Lakin Starling: It's only been a week since we learned that it's very likely that R. Kelly is emotionally, physically, and sexually abusing young women and underage girls in his “cult." But it feels like everyone has already forgotten. My social timelines have shifted to other conversations, and the only mentions of the sleazy singer are memes that joke about his exploitation. I swear it’s like crimes against women call for cultural amnesia. I went into a slight anxiety attack after Jocelyn Savage released a video in response to her family’s press conference to try and convince the public that she was safe. The shadow on her shirt that signaled for her to stop talking when she was asked about her living situation sent me into a dark place. I had to leave work for an hour to sort through the deep wave of sadness that hit me after I saw that.

Online, people laughed about the shakiness in Savage's voice. But was clear that she tripped up because she was being told what to say and do. I’m still shocked to see people who claim to be against violence towards women liking tweets that mocked Savage.

ADVERTISEMENT

Why aren’t alarms going off around the country to get her and all the other young women out of R. Kelly's custody? One thing we know for sure is that black girls aren’t protected, but men in positions of power are.

Aside from this historic neglect, perhaps the reason a lot of people weren’t visibly outraged was because reading the details of the cult was emotionally taxing. I tweeted my fury in all caps but I still felt like I didn’t have the words to express how helpless and angry this shit made me feel. How has it been going on for so long?! On one end, it’s triggering because some of us have to relive the sobering truth that men who abuse women still get paid and never lose work or recording contracts. Male artists in the entertainment industry have repeatedly preyed on young girls and women — so much so that the culture dismisses it as a part of the lifestyle.

Fans of abusers don't seem to want to make the decision to stop supporting those artists — even when they hold women as captives and sexually exploit teens. R. Kelly’s fuckery is so blatant and undeniable that people don’t bother to refute the accusations against him. Instead, they make light of them and bring up his legendary hit-making abilities. Stop it. It’s insane to praise him for creating a timeless music catalog and not hold him accountable for his legacy of exploiting young women and girls along the way.

ADVERTISEMENT

Aimee, did you expect for noise to die down so quickly about the R. Kelly news? Do you think some people protect men who abuse women without knowing that that's what they're doing?