Celebrity worship syndrome is an actual mental disorder that afflicts many people. Some extreme cases involve stalking a celeb, which may result in restraining orders and/or arrest warrants. We’re clearly no psychiatry experts, but we’ve read about deranged behavior.
We also know that there are incidents where celebrity worship takes on a peculiar form. It’s when a fan adores a film, music, or sports star so much that they’re willing to inflict violence on those who don’t feel the same way about their idol.
Sometimes, the cause of the celebrity-related disagreement is due to something so trivial. Such is the case with these fanatics.
The questionable behavior of a Beyhive member
There are certain facts of life that absolutely everyone on the planet knows, and in some cases, must know. One such fact is the marriage of Beyoncé, an extremely rich and popular music icon, also referred to as “Queen B,” to fellow millionaire and rapper Jay-Z.
In 2012, Ronald Deaver from Ohio stabbed a man who did not know that Bey and Jay were married. At some point, while a Beyoncé video was playing at the Cleveland bar they were in, Ronald and the man got into a Beyoncé-related argument, which heated up when it was later revealed that the man didn’t know of Beyonce’s marital status...for which Ronald deemed stab wounds were an appropriate punishment.
Ronald was charged with felonious assault, while the victim probably has since then brushed up on essential Beyoncé- and perhaps also Jay-Z-related trivia.
It’s hard not to feel sorry for the man who was victimized by the Beyhive member. Evidently, what you don’t know about Beyoncé will hurt you. In case you meet someone like Ronald Deaver, take note that Beyoncé is a rapper nowadays.
Wanna chit-chat about sports and politics at the workplace? Just don’t do it
Fights resulting from disagreements over a referee’s call in a football game or any sporting event is a non-event — they’re inevitable, and bartenders and bouncers are trained to handle them. But during politically charged times, brawls about sports, athletes, and their political stance no longer exclusively happen at bars.
In a concrete company in Florida, operator Peter Jordan and Johnathan Cartwright’s water cooler chat about football turned into a conversation about controversial former NFL star, Colin Kaepernick. You will remember that the former quarterback infamously kneeled while the national anthem was playing (during the 2016–2017 NFL season) as a form of protest against various social injustices, and whose Nike ad inflamed a certain segment of the American public. Mr. Jordan happened to belong to that segment, and he was triggered by Mr. Cartwright saying that he supported Kaepernick’s protest.
Like many arguments of the sports-and-politics nature, theirs quickly turned physical.
Perhaps if Kaepernick had protested violently, Mr. Jordan would have been on his side, and this fisticuffs at the workplace would not have transpired. And Mr. Jordan would not have been arrested for misdemeanor battery because he disagreed with a colleague’s support for an athlete’s protest.
The film casting misinformation that set a chain, chain, chain of foolish events
Halle Berry has never played Aretha Franklin in a biopic. There’s also currently no film in production that stars Halle as the Queen of Soul. If there is an Aretha biopic currently in production, our money is on Beyoncé playing her. No need to get violent, if you disagree.
That was the topic of conversation between two men in a barbershop in Suffolk, Virginia that led to a shootout. One of them was a guy named Michael Hatton who shot at a man during the Halle-Aretha-fueled altercation. It wasn’t reported whether it was Mr. Hatton who hypothesized that Halle had played or would play Aretha, or the one who disproved the false information.
Regardless of Mr. Hatton’s position on the Aretha Franklin-related standoff, he was arrested for his outburst.
Those who refuse to R.E.S.P.E.C.T. Aretha Franklin’s name mostly deserve what’s coming for them. But when it comes to getting the right information about any Aretha Franklin film, violence is never the answer; IMDb is.
Seattle personal injury attorneys Buckingham, LaGrandeur, & Williams are not blind to the brilliance of divas like Beyoncé. But we absolutely will not represent clients who justify violent behavior over an argument over her, her husband, or her kids.