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Unless you've been under a rock lately, you've heard about the allegations against P. Diddy. He's been accused of sexual assault, domestic violence, and other heinous acts by his ex-girlfriend, Cassie. And if you keep your ear to cultural tea, you know this isn't the first time he's been accused of doing unsavory things. Since these allegations have come to light, people have discussed why the music industry seems so dark. I feel the answer isn't necessarily related to the music industry itself. It's more about the human experience and how we govern ourselves. Decision-making is guided by experiences, morals, values, and upbringing. As we go through life, an increase in power or wealth can alter some factors.
Power Changes People
In the words of Kanye West, "No one man should have all that power ."The kind of behavior that Diddy has been accused of is not limited to the music industry. This happens in the movie industry, law enforcement, Corporate America, Wall Street, and anywhere that you have insanely rich, powerful people. Humans are very flawed and complex beings, and things shift when given power. Research has shown that power can significantly change a person and their behavior. Ever had a co-worker get bumped up to management? Or have you had a friend who suddenly started making lots of money? There's almost an immediate change in a person when their level of power changes. Sometimes, the change is drastic enough to end a friendship or relationship.
Some people do use their power for good, and having power can boost self-confidence and self-expression. However, there can be a dark side to it.
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The Dark Side of Power
People with unlimited amounts of power often exert their will over people they feel are less than them, which can result in various forms of abuse. For example, sexual abuse is about power. Darren Sharper is a good-looking, rich NFL player that is currently sitting behind bars for being a serial rapist. When he was arrested, people were in shock. There were many comments about how he could have any woman he wanted, so there was no way he would have done what he was accused of doing. Sexual abuse is not about whether the person can get sex or not; it's about power and control. Men like Sharper get used to having their pick of the litter, so when a woman dares to say "no" to them, they feel entitled to take it. Also, rape is one of the most underreported crimes, so that makes it even more appealing for someone seeking power while also expecting no consequences.
There have been many instances of men in positions of power in Corporate America behaving similarly by withholding raises or promotions from female employees until they perform sexual acts or make unwanted sexual advances in the workplace without being reprimanded. When you're rich and powerful, you feel invincible. You're not worried about anyone around you turning you in because they don't want to get caught up in anything and potentially lose their job. And it's been very well noted that most people won't believe the victim anyway, so there's very little worry about the aftermath when it's happening.
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Power Allows You to Detach from Reality
Studies also show that powerful people can become detached and no longer feel the same level of distress or discomfort in the face of other people's suffering. The current economic climate in this country illustrates this precisely. Inflation and low wages are causing most Americans to struggle. Our government couldn't care less about the fast-food worker who can't feed her kids. Or the 9 to 5 workers that are living check to check. The federal minimum wage remains at $7.25 when it's been proven that a livable wage in America is over $20 an hour. People are drowning in financial distress, and all of those rich, powerful people elected to help are Ray Charles to the situation. Most of those fossils have been in office for so long that they are completely detached from what regular citizens go through. Their money and power have afforded them the opportunity to not care. These officials have the power to create legislation that could ease some of the American people's struggles, and they refuse. Their response is to tell the people to drink less Starbucks and get rid of their iPhones as if those small changes would make paying $2000 a month for a 1-bedroom apartment so much easier.
P.Diddy & R.Kelly: Powerful People & Their "Yes" Men
When a person has too much power, they may be less likely to listen to other's perspectives, as well. R. Kelly comes to mind with this point. He assembled a team of "yes" people to cover up his reprehensible behavior. Most people aren't willing to risk losing their livelihood to check their boss on their behavior, especially when they are a rich celebrity. So, when everyone around you is on your payroll and scared to be a victim of your wrath, you get to have your way. Multiple people and the girls' parents were aware of what was transpiring. However, money talks and can silence reason when the amount is high enough.
P. Diddy allegedly has a similar camp surrounding him. The lawsuit against P.Diddy was 30 plus pages of horror. Cassie alleged that there was a gruesome cycle of abuse that involved sexual abuse, sex trafficking, revenge porn, domestic violence, emotional abuse, and verbal abuse. And this supposedly went on for the duration of their over 10-year relationship. With their relationship being very public, nobody spoke a word of what they witnessed until this lawsuit. There have been whispers about his behavior for about 25 years, and he's continued to prosper. There's no way that his industry friends, employees, and peers were unaware of everything he's been accused of doing. Only recently has he started to lose brand deals and affiliations. Do we really believe people didn't realize Diddy had a shady past before Cassie filed that suit? They knew and didn't care because money is always the goal. And people like to pat these businesses on the back for cutting ties with him, and they don't deserve it. If their affiliation with him didn't threaten their bottom line, it would still be business as usual.
Powerful Influence Created Stan Culture
And now we come to the fans and supporters. Stan culture is a perfect example of how impressionable people react to powerful people. Celebrities significantly impact their fanbases, and those who take that seriously try to guide their fans to behave like they got some sense. However, some celebrities bait their fans and use them to attack other celebrities' or their fanbases, thus creating stan wars. While parasocial relationships are not extremely abnormal, they can become problematic when behavior turns bad. We have seen fans verbally attacking people, harassing them from fake pages, and doxing them all in the name of defending their favorite celebrity. It's almost like watching Jim Jones pass out the Kool-Aid. Powerful people need to make sure they are positively using their influence. Not everyone in the world is mentally sound, which can result in them using their words as fuel for harmful behavior.
"I Would Never..."
Everyone looking at this situation and others like it will probably maintain that they would never participate in such behavior. However, it's easy to say that when you're outside the club and can't get in. Some of the people we interact with every day would do some of the very same things if given the chance. It's one of the reasons why rich, powerful people work so hard to keep the divide between the rich and the poor. They sit on their millions and feed the masses motivational speeches about how you can have the same things they do if you believe and stay positive and patient through your journey when we all know that no one becomes a multimillionaire or billionaire doing everything ethically. People believe in the Illuminati or rich people "selling their souls," and it makes them a little more content with being average, which is always the goal. It keeps the poor people at bay. I mean, if you believe that you have to pray to a demon to get rich, you might want to stay regular, eh?
One of rich, powerful people's worst nightmares is for the people they step on to rise up. If everyone had power, it would be like the WWE out here. People would be forcing their will on anyone who got in their way. This dynamic is why racism is still prevalent in 2024. Minorities as a whole lack socioeconomic power in this country, which allows for the majority to oppress them. And as we can see, the majority aren't particularly concerned with how their power and what they do with it affects anyone. And truthfully, they don't have to be because there isn't anyone with enough power to stop them right now.
Is There a Remedy?
Research says people corrupted by power can change their ways with adequate coaching. However, those individuals would have to recognize the need for change; we obviously cannot count on that happening. After all, we are unsure whether the power changed them or revealed what was already inside them. One of the only things we can do is to ensure that we aren't accomplices to bad behavior. If you witness things in your workplace or otherwise, try to speak up if you don't feel that you're in immediate danger. As we know, silence is compliance. When we don't use our voices, we help to create a safe place for powerful people to abuse their power.
