Initially my posts today were going to be about unemployment and a few product reviews. However I just can't bring myself to focus on it. I honestly woke up not feeling like writing anything at all. But after certain acts following the death of Michael Jackson yesterday I have to express a few things. Normally I do not post about celebrities but when it comes to Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Aaliyah or Julia Roberts I must speak. You know me...can't let things go!
First let me just say that, whether you personally knew Michael Jackson or not, he is someone who touched many lives through his compassion and artistry. You do not have to know someone to have compassion and feel grief through their hardships or passing. If you feel the need to grieve, go ahead and do so, no one has the right to tell you how to feel. He was an amazing legend. Many say he was one of the greatest artists in music history, I stand to say he was
THE greatest artist of all time. There has never been and never will be another Michael. He was not just a musician, he was so much more and he will be missed deeply. His artistry will continue on always.
Like many others, I feel like a piece of my childhood has been taken away. Why? Because I have clear memories of huge moments in my life with every Michael Jackson and Jackson 5 song ever made. Literally every song. I can remember the first time I saw The Wiz because my favorite artists, Diana Ross & Michael Jackson. I was so happy because it was a version of The Wizard of Oz with people that looked like me. I remember watching Moonwalker over & over again. When it was made into a video game by Sega, my brother and I begged for it and played it every day. My first jazz dance recital routine was to Black or White and it just so happens I was the only little black girl in the class.
But this post isn't about me, my memories or feeling of loss. It is about a lack of respect and human compassion some people have. As I write this it has not even been 24 hours since Michael Jackson's death was announced and certain media outlets have handled a human beings death like gossip. Making digs at his appearance, demeanor, style, past legal accusations and financial status.
Not even an hour after the announcement some were discussing legal issues he had years ago, legal issues that he was not convicted of. I find that disturbing as we have several high profile citizens accused of similar, if not worse crimes who are still alive today however their cases have blown over and were pretty much forgotten as soon as they were acquitted. Cases where proof of crime were present.
You have major news figures such as Nancy Grace and others asking about autopsy proceedings. This is not out of concern, it is merely due to wanting to uncover something negative. Wanting to be the first to break a juicy story. It is no secret that Nancy Grace is no Michael Jackson supporter since his trial years ago but you would still think she'd have some compassion for someone's death. He was found innocent so move on and stop persecuting him after death.
Then there is Perez Hilton who had a huge backlash to comments he made on Twitter yesterday. The comments were made while Michael was hospitalized, prior to reports of his death. After his death was announced, Perez made comments of condolences however the damage was already done. Anyone that reads Hilton's site knows he does have a heart, he's a joker and I have respected his advocacy for equal rights. Surely the backlash will blow over and maybe he meant no harm. But this should be a lesson to all that even making negative comments when someone is hospitalized is not a decent thing to do. It is not funny and it is not something you'd want done if you were fighting for your life. Shame on you Perez for your poor judgment, please learn from it and I sincerely hope any negative backlash is forgiven & forgotten quickly if you are truly sorry.
Comments are being made about his appearance, how it was abnormal. Who are we to say what is normal? Define normal please! I see plenty of people wearing things I'd never wear, but it's called personal style. OMG, Michael Jackson had plastic surgery! Too much? Again, who are we to say? People have cosmetic surgery all the time, especially high profile figures. Some have dozens. So if we're going to judge Michael then by all means we should judge them all!
I definitely want to talk about the change of his skin tone. He has said it is due to a skin condition and many people do not believe that. It's rumored that he bleached his skin. Maybe so, maybe not. I choose not to speculate. Because I know that he very well could have had a skin condition. I know it's possible because I have it myself! Not to the level that he did, at least not yet. However I do have a skin condition where I get small to medium sized patches of skin that lose all pigment. It happens quickly and is very noticeable.
The cause is unknown because I have not let my doctors perform testing to try to figure it out however I notice the use of milk and other high calcium products intensify the size and progression of my "patches". If it begins to get out of control I'll worry about it. Fortunately for me, this only happens on my face & arms, is not frequent and when it does occur my skin begins to return to it's normal color after about 6 months. I share this with you because it is important to remember that just because you have not heard of, experienced or seen something does not mean it can not be!
It just saddens me that we as human beings can take another human beings death and turn it into a media circus of "politely" bashing the person for anything negative that can be found. Many celebrities have passed, none led the life of saints and yet none were ridiculed after death the way Michael Jackson has been. The numerous accomplishments and acts of charity Michael Jackson performed were not mentioned by some media outlets until after all the controversy was discussed. Sad...
I must say that music networks such as MTV & BET have done a great job presenting memories, commentary and videos of the legacy that is Michael Jackson. That shows what an impact he's had on this earth. Think about it. When is the last time MTV has truly been about music? It's now flooded with shows like Room Raiders, True Life, etc. It took the death of Michael Jackson for MTV to consistently play music videos. I remember & miss the times when you could turn on MTV and watch videos and live performances all day with the exception of The Real World and Beavis & Butthead.
Let his family grieve, hope the best that life has to offer for his children, allow his fans to remember why they loved him and most importantly have respect for this man and let Michael Jackson R.I.P!
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