Enough Already!

Goodness! Why all this? Do we have to radicalize and politicize EVERYTHING? I've seen and heard enough about Michael Jackson to last me the rest of my life.

And I'm particularly irked by both extreme ends of the spectrum. Some people cannot say his name without saying the word "pedophile" in the same sentence. Now, I'll be the first to say he was weird...VERY weird...but there is no evidence of pedophilia. I've seen the interview of him talking about having the boys in bed with him, and yes, weird, and no, I probably wouldn't let my kids hang out with him at the ranch, but that interview actually made me cry. He talked about the things he did with those kids in very "idealistic" terms. He seemed to be trying to create a storybook childhood for these boys, and he was including himself in this story. It looked to me like he was trying to somehow experience childhood through these boys, as if watching them and being with them during typical childhood activities would somehow help him. He mentioned drinking warm milk and eating cookies. Yeah, that sounds nice, but I had warm milk once...and it was disgusting! Milk (at least cow's milk) was made to be cold...THEN bring out the cookies. In that interview, he looked sad to me, like he was grasping, almost thrashing about trying to find a childhood. It really made me sad. He was a troubled man, and I don't think we should pile on, so to speak. Learn from his mistakes and move on.

But I'm equally irked by those who are trying to make him into some kind of martyr, saint, icon, etc. I feel like this is "African-American hagiography." One guy said he was "the best entertainer ever." Really? REALLY? The best EVER? Hmmm...that sounds a bit over the top. He was a great entertainer, an innovator, he crossed racial lines, he appealed to a worldwide audience...all that I can agree with. But for some reason, people are trying to make him more than he was, and ignore all the weirdness. Jamie Fox was particularly strange: "This man...this BLACK man...he was OURS...and we shared him..." Is this necessary? Is there anyone who doubted that he was black? Is this new information? What is behind such a statement? Doesn't that sound bitter? Maybe even insecure? Why are so many people racializing this thing? I just don't get it.

Here's the final word (IMHO) on the subject: many people think MJ was a very talented singer and entertainer; he was innovative; he broke down walls; he brought people together; he enjoyed worldwide appeal; and he was weird, very weird. He led a troubled life; he was the victim of several kinds of abuse and he had trouble leading a normal life. And now that he is gone, can we let him rest in peace? Let's not racialize him; let's not lionize him; let's learn from him and move on. Can we agree on that?

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