Some scattered thoughts.
-Ozzy's death probably did contribute indirectly to his own death in a number of ways. Cobes was likely trashed 24/7 in the weeks leading up to his own heart attack because of Ozzy and all the booze he was sent and also buying. I do think he might have had a phone too if Ozzy hadn't died, but he was spending all his cash on booze and door dash instead of saving any of it, likely also because of Ozzy's death.
-During the heart attack he could've obviously reached out for help over FB messenger or even contacted emergency services. However, considering his already diminished ability to think under pressure and the amount of pain and discomfort he was feeling he might not have actually thought of it. He instead made a video which was kind of his default thing to do whenever something happened. I do also think he might have been afraid to call for help, his autism probably didn't want to have to deal with a whole bunch of new stuff, the hassle of leaving his trailer and being poked and prodded as well as being scolded for his teeth and drinking. I don't know if he would've called for help or not if he had a phone.
-His teeth probably played a role, it turns out that having constant gum disease and mouth infections can actually enter the bloodstream and cause the heart to stay inflamed. For years he'd been having terrible, painful dental issues due to lack of hygiene and I imagine his heart was just inflamed for a large amount of that time.
-Duster definitely didn't help. I don't know how often he was abusing it or to what extent but I think it was much more than what people believe. He said he was huffing 4 cans in one day at one point. That of course can have negative effects on heart health.
-I've always said that Clint was doing as much as he really could without having to constantly fight his adult son and I stand by it now. Clint even went back to school to try to learn about teaching kids with autism. He had Cobes medicated, in special ed and therapy all up until his adulthood. Cobes definitely had some form of ODD. There was no way Clint could have done anything to him without power of attorney. He might have been able to do the "I won't support you if you don't fix yourself" intervention thing. But thinking about it that's probably pretty dangerous with a person so easily taken advantage of as Cobes. It might work on a normal person, but cobes is too vulnerable to have him living on the street for a while or trying to survive on his own. Was there something he could have done? Probably, but at this point I don't think it matters or is a moral failing. Clint obviously dearly loved Cobes while being very aware of his shortcomings and defiant attitude. Clint was probably a bit permissive in the artsy dad sort of way but his care and love for his son is really not questionable anymore.
-Thanks to Tanis I now more than ever believe Cobes lost Puff trying to have a cool smoke with his lizard. I never bought that he got mad and killed puff like was a popular theory at the time. Cobes did stupid things like try to get his poor lizard high but it was never malicious, just his low IQ clashing with the reality of caring for a living thing. Was he an animal abuser? Kind of, inadvertently, not intentionally. But like Koko the gorilla ripping apart her kitten I don't think Cobes understood or was capable of figuring out how to care for a pet. He seemed to genuinely love animals.
-Cobes definitely was kinder than he appeared to be on his youtube channel in full KingCobraJFS persona. Everyone who met him seemed to think he was quiet and nice. When he wasn't blustering or putting on a performance, he definitely was a quiet, shy autistic who was just happy people were giving him positive attention rather than the constant bullying that came with his everyday life.
-I was kinda harsh on Cobes in this thread at some points, and I don't really take it back. He made some really awful decisions at times and his opinions and ideas definitely weren't great. He was a human, he made mistakes both minor and major that affected him and the people around him. However, due to the fact that he was Cobes, had no responsibilities and nothing to take care of other than an apartment and lizard (both of which he wasn't great at) his mistakes and alcoholism weren't as bad as if it had been a normal person. He had no wife or kids to disappoint, his fans and family knew what they were getting into and no one had any real expectations of him. So actually it's very reasonable to conclude he left a far greater positive effect on the world than a negative one. He did bring joy, laughter and entertainment to thousands, if not millions. He was a source of fun discussion for me and my friends and even my wife. Everyone he met seemed to like him and have a good time hanging out with him. I can honestly say that I think Josh's legacy, despite his faults, is a good one.
-The extent of the trolling I suppose I knew, and the bullying in his childhood he had often alluded to but I suppose I didn't internalize it to the full extent that I should have. I knew it was bad intellectually, but hearing Clint talk about it broke my heart. Cobes was someone's son, and his own person. He would've made entertaining content regardless of the bullying (not that forcing content is an excuse for harassment) and he might have been quite a bit less miserable during his time on earth. I never interacted with him negatively other than some jokes at his expense in his stream chat but I do regret that small amount of negativity now even if he never read them. While some lolcows are malicious, mean, and sometimes pure evil. Cobes was definitely not those things.
Anyways RIP Cobes. It was a wild ride. I'm not religious but if there is something after then I hope you and Ozzy are rocking out together while Puff, Chance and Obie-dog are running around having fun. Goodbye.
we live in evil times man
