“To you Michael is an icon, but to us he is family”, said Janet Jackson at the 2009 BET awards. Michael Jackson passed away June 25, 2009 from an overdose to the lethal ejection propofol, mostly used in surgery settings. But it could be said that Jackson died long before then, that his soul had been taken from him by; the media, close friends, and even his fans.
Now you can find yourself listening to Jackson’s greatest hits and remembering the times, literally. However it’s also easy to forget just what Michael Jackson meant to African Americans in music, to children growing up singing, and to people struggling all across the country.
Though it’s easily forgotten that Jackson was the first African American to have a video aired on MTV, it’s easy to forget that he’s in the genesis book of world records for being the most charitable artist, and that regardless of his fame he opened his home to kids to enjoy what he didn’t have as a child.
But why is it so hard to forget? Well the media made it hard, because all you saw was the bad; from calling him wacko-jacko to saying Jackson was even gay. You saw his skin changing, but were never told why it changed; only that Michael Jackson wanted to be white. You saw his nose changing, his body so frail and skinny, and him being portrayed as a monster in his molestation trials.
Allegations were made against Jackson, yet he was acquitted of all charges. Jackson faced serious allegations of child abuse; though Jackson always stated, he was innocent. A multimillion dollar settlement was reached in the first case in 1993, and Jackson was found not guilty in a trial which mocked the judicial system in 2005.
But in a way those trials seriously hurt Jackson, think about it. What if Michael really just wanted to give kids what he never had, what if he wanted his fans to see him at his BEST and when fans turned their backs, he lost what made him who he was… the beloved Michael who was a smooth criminal and left blood on any dance floor.
Many felt he had been convicted in the court of public opinion. In a 1995 interview, Jackson told ABC's Diane Sawyer, “It just isn't fair what they put me through. There isn't one piece of information that says that I did this -- nothing, nothing, nothing."
Is too much media coverage a problem? Well that’s a question most can answer themselves.
Michael grew up in a way many of us will never understand. A note to the media you can’t forget that the celebrities you are reporting on are still human and even though they say words don’t hurt, we all know they can. At some point too much media coverage on one individual or case can cause viewers to form certain opinions, you know like agenda setting.
To fans think about having your life full of cameras and you never get to find who you are because as a child you were denied the chance, and as an adult you have so many expectations to live up to; like always trying to the best, the greatest, the king.
To doctors who treat celebrities think about it like this; in a way you kind of have the power to save a life or end one. When will you stop giving celebrities medicine? When will you tell a celebrity NO, this will kill you. Is money really the deciding factor in who doctors save or who they watch vanish right before their eyes?
The world saw a memorial put on by AEG, the company sponsoring Michael’s concert tours. But is the world letting the king of pop rest in peace? There’s a difference between honoring a life of great legacy and high lightening what made him JACKO. And like Janet Jackson said, he’s a member of their family, he’s more than an icon; he’s the greatest entertainer to ever live, and may he rest in peace.
Now you can find yourself listening to Jackson’s greatest hits and remembering the times, literally. However it’s also easy to forget just what Michael Jackson meant to African Americans in music, to children growing up singing, and to people struggling all across the country.
Though it’s easily forgotten that Jackson was the first African American to have a video aired on MTV, it’s easy to forget that he’s in the genesis book of world records for being the most charitable artist, and that regardless of his fame he opened his home to kids to enjoy what he didn’t have as a child.
But why is it so hard to forget? Well the media made it hard, because all you saw was the bad; from calling him wacko-jacko to saying Jackson was even gay. You saw his skin changing, but were never told why it changed; only that Michael Jackson wanted to be white. You saw his nose changing, his body so frail and skinny, and him being portrayed as a monster in his molestation trials.
Allegations were made against Jackson, yet he was acquitted of all charges. Jackson faced serious allegations of child abuse; though Jackson always stated, he was innocent. A multimillion dollar settlement was reached in the first case in 1993, and Jackson was found not guilty in a trial which mocked the judicial system in 2005.
But in a way those trials seriously hurt Jackson, think about it. What if Michael really just wanted to give kids what he never had, what if he wanted his fans to see him at his BEST and when fans turned their backs, he lost what made him who he was… the beloved Michael who was a smooth criminal and left blood on any dance floor.
Many felt he had been convicted in the court of public opinion. In a 1995 interview, Jackson told ABC's Diane Sawyer, “It just isn't fair what they put me through. There isn't one piece of information that says that I did this -- nothing, nothing, nothing."
Is too much media coverage a problem? Well that’s a question most can answer themselves.
Michael grew up in a way many of us will never understand. A note to the media you can’t forget that the celebrities you are reporting on are still human and even though they say words don’t hurt, we all know they can. At some point too much media coverage on one individual or case can cause viewers to form certain opinions, you know like agenda setting.
To fans think about having your life full of cameras and you never get to find who you are because as a child you were denied the chance, and as an adult you have so many expectations to live up to; like always trying to the best, the greatest, the king.
To doctors who treat celebrities think about it like this; in a way you kind of have the power to save a life or end one. When will you stop giving celebrities medicine? When will you tell a celebrity NO, this will kill you. Is money really the deciding factor in who doctors save or who they watch vanish right before their eyes?
The world saw a memorial put on by AEG, the company sponsoring Michael’s concert tours. But is the world letting the king of pop rest in peace? There’s a difference between honoring a life of great legacy and high lightening what made him JACKO. And like Janet Jackson said, he’s a member of their family, he’s more than an icon; he’s the greatest entertainer to ever live, and may he rest in peace.
