A VIEW OF THE WEEK: Call me anything you want, just don’t say I’m broke

There is an agitated mood in the air, like someone is looking for a fight.

Maybe we have been in a cold, dark winter too long. Perhaps load reduction, unplanned outages, and water shortages are to blame.

Whatever the cause, it has led to insult season, and this week we were reminded of the sharpest accusation of all: “You are broke”.

The worst allegation

Having been in and around the entertainment industry for over a decade, I have seen the warped priorities of stardom and the strangling opium of fame.

I have seen many cocaine lines and sat at tables where whispers of mistreatment by stars were shared.

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But the allegation that always stung the most was that they had gone broke.

It is a subconscious fear we all share, and one that reared its head again this week when rapper Leslie “Da L.E.S” Jonathan Mampe Jr suffered a stroke.

As he was rushed to hospital, reports emerged that friends had started raising money for the exorbitant hospital bills that would follow.

Hurt by those meant to help

It was a noble cause, considering that greed, mismanagement, and maladministration in the health sector have financially crippled many families for life.

For an industry that crafts itself around words like healing, care, and dignity; it has too often come across as cold and exploitative.

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The race for a profit or quick buck has left far too many patients worse off and their families financially and emotionally ruined by those meant to heal.

So naturally, the anxiety for Da L.E.S’ health was followed by how much it would cost.

But instead of embracing this call for help, regardless of what the cesspool of toxic social media users may say, the family denied it had asked for donations.

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It seemed the stigma of being labelled broke was more damaging than admitting they needed help.

It later seemed to privately acknowledge the need for affordable care and reportedly moved the star to a state hospital.

It is true, like all South Africans, that celebrities should plan for the future. It is also true that celebrities live a lifestyle several notches above those who they profit off with their craft.

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Their celebrity is too often attached to the price tags they wear and the illusion of success.

So when the mask slips and both them and us find out they are normal people with medical bills to pay, it can become harder to stomach.

The golden rule of being a celebrity is to never go broke. And if you meet one, don’t you dare tell them they are.

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