Michael Jackson is dead.
The media coverage is understandable. There was a period where he was probably the most famous person on earth. This was a man who made the best-selling album of all time, Thriller. Some of his music was undeniably fantastic and will live on forever.
That said, his passing shouldn’t be considered a tragedy.
Yes, it’s a tragedy for the people him personally; friends and family. It’s a tragedy for his children who are now without a father. As someone who has lost 2 loved ones in the past year I can safely say that for those people, an outpouring of anguish is justified.
But why are so many in the general public devastated?
I understand the powerful bond people have with wonderful music. Heck, it’s the core idea behind this website. But the music still is there. Every song in your MP3 player that was there two days ago is still there. This wasn’t a situation like Heath Leger or Kurt Kobain, where the performer was young and still had so much potential to put out more monumental art. The era of Micheal Jackson as “The King of Pop” was done well over a decade and a half ago. He was destined to become Fat Elvis, living out his days as a weird performer of his old hits. Sure people would go see him, but like the aging Elvis it would be more to say you saw him then for the highest quality entertainment.
However, the thing that really rubs me the wrong way about the whole thing is the massive dark cloud hanging over the whole situation:
The man was a pedophile.
Why does iconography absolve you of your sins in modern life? Are we that celebrity-driven as a culture?
Think about it, when was the last time a pedophile had a massive outpouring of support at time time of his death? What does this mean as a society that we’re willing to ignore something like this because Jackson sold a ton of records?
Critics might point out that he was never found guilty in court of these heinous acts, but this is foolish thinking. Jackson settled a civil suit out of court with the family of a young boy named Jordan Chandler for $22 million. Innocent people don’t make million dollar settlements. O.J. Simpson wasn’t found guilty of murdering his wife and Barry Bonds has never tested positive for steroids, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t commit the crimes. There’s a reason why he was a punchline in so many jokes over the years, because you can get away with such jokes if there’s a kernel of truth to them. Most of us laughed at these and there was a reason why.
It will be interesting to see how the timing of his death impacts his legacy. Since he died at a relatively young age, will people be more likely to think in terms of revisionist history? For example, almost no one remembers that Pearl Jam were bigger than Nirvana when Kobain died. Will the last two decades of more than questionable acts be forgotten entirely in favor of his heyday?
“The King of Pop” is dead, but don’t mourn. If anything, reflect on what it says about the world we live in.
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I’ve not read anything saying that Jackson was a great person, or even a good person. Heck, nothing saying he was an okay person.
Obviously when someone dies, most are eager to reflect on the successes and highs of his or her life, usually ignoring (or tastefully (tactfully) omitting) his or her failings and lows. Surely you aren’t surprised that the King of Pop would receive the same treatment, but on the inflated scale to which his press is accustom.
And while I completely understand your position, I’m not sure I find it an appropriate counter to the retrospectives and iconographies surfacing. In death, Michael Jackson is being honored and appreciated as a pop artist – a role he played with unprecedented deftness. Just as you said, his music still exists now, as it has through the numerous allegations against him. In an artist’s life there is art and there is life – may one never qualify the other.
Of course I’m not excusing what he supposedly did, nor do I think it should be forgotten or undermined by his passing (and really, I don’t think it is.. maybe someday, but certainly not in our generation or previous – his media prevalence has been far too great), but I do think it is chiefly important to distinguish the music from the mischief and allow for the distinct evaluation of both, especially since the records that crowned him were put out plenty before the earliest testimonies.
Part of my point is my lack of understanding how this is a necessarily sad event for the general public. As someone who’s lost multiple loved ones in the past year I understand being the emotions that go with death, but I don’t feel like I need to be compelled to feel bad for this man’s passing. Thousands of good people die everyday and I’m never asked to feel sad for them.