Friday, June 26, 2009

Why We Are Really Saddened About Michael Jackson

I'm going to take a break from sports for a second to talk about what everyone else is talking about - the death of Michael Jackson. Only, it isn't the end of his life that has people so upset, rather, it's the death of his resurrection.
Michael Jackson, the child star and King of Pop, has been dead for a while now. In his place we were given Jacko, the freakshow plastic man who slept with underage boys. And that is the man who left us yesterday. Fans have already mourned over the beloved superstar, but the news that he was trying to jump start his career and with the hope that this was true, his death brought a sobering reality: Michael Jackson is never coming back.

He will never redeem himself. He will not return back to form, no longer write any classic songs. And apparently, this is news to people. Because why else would anyone care?

What would be the reaction to O.J. Simpson's death? I ask because the two have some distinct similarities. Both were beloved stars, both acquitted of hanus crimes that 99% of the population believes they were guilty of. Both transformed into two different people entirely. They were involved in the two most-watched trials in the last twenty years. But Simpson's death wouldn't carry the nationwide sadness that Jackson's has. Why? Because we've accepted that the old Simpson is never coming back. His trial was a two-year long funeral of the funny, lovable actor/athlete, ending with the birth of this Bizarro O.J. who has as about as many fans as George W. Bush.

But we really never let go of Jackson. The reason for it, I suppose, is because we understood him. We all know that his childhood (or lack thereof) was the reason for his transformation. It's purely human, while Simpson's alter-ego has no back story. We can't fathom why he did what he did. So we've all held up this hope that Jackson would break out of this shell he has made for himself, and return to glory with Thriller 2.

Now we're faced with the fact that it's never going to happen. And nothing has really changed. We still have the records and videos and memories of Jackson, and Jacko was never going to add anymore to it. So if you're mourning the death of Michael Jackson, all I have to say is that you're a tad bit late. But hey, isn't denial just part of the grieving process?

4 comments:

Wanda K said...

Wow. You really hit that one on the head. I have been feeling so strange about this loss and you have helped me to understand why. Great article.

J Fish said...

Thank you. I couldn't really grasp it either until I saw all these headlines with young Jackson's face instead of Jacko's. It's really odd.

Jeff F. said...

Good article,Jay. I agree with everything but the George Bush analogy. Sorry....if you throw politics into it, you're going to alienate 50% of your readers no matter what. Seriously though...GOOD ARTICLE!!!

J Fish said...

Bush jokes don't alienate anyone. Even conservatives make fun of him now.

But thank you.

J Fish Sports © 2008. Design by :Yanku Templates Sponsored by: Tutorial87 Commentcute