I have formally reserved judgement of blaming Bobby Brown for dragging Whitney Houston into the gutter, because of previous reports that the late, great singer was exposed to drugs prior to meeting Brown.

But…

Being exposed to drugs is a lot different from going on week-long crack binges in the bathroom, isn’t it? As far as I know, she wasn’t doing THAT until she became Mrs. Bobby Brown.

And I don’t think we’ll have the full story–mostly because it’s none of our beeswax–but I think the family has sent a clear message about how Brown’s influence might have contributed to Whitney’s demise.

He’s not invited to the funeral.

From some ratchet GAT-DL site:

Bobby Brown is “extremely disappointed” after hearing that several members of Whitney Houston‘s family do not want him to attend the singer’s funeral … sources tell TMZ.

Sources close to Bobby tell us … people connected to the Houston family have reached out to Bobby to warn him that he shouldn’t attempt to attend the funeral because the family isn’t fond of him.

However … we’re told Bobby has not received any OFFICIAL word from the family about his invite status.

Sources tell us … Bobby WANTS to attend the funeral so he can support his daughter Bobbi Kristina, but he hasn’t decided on a plan of action yet.

Uh-hun. That’s a pretty clear statement. This is a cautionary tale of a women who so desperately wanted the black community’s approval that she married a man who had multiple babies by multiple mamas, was a known drug user and a known sorry-ass. She believed that load of bull-donkey-backwards-fairy-tale-shite that her love could somehow “cure” him, because that’s was a good, God-fearing, strong black woman is supposed to do. Was Whitney attracted to Bobby? It’s clear that she was. And and I’m aware that no one had a club in one hand and her hair in the other, dragging her down the aisle. But clearly the family is angry with Bobby about something, and there’s no denying that if indeed this story is true.

But I’ll go one further than simply blaming Bobby. I blame the GAT-DL machine that feels it necessary to police the blackness of prominent people, and who feel threatened if their work is embraced by the mainstream (aka white people). It’s these people who want to feel like even celebrities have to be in the same barrel at them, the big blob of group-think. Stray from the pre-approved script and you’re clowned, called an oreo or a sell out. It’s disgusting. I firmly believe that those folks share the blame in all this–Whitney did not die in a vacuum.

So what’s the take-away?

I know there are some ladies on here that are just beginning to smell the stink about what goes on in the black community and have themselves felt pressure to “stay down” even as you rise in the ranks of education and career.

Please, for the love of God, don’t be a Whitney.