When I saw XXXTentacoin was trending on Twitter, the first thought I had was, "What did he do now?, because Jahseh Onfroy didn't exactly have the greatest track record.
Then, I read that he had been killed in Florida.
I raised my brow, shrugged, and kept scrolling.
When someone who beat the crap out of his pregnant girlfriendandbeat the crap out of a man because he thought he was gay and "looking at him" dies, my sympathy tends to be rather thin.
Apparently, people don't agree with me. Which I think is strange, because I thought physical violence was a big no-no on pretty much everyone's moral compass. I guess asking people to have a shred of empathy in today's day and age is just too much to ask.
This isn't even a conspiracy; these are facts. Onfroy physically and mentally assaulted his girlfriend multiple times. Onfroy physically assaulted a man in prison because he thought was gay. He was a violent, violent man.
Yet, people are just devastated he died.
I just wish people showed this much sympathy towards his victims.
Onfroy wasn't a "troubled man" who made "mistakes". A mistake is accidentally locking your keys in your car. A mistake is accidentally putting mocha in someone's iced coffee when they asked for caramel. A mistake is accidentally driving to the wrong house to pick up your friend.
Physically assaulting someone isn't a mistake. You don't "accidentally" beat someone to the point where they're knocking on death's door. You make the choice to assault someone.
It's a crime. He was a convicted criminal. I don't care how many streams he had. That's not a reason to justify his violent actions.
Going on and on about how "talented" and "full of potential" he was means ignoring the fact that he was an abuser. You take his side. You say, "It doesn't matter that he beat his pregnant girlfriend until she needed surgery to recover from the injuries; he had talent!"
By mourning the death of Onfroy, you are giving a platform for abusers to continue. You're giving them a free pass to continue hurting people. You're telling their victims, "I don't really care about what he did to you. In fact, I don't care about you at all."
If you stand on Onfroy's side, you stand on the side of abusers. Which, heads up, isn't something to be proud of. And for what? Because he could rap? Because he had "talent"? I can guarantee you there are about five thousand rappers on Soundcloud that are just as talented who don't feel the need to assault people.
Talent isn't a get out of jail free card. A crime is a crime. Onfroy's actions were vile and cruel, and they're vile and cruel whether you like his music or not.
I don't care XXXTentacoin died. I don't care if he rests in peace or not. I literally don't care.
I do care about his victims. I DO care about the people he's hurt. I do care about abusive victims everywhere who are terrified to step forward, because even when abusers are convicted, people still worship the ground they walk on.
Call me unsympathetic. Call me disrespectful. Call me whatever you want.
But you'll never call me an abuse apologist.
P.S. Here's his victim's GoFundMe. Please donate if you can. She needs support now more than ever.