Whitney Houston, Some Flags, Bruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuce

David Sirota HERE says the problem with  Rex Ryan  Chris Christie ordering NJ's flags to be flown at half-mast to honor Whitney Houston "is about race and gender, not drugs."

To be honest, when I first saw that quote under the headline I thought he meant Christie was jumping to do such a thing to show "hey, look, Republicans like black people and women!".  But that's not the case:

When famous white men engage in illicit activities, American culture allows them to nonetheless retain their street cred, their wholesome image and their public honor. In some instances, in fact, the illicit behavior contributes to their mystique and their legacy — it is seen as a cool part of who they are. This is exactly why one of the iconic images of Sinatra is him in a tux with a highball in his hand — because a white, male-dominated culture accepts — and even at times celebrates — the blemishes of fellow white men.

By contrast, when famous women — and particularly famous women of color — engage in the same behavior, the same swath of America that celebrates the Presleys and Sinatras often reacts with indignant disgust. Hence, the backlash to Christie daring to minimally honor Houston — a reaction that shows a white, male-dominated culture which accepts the imperfections of white males simultaneously refuses to accept the imperfections of “the other.”

That's tough to argue and seems pretty true, but I'm still surprised a state government would do such a thing for her.  Frankly, I'm surprised she can be seen as big enough of an icon to warrant having a state's flags flown at half-mast.  For one, I've never considered her to be in Elvis/Michael Jackson territory fame wise, though that might just be me (I can't say I ever sat down and listened to a Whitney Houston album, but obviously many people did.) Mostly, until her death I'd never heard her being associated with the state of New Jersey.  So it's not like when Springsteen dies and the whole state shuts down - he's worn his Jersey roots as a badge of honor for decades and rarely goes more than three seconds without reminding you where he's from.  Meanwhile, I had absolutely no earthly idea Whitney Houston was from NJ until her death; I certainly don't remember it coming up a lot during that wretched reality show of hers.