Pride & Prejudice & Knuckles

But Karen [Carpenter] was skeletal, hospitalized, publicly suggested to have the “starving disease.” All of her achievements in expert percussion and showstopping vocal performances have been ground to nothing under the heel of her greedy eating disorder. Her name is now synonymous with starving to death. And there was precious little any of her fans could have done to stop it, even if they'd known everything that went on beyond closed doors. Maybe they could have stopped buying tickets to see The Carpenters. Maybe they could have bombarded Richard with furious fan mail. Maybe they could have stood outside her house and begged her to eat. But it probably wouldn't have stopped Karen from drinking ipecac. She wasn't fighting common sense, her fans, or even herself. She was fighting a disease, a disconcertingly powerful one that claims lives more easily than any other mental health condition. Karen Carpenter might have been better off fighting a grizzly bear—at least that might have gotten bored and let her go. Imagine that magnitude of struggle afflicting millions of people around the world, every day, for years upon years. Imagine that magnitude of struggle afflicting Ariana Grande. Imagine that magnitude of suffering afflicting someone you know and love.