The one thing that fascinated me about all the hoopla surrounding
Michael Jackson's death, is that there are far more people celebrating this icon of the entertainment industry as the "King of Pop," and the people who are still saying "but wait, he's a child molester" seems to be in the vocal minority. Sure there was never a conviction to justify those accusations, but as with
the case with O.J. Simpson, it's easy to assume that he allegedly did it. Michael Jackson did after all grow up in a very nontraditional way, and as we've seen with other child celebrities, it can screw a person up. However, "Forgive, forget, and remember him for the good he has done" seems to be the theme to his passing, and a part of me wants to embrace that mentality.
My child hood was heavily influenced by Michael Jackson's music after all, while my adult life pretty much shunned the singer as a troubled individual. So you could say that I'm torn as to how I want to remember him by. His music or his "wacko jacko" life? Just the other day I was looking at the song list of the first "greatest hits" disc of the
"HIStory" album, and in a sort of montage, I was able to sing a few lines off all those songs. I haven't really listened to Michael Jackson's songs in ages, but I surprised myself by still being able to remember all those classic songs. Maybe I really should honor the guy for his music, and try to ignore his turbulent personal life. Can I really do that? I don't know.
It does seem a bit hypocritical for people to all of a sudden show nothing but support now, especially after years of nay-saying and doubt. However it is a little bit of a consolation to know that a lot of people are able to look past the bad, and only embrace the good in a person after death. I'm sure there are other celebrities out there who wishes to be treated the same after their time has pass, and I myself would like people to remember the good I've done over the bad, when I pass away many years from now.
Michael Jackson... I guess he really does deserve all the accolades for being the great entertainer that he was, before his personal life went out of control and over shadowed his success. May he rest in peace.
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Jackson's daughter: He was 'best father you could imagine' (link)
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photo gallery : Micheal Jackson : World Says Goodbye (flash)
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video gallery from Michael Jackson's memorial service (video)
I thought this photo was really touching, and speaks volumes of the support from his fans...
Akiko Seno, 25, who flew from Kanagawa, Japan, without a ticket, is overcome by tears after a passerby gave her a ticket and a wristband to attend the memorial at the Staples Center.
Comments (2)
It points to what our society values. Entertainers still live in luxury (at least while they're popular) while our scientists and engineers generally are stuck in the middle class (or worse since many are generally chasing research grants that are few and far in between)
You constantly hear about stars that snub their fans or misbehaving in some way or another but we still give them millions. In contrast, you have thousands of people that have contributed directly to your well being but you rarely hear any announcements about them. I'd say a majority of the population can't even name a Nobel Prize winner.
I'm not saying our priorities are wrong, but I am saying our society is becoming exactly what we admire.
As for Akiko Seno, Japan has been in real economic decline for the past 10 years. It's looking like it will go further into decline (some economic reports show it only a hair better off than Iceland). They currently have a youth culture that is primarily interested in the latest fad or celeb (unfortunately Akiko isn't one of the most crazy fan out there). They may have to rethink this soon since unlike Iceland, Japan isn't able to feed it's own populace if they fall off the economic cliff.
It's interesting how people put celebrities on a pedestal. If a normal person had done what Michael Jackson or Steve McNair did...there wouldn't be debates over whether or not they are worthy of being forgiven. It's also funny how death leads to forgiveness regardless of social standing.
I read on my friend's FB status last night, that people were selling their memorial tickets on eBay for $6k, which kinda screws over true fans. How they're considering carding people so that only those whose names are associated with the ticket may enter. How sad is that?