“Life Is Too Short” Is a Cliche, Inaccurate Reason to Resolve Conflict

Who Knows How Much Time Any Of Us Have? Does it Matter? | Photo by Enrique Zafra

I was watching a clip from an episode of “The Braxtons,” a WE TV reality show that follows the family of R&B songstress, Toni Braxton. The show features Toni and three of her sisters, Towanda, Trina, and Tamar, and their mother, Evelyn. Their father and brother, Michael Sr. and Jr., respectively, sometimes make appearances. Previously, their sister Traci, now deceased, co-starred along with the sisters. “The Braxtons” is a spin-off of their original show, “Braxton Family Values.”

If you are not familiar, the five sisters each brought a different personality, with Tamar bringing the most personality of them all. She is arguably spoiled, toxic, and selfish. Towanda has typically been the most level-headed, as she was described in the opening credits of the original show, as the responsible one. She even served as big sister Toni’s assistant during the height of Toni’s career.

In the clip I saw (I stopped watching the Braxtons years ago because Tamar was too much and the arguments were unnecessary), the living sisters and their mother are together for a counseling session. For several minutes, which seemed like an eternity, the clip shows Towanda and Tamar arguing. Finally, Evelyn, their mother, gives her two cents. As she speaks, she mentions that she’s already lost one child. She asks if they realize…