Plan B Forum

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2 ... ialto.html

King became a symbol for police brutality and the troubled relations between the LAPD and minority residents. He was eventually awarded a $3.8-million settlement, but the money and fame brought him little solace. He had repeated run-ins with the law and as of April said he was broke.

"I sometimes feel like I'm caught in a vise. Some people feel like I'm some kind of hero," he told The Times earlier this year. "Others hate me. They say I deserved it. Other people, I can hear them mocking me for when I called for an end to the destruction, like I'm a fool for believing in peace."

<snipppus>

What a totally wasted life.

That's a harsh statement, dales.

Events in Rodney King's life were catalyst for a national conversation about race and police brutality. That alone makes his life more meaningful than many others, if one is judging.

Who decides the meaning of any person's life, anyway?

He loved and was loved.

RIP

What did RK do with his multi-million dollar payout from the California taxpayers?

Nothing.

He continued to get in trouble with the law, pissed most of his money away, and became a parody of himself.

What a wasted life.

He plummeted into national fame and then sky-rocketed back into alcoholic obscurity.

He was an accident in his own right but catalysed a huge cultural shift in LA.

yrs,
rubato

rubato wrote:He plummeted into national fame and then sky-rocketed back into alcoholic obscurity.

How many movie or TV or music industry folks could one say the same about? How many people - famous or not - have burned through fortunes and ended up broke? King didn't end up in obscurity; just a couple of months ago he was being interviewed by CNN, et al with regard to Trayvon Martin.

Really, it's outrageously judgmental to determine another's life was wasted.

IMHO

Really, it's outrageously judgmental to determine another's life was wasted.

Not at all, many people famous and infamous have come across a large pile of cash and pissed it away.

Wasted lives.

"Wasted Days and Wasted Nights"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Qu8RPvhP-U