage in more truthiness anyway). From the WH Press Secretary on down, we gobble these things down and pawn them off as gospel truth.
Amen, sister ABB. What the hell is wrong with our world?

jess said...

Funny that this story struck you, as it struck me as well, and I couldn't pick TO out of a lineup either...

I too am a bit appalled at the comment you mention - the American Mentality at work - sigh. However, I didn't hear that quote, what I heard was that TO denied a suicide attempt, and that he would play th next game. Um, hello? He was found unconscious from a drug overdose, so there is a PROBLEM here - either the man is depressed and OD'd on purpose (a cry for HELP?) or has a drug addiction and OD'd by accident. Either way, life ain't right for TO, and seems like playing the next game is just foolish. Is someone helping this guy?

Anonymous said...

I have known too many miserable rich people to believe that having scads of money in and of itself makes you happy.

Thing is, if you're poor, money DOES make you happier. You won't have to worry about life's basics and you'll have more opportunities and less stress. However, once you reach the point where your needs are met and you have enough to do the things you enjoy, having more money doesn't seem to buy the same increase in happiness. It's a case of diminishing returns, a flattening of the money vs. happiness curve. The intangibles in your life -- spiritual well-being, health, and satisfaction with your family, work, hobbies, etc. -- seem to me to be a better predictor of your happiness, and they can't be measured by the size of your bank account.

Tyrell Owens is probably finding out that his fame and fortune aren't enough to fill the empty spaces in his life. And he may be suffering from depression or some other mental illness. I feel sorry for him and hope that he can work through his troubles. (His $25 million may not make him 25 million times happier than the rest of us, but at least it will get him decent mental health care!)

storm indigo said...

It's insulting to tell someone that they have no reason to be depressed because of the amount of money they make. Because of course, he should base his value on his pay.
I pray that he has more positive people around him. His rep is just transparent. If he thinks she has his best interests at heart, he'd better check again. What he thought was a heart is actually a vault, it's all about the money--FOR HER. It's times like that when you see where someone's priorities lie. If he is having a problem, he needs to get someone who really will put him first, not his pay check.


I cannot begin to imagine how surreal it would feel to paste a smile on my face and reassure the media how happy I am, if I were depressed. I hope it was an accident. Bless him.

Anonymous said...

With T.O., any press is good press. That PR lady (or whatever her title is) was just doing her job. It's really sad that one of the best wide receivers in the game spells T-E-A-M with too many I's.

~ann in Pittsburgh

christine mtm said...

i'm an eagles fan, so i know who TO is. he's acted out ever since going pro and i've heard sports reporters wonder if his previous actions weren't cries for help.

i don't have a lot of respect for him, but i do hope that he gets the help he needs... whether or not he tried to committ suicide

Drew said...

That PR woman was a fucking moron. Why would she say some shit like that? And why did they even put her ass front and center at the press conference? I guess they wanted the person who called the police to speak. But when she did, she made herself, Terrell (and black folks, to be honest) look stupid.

I agree that the $25 million reasons to live comment was stupid. What does that say? What does that mean? And, shit, if that's what gets him up in the morning, he leads a sad-ass life.

Anonymous said...

Getting out of bed every morning is priceless. I'll get out of bed for a dollar - just give me the opportunity to get up. ") I'll make it work.

Weasel said...

I got two good reasons to get my fat ass outta bed in the morning: my sig. other and my cat. Money's okay, but it don't mean that much.

But by the PR woman's opinion, should I kill myself? I ain't got $25 million! (I wouldn't know what the fuck to do with it!)

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