“Earlier this week, on the side of a building in Austin, Texas, an artist painted a mural in remembrance of Bryant. That same night, someone added the word “rapist” next to his face. Almost as soon as it appeared, it vanished. Painted over. Muted. A glimpse of the legacy Bryant leaves behind.”
After reading this article I started to see the bigger picture on this topic. It is not right to focus entirely on someone’s faults during their commemoration but it is also true that we must not purposely ignore the unjust things people did in their lifetime. Obviously, when people think of Kobe, they think of one of the all time greats in the sport of basketball and it is truly terrible how his life ended and that if we can learn anything from this incident, it is that we should really live the moment and enjoy the time we have with people in the present. I know this is broad, but no one is perfect and everyone makes mistakes. No one is ignoring what Kobe did but defaming a mural of remembrance for a person who inspired so many with one of the faults of his past is completely unnecessary and inappropriate. We have to ask ourselves what kind of people or society we are as a whole if we cannot get over the imperfections of a person’s past and look at that person’s life achievements with an honest heart. The actions of the individual who wrote over the mural with the word ” rapist ” are nothing more than those of a troll and someone who is too insecure with themselves that they must focus on the most negative aspects of a person who inspires so many people. You can do so many great things in your life and still be remembered as a shameful figure by many narrow-minded people. At the end of the day a person’s legacy must not be torn into for its faults and has to be greatly appreciated for how it has changed the world for the better.
I totally agree with your view on the defamation of Kobe’s mural. This mural was painted as a tribute to someone who has done so much for the sport and changed the lives of so many people. We can discuss his imperfections but it’s totally inappropriate to do it right after his death, when everyone is mourning the loss of such a beloved person.