How To Check A Predator
By now, most people have seen the interview with R.Kelly playing the victim in his interview with Gayle King. There are several things that stood out to me in this interview, from his deflection of her very pointed line of questioning to his dramatized outbursts at the camera.
What we witnessed in his interview was R.Kelly doing what he does best, utilizing his arsenal of weapons. The dramatization, the tears, the outbursts, his suit and tie, his need to speak directly into the camera-all of this was for R.Kelly to make us believe that he is a victim, a pawn in the grand scheme of these women who are fabricating tales. This was R.Kelly trying to mastermind his audience the way that he puppeteers his victims. His interview was downright predatory in nature as he utilized every opportunity to bend and manipulate the time to paint himself in a better light.
I direct your attention to this photo…
This is at a juncture where R.Kelly is seen jumping out of his seat in a tantrum after Gayle so relentlessly continued her questions and expressed her doubt with his denial of the allegations brought before him. The level of composure that Ms. King upheld throughout the interview is admirable. Had R.Kelly been this close to me, even if his anger and explosive flare-ups were not pinpointed in my direction, I would have gone into immediate defense mode.
At this point, he is clearly in her personal space and fairly unpredictable as he rants about the assassination of his character by the women in the documentary. The fact that R Kelly felt comfortable enough to step into Gayle King’s space in such a disrespectful and aggressive manner further fuels my belief that his treatment of women and girls is deplorable.
Oh, but Gayle was having none of it!! She kept her polished foot on his neck the entire time and yielded nothing…not her composure when this man invaded her proximity, not her direct questions and statements, and certainly not her professionalism while he raged and cried. Kudos to Gayle King for doing what black women do best, having grace under pressure while still gathering the masses accordingly.
Yet for every Gayle, there has to be some level of foolery. After reading the comments under several social media posts and blogs that discussed the interview, my mind still can’t comprehend one of the most disheartening pieces in the entire trajectory of this narrative…why so many people of color are determined to die on the hill that is R.Kelly and defend him. The arguments in support of R Kelly range from “where were the parents?” to “I can still support his music but not be a fan of his.” It is a pendulum of excuses that diverts attention away from the actual issue…why R.Kelly is just now being prosecuted in the year of our Lord 2019 for crimes that he committed nearly twenty years ago. But that, my dears, is a conversation for another day.
