Jackson was, without question, a talented singer and dancer. The moonwalk has been and remains a favorite dance move since Michael Jackson introduced it to me in 1983. (No, I don't do it, but it's fun to watch.) I think the conclusion of the "Thriller" music video was hilarious.
Jackson also started and contributed to a number of charitable causes. He truly cared for children, and he truly appreciated his fans.
However, for those of us who were not trying to do the moonwalk at the middle school dance, we grew up knowing more about "Wacko Jacko" than about any song or dance move. This is the guy who was on TV telling Martin Bashir that he slept with boys and didn't think there was anything wrong with that. Most of our awareness of Jackson was his erratic behaviors and sexual molestation criminal and civil lawsuits.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what was going on with Jackson. From early childhood, he was being worked ridiculously by his abusive father, enjoying incredible popularity without any personal foundation. He didn't know who cared about him personally, and who was only interested in sharing the limelight and sharing the dollars associated with it. He never felt accepted. After the Pepsi ad accident, he began to search for acceptance through his appearance by trying to make himself look like something people would accept--but the harder he tried to find acceptance, the less acceptance he found. Recognizing the loss of his own childhood, Jackson tried to regain it by providing childhood fantasies for himself and children--which only got him into more trouble. (Since his death, one of his accusers has been reported to have confessed that the allegations were false.)
All in all, I feel sorry for the guy. I would not give up the stability of knowing who I am and knowing who my real friends are in exchange for any amount of money.
Special thanks to the ridiculous news media for focusing my attention on this rather than, say, political unrest in Iran.
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1 comments:
Agreed!
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