Kobe Bryant Killed In Helicopter Crash

yes, it was quite widely reported (back then) in 2003. he was 24 at the time.

All is irrelevant though. Legend is no more, and a huge loss.

[QUOTE] [b]Thistle wrote:[/b]

A Washington Post reporter has been put on leave after tweeting a link about a historical sexual assault case against Bryant. Her colleagues have issued a letter to the publication to condemn the decision.

I didn't know he had been involved in a case like that. Seems he settled out of court? Anyone remember?[/QUOTE]

Yep, very well. He raped her and paid her off. She dropped the case after his legal team smeared her relentlessly. It was ugly.

"After that point, she told police, he allegedly barred her from leaving the room, held her by the neck and forced her to have sex with him, then told her not to tell anybody. A subsequent medical examination at a hospital in Colorado found that the victim had multiple lacerations in the vaginal area that were "consistent with perpetuating genital trauma….not consistent with consensual sex," and that Bryant's T-shirt had blood spots around the waistline that matched the victim's DNA."

100% he raped her. There is no ambiguity.

Great journalism here:

http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/kobe-bryant-rape-allegation-felicia-sonmez-washington-post-roxane-gay-943828

and here:

http://www.newyorker.com/sports/sporting-scene/death-of-kobe-bryant-basketballs-great-storyteller

But he was also a massive ambassador for women's basketball. The greats sure can be complicated. Separate the art from the artist, as it were? Most of our heroes have skeletons in the closet.

As per the journalist who retweeted the article, the Washington Post's stance on this issue is admirable - to "consistently urge restraint" in times like this. The body is still warm, so now is not the time.

But then the question is - when IS the right time? When enough time has passed and nobody cares anymore?

I'm kind of torn between the two.

Ricky Gervais goes after Hollywood's friends of Weinstein at the Golden Globes and it's ok, but go after an athlete and it's game over. Of course the actors are alive and the athlete is dead, but there still seems to be a double standard at play here. Baby steps, I guess?

[QUOTE] [b]The Real Wizard wrote:[/b]

Separate the art from the artist, as it were? Most of our heroes have skeletons in the closet.


[/QUOTE]

I kinda touched on this in the Dracula thread, saying how finding out that Klaus Kinski (allegedly) sexually assaulted his young daughter tainted my enjoyment of Nosferatu.

I'm not sure how people can still love/respect celebs, whether they be actors, musicians or sports stars, when things like this become known.

I haven't been able to separate the art from the artist, and I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to.

Meh. He threw a ball really good? So what. Rape guy.

I feel bad for the rest of the passengers though.

"I love fucking Vale" - allegedly said by Kobe while sodomizing her bent over a wooden chair.

The mainstream media has been suppressing Kobe's dark past ...

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7932771/Journalist-suspended-tweeting-link-story-Kobe-Bryants-rape-case-2003.html

A Washington journalist got suspended for tweeting a link to a 2016 story about Kobe Bryant's rape case.

[QUOTE] [b]Thistle wrote:[/b]

I'm not sure how people can still love/respect celebs, whether they be actors, musicians or sports stars, when things like this become known.

I haven't been able to separate the art from the artist, and I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to.[/QUOTE]

Keep trying. It's healthy to separate the two.

Revere ideas, not people.

Because the overwhelming majority of people (especially highly functioning ones) will eventually disappoint you.

If they function that highly, something else has to switch off.

It's a package deal.

[QUOTE] [b]The Real Wizard wrote:[/b]

[QUOTE] [b]Thistle wrote:[/b]

I'm not sure how people can still love/respect celebs, whether they be actors, musicians or sports stars, when things like this become known.

I haven't been able to separate the art from the artist, and I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to.[/QUOTE]

Keep trying. It's healthy to separate the two.

Revere ideas, not people.

Because the overwhelming majority of people (especially highly functioning ones) will eventually disappoint you.

If they function that highly, something else has to switch off.

It's a package deal.
[/QUOTE]

I suppose it depends on what they've done, for example there's no way I could separate ideas from people when it comes to someone like Ian Watkins.

Of course, there are limits.

[QUOTE] [b]The Real Wizard wrote:[/b]Of course, there are limits.
[/QUOTE]

although Watkins is, perhaps a terrible example. his "art" never particularly struck me as ever being worth a second listen.