Kevin Samuels died last week.
In case you have no idea who that is, KS was a self-proclaimed dating/relationship expert who made a practice of demeaning Black women. I will not say what I thought he was, because I was taught not to speak ill of the dead. I will say that I have seen enough of his videos not to like or respect him at all.
So why am I making this post?
Because social media is somewhat polarized in their reactions to the death of KS. He had his supporters, believe it or not, and they are trying to spin him into some well-meaning human being. Naturally, that ticked off everyone else, some of whom have pointed out that being dead does not automatically make someone a saint. And then there were some–I’m assuming women–who actually celebrated that KS was dead.
I do not celebrate anyone’s death, no matter how reprehensible I believe that they are. When Death comes for Donald Trump, I will not celebrate, and you can hold me to that. That does not mean that I will suddenly have good things to say about him, because that would be dishonest of me. I have nothing good to say about either of these hateful, narcissistic misogynists. I would rather state facts from the public record and render my own opinions based on them.
Like Trump, KS used his gifts and talents to stroke his own ego among the masses who worshipped him and to subjugate those he thought were inferior to him. He led many people to believe in his 21st Century caveman mentality. That is his legacy. That is how the world will remember him: the “relationship expert” who disrespected women of his own race and died with NO life partner of his own.
I am reminded of the hymn that was sung at my grandmother’s funeral: “May the Work I’ve Done Speak for Me”. Death is not meant to be a reward, a punishment, a judgment, or even a sign that your assigned work has been accomplished. It means that your time on Earth is over. Whatever you have done or not done up to that point will be subject to God’s judgment.
His alone.
The work that we do will speak for us after we’re gone. The good work, the bad work, and the ugly work. Regardless of our individual, unique assignments, we are all here to be good to each other. That can be as big as building homes, creating jobs, and feeding the hungry or as small as minding your manners when interacting with strangers.
Speaking only for myself, I would rather spend my time on earth teaching, writing stories that excite and inspire people, and making a positive impression in the world. It is a shame that every human is not willing or able to do the same, but that is not my business.
It is their legacy.
