I am sad that a cultural icon cannot die without some kossacks gathering here to insult both the dead person and his/her mourners. What does this mean about human beings? Are we collectively so vile that even when numerous others rise to condemn this behavior, citing examples from past episodes here at orange (the Pope's death, tim Russert, even Farah Fawcett's), people still do not heed the simple request to allow people to mourn the dead and get them in their grave? I really wish those of you who think you are progressives and do this would have the insight to join the rethugs. Progressivism without compassion is just as bad as the thuggery you rail against.
It is really not the moment for me to write and monitor a diary, but I cannot stop myself. I find Michael Jackson's death extraordinarily tragic, and I feel, were we to know something close to the truth of his story, we all could learn many important secrets about the soul and what happens to human beings in the crucible of this life.
I wrote about Michael in my book about cultural literacy, concentrating on his interesting 3D film at EPCOT Center. Title of that essay is "Pachuco Mickey" for Michael represents an unique troping of Mickey Mouse and the pachuco style.
When the child abuse allegations surfaced, my heart sank. I watched Michael grow up in the spotlight of fame. I will never be able to erase my memories of his childhood performances. Even then, he was utterly amazing.
Here are two interesting posts about Michael:
Roger Ebert "The Boy Who Never Grew Up"
Andrew Sullivan "Thinking about Michael"
And the two diaries I have read here are:
Hunter's Diary: A Dismembered Soul
"Maybe You Forgot, I Haven't. Michael Jackson. Thank You." by silentreader
It is not necessary to make claims for or against Michael's greatness. His influence is undeniable. If you must refute this, write your own diary after he is in his grave. His tragedy is all too human and all too indicative of how contemporary culture literally eats its heroes. His death is not an occasion to rail about his flaws or child molestation.
Instead, we should take Michael's death seriously as a tragedy which we would all do well to examine for what we can learn about the human situation. Unless we do this, we condemn untold others to travel his path to destruction.
There is no way for any of us to determine what harm Michael did in his private life, but it is a fact to state (in this evidence based community) that he did a lot of good. His extensive charity work is a on record for all to see. He tried to help people, all kinds of people. If he ever said an unkind word, I certainly have never heard of it.
I am the child of an incestuous family. Nothing scars a human being more than child abuse, especially incestuous child abuse. Nothing scars a human being more than abuse of any kind at the hands of a parent. If you want to condemn someone, condemn his father. If you want to wring your hands, wring your hands about a world in which a mother stands by and watches her children beaten by her husband. If you want to excoriate someone, excoriate all of humanity for not protecting every single child.
If you want to strike out in anger, strike out at the vast majority of humans who do not have the courage to even speak about such issues, even now with the evidence of his destruction right in our faces.
That Michael survived to produce anything at is a testament to his will to create something of value for the planet. If he was an abuser and if there is an afterlife, I think the powers will grant him forgiveness, because he tried his best. I really believe that. He helped me understand how little control my own father had as a result of the abuse he endured as a child. I can't forgive my father, but I came closer as a result of understanding Michael a little.
It seemed to me that Michael was on the edge of insanity most of the time. That is one known mechanism for dealing with pain.
To claim that what he did to his skin and face was racism is like calling the rape victim who can no longer deal with sex a prude. I once heard an African American commentator on television say,
"Racism has made Michael Jackson want to jump out of his skin."
In the process, he mutilated himself, but he didn't do it without help. Far, far more guilty are the doctors who repeatedly cut into his beautiful face and he was most certainly beautiful before all this started.
If you have to excoriate someone, excoriate those doctors, the hangers on, the executives who made millions, the family who could not come together to help him, the friends who loved him but did not have the courage, strength or will power to confront him.
I've used up all but one hide rate today reading Michael diaries. I hardly ever use them, preferring instead for the world to see the ugliness some people come here to post. I'll try to ignore you if you are incapable of controlling yourself while you condemn Michael's lack of control. If you get really mean, I'll get mean back if I have time.
Right now I am occupied trying to save my ninety year old mother from the medical establishment which first saved her life on Saturday and then almost killed her through incompetence on Tuesday. I'm only on line at all because I am too exhausted to sit in the hospital. Someone else is guarding her while I try to rest up a little.
In the past four days, my mother almost died twice. Michael's death yesterday was a tipping point for me. I can't fall asleep without descending into a nightmare, the last one of which was a repeat of my own childhood traumas.
I can't imagine what Michael's nightmares were like, but he tried, he really tried to let us see them as he gnawed at his own beauty. There was something honest about that, despite what most of you think. In a strange sort of way, Michael was displaying his pain for the world to see. In a strange sort of way, he was asking us for help. "Look at me. Can you see the agony? Can anyone undo this? Is there anyway for me to evolve past this? If I scrape off my skin, can I erase all of it?
'Will you still love me, will you still feed me when I'm sixty five?'
He couldn't hold on that long. It would be nice if some around here could hold off a few days, just enough time to put him in the ground and then have the courtesy to write their own diaries condemning him, diaries the rest of us can avoid.