Parlour’s Best of 2012!: Whitney Houston's Drug Addled, Problematic Legacy

Since we’re on a mental and physical vacation until January 7 — I’m in California, Shannon’s in Washington, D.C., then New Orleans, and Sherry’s North Carolina — we’re serving up Parlour’s Best of 2012! Each day this week, you’ll get a chance to reminisce on what made us all laugh, cry and suck our teeth during the last 12 months. I dug up a few of our faves … and I’m sweating, WOO!

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The death of pop star Whitney Houston resulted in more than 2.5 million tweets in just the first hour after her passing was announced, the proliferation of numerous fan tribute videos, and most regrettably, the resurgence of the term “crack whore.” I personally hate the term and never use it along with others like “crackhead” and “crackish.” My self-inflicted ban comes from the belief that being addicted to crack is not something to be taken lightly. Furthermore, “crack whore,” a term reserved for women offering their bodies for a taste of the drug, has the added bonus of misogyny and slut-shaming that our society employs so well. No, I cannot clap to that.

Just last week, radio hosts John Kobylt and Ken Chiampou of the “John and Ken Show” were suspended from LA’s KFI AM 640 for calling Whitney Houston a “crack ho” as part of their usual offensive schtick. There was plenty of outrage to go around for the shock jocks as calls for accountability rang out. While the hosts offered an apology, I was left wondering who was going to sound the call to the rest of us – many of whom were all too eager to laugh at a “crack whore” joke about Whitney Houston or anyone else just two weeks ago. ...Read the rest of Parlour’s Best of 2012 post here!