No matter how anybody felt about Diddy or the multiple allegations he was facing, nobody knew for a fact if he was capable of any of the things he was accused of since we had no evidence.
But now that CNN has obtained a 2016 surveillance video showing Diddy grabbing, shoving, dragging, kicking, and hitting his then-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, the public now has a concrete reason to hate the man who was once considered one of the most successful and iconic figures in the history of hip-hop.
In a statement sent to CNN, Ventura’s attorney, Douglas H. Wigdor, says, “The gut-wrenching video has only further confirmed the disturbing and predatory behavior of Mr. Combs. Words cannot express the courage and fortitude that Ms. Ventura has shown in coming forward to bring this to light.”
The release of this video does a couple of things. It’s a reminder that it takes an unbelievable amount of courage for victims like Cassie to come out and be vocal about their experiences with domestic violence. Knowing that people would doubt and question her, she still decided to come out and share her story despite the backlash she would get from the few people who practice “victim blaming.”
It’s also a reminder that we should not blindly support these beloved figures in the entertainment industry just because we enjoy the art they create. For some people, it’s easy to separate art from the person. It shouldn’t be.
We should not in good conscience support or consume the art someone created if they are a piece of crap in reality. One of the reasons some of these horrible celebrities feel empowered to continue their deviant behavior is because they know they will continue to have supporters no matter what, and those supporters will continue to put money in their pockets.
Furthermore, nobody should be watching that surveillance video that I just saw and wondering, “What did Cassie say to make him so mad?” Who gives a damn! There is a video of a grown-ass man throwing a woman across the floor and throwing a vace at her. The first question that should be asked is “Why did it take this long for this surveillance video to be made public and why did he feel empowered to put his hands on a woman like that in the first place?”
In all honesty, we shouldn’t care. Impact always matters more than intent. I don’t care what Diddy intended to do there, the fact is that we see the man abusing a helpless woman in more than one way. That’s all we should care about.
Until then, we should hope that Diddy did not abuse any other victims the way he did Cassie. Not because we care about Diddy’s fate, but because we care about the well-being of other humans who may have been affected by his actions.