• He joins a growing list in Hollywood hall of shame as skeletons come out the closet
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As I drafted this article about the ongoing scandals of pop mogul Diddy, I couldn’t help but think that this article was way too familiar. That’s because it is.
In January 2022, I drafted an article titled Are men being stripped of their privilege badges? A cautionary tale from Prince Andrew and all the rich men who think they are untouchable. I wrote many times in the recent past about similar stories, where the men who used to rule the world (well, most of it) got away with everything, until now.
If you look closely at all the cases, they are pretty much the same plot with just a different set of characters. The rise of television, cinema and pop culture gave birth to a generation of men who believed themselves to be gods of the industries. They were all powerful and they used their wealth to lobby their way into the system.
These individuals had the power and money to make problems go away. They had politicians and judicial members in their pockets. They could literally and figuratively get away with murder.
Those of us raised by the grandparent generation have been accustomed to utilising the wise sayings of the ancestors in our everyday lives. Our grandparents were the generation that did not get fazed by thieves and wrongdoers. They would always say quietly, “Siku za mwizi ni arobaini”. No matter how dangerous and wealthy a thief gets, he will always be met with his end when his proverbial 40 days are up.
This is what people in power forget. They forget that everything is fleeting. They forget that everything comes to an end. They forget that the world changes and the people change along with it.
Just like the beautiful springs that wither and dry up in the unforgiving summers, so does power crumble into nothingness when met with its end. If power did not have an end, then the Mongol Empire would have never disappeared. Many kings and rulers would not have been beheaded by the people if their influence was as infinite as they believed it to be.
Power is a dangerous thing, it makes the person drunk with thoughts of being invincible. Bill Cosby was a simple actor with a couple of highly rated comedies. What would make him think that he could get away with taking advantage of young women forever? Even if his popularity had gained him the privileges of an influential man, surely he did not think it would last forever? The same could be said of Harvey Weinstein and Jefferey Epstein. And now, P Diddy.
The strange thing about all these cases is that the people around knew. People always know! And even though the rumours are there, people speaking on isolated incidents and experiences are never taken seriously until the day of reckoning is upon the powers that be. The grapevine had been speaking for years about the allegations of Diddy and Cosby long before they came into the limelight.
Former TV and radio personality Wendy Williams had been speaking out about the Cosby allegations as early as the 80s! She was even fired from radio on Cosby’s command. In retaliation, she made sure to cover Cosby’s trial in-depth on her talk show. She even insinuated the rumours surrounding Diddy, causing friction between her and the mogul.
While people are eagerly sitting on the edge of their seats, waiting for the Diddy case to go to trial, most of Diddy’s partygoers are panicking, unsure of what evidence has been collected against them in the FBI-seized evidence recovered from the mogul’s mansions. A river of truth filled with the dirty laundry of some of the world’s biggest stars is about to flow on the world wide web. Judgement Day is here.