Yeah, yeah…who gives a fuck?
Written on 26 June 2009 by DuoThe media is ejaculating all over themselves over the death of Michael Jackson. Now, before I go any farther: I have Thriller, I have most of his discography. Michael Jackson was a strange person, his adult life was a complete freakshow. For that, I blame Joe Jackson, his father. Joe Jackson was:
* A womanizer.
* A drunk.
* A bastard.
* A child abuser.
Joe Jackson beat his children. Often times without mercy. If you ever wondered why Michael, LaToya, and the rest of the siblings’ behavior ranges from basic flaws to full batshit insane, you need look no further than Joe Jackson, holding Michael upside down, by one leg and punching and beating him senseless. In front of the others.
Despite that, he enjoyed a very great amount of success. Perhaps too much for the good of any one person. Michael Jackson proves the old adage: The only difference between crazy and eccentric is the amount of money you have. Michael was regarded as eccentric. He had money.
Now, let’s get to the real purpose of this post: he died. I, for one, do not give a fuck. I just do not fucking care. Because, while his contributions to music were interesting, and significant…they were not the pinnacle of music genius. Thriller was, for all intents and purposes a team effort between Michael and Quincy Jones. Michael knew how to write songs, but Quincy taught him a great deal of what he knew about arrangement. Jones has a body of work, with various artists that, in my opinion is a bigger contribution to the world of music than Jackson’s. Jackson hit the bell at the right time. History is littered with people who did notable things by being at the right place at the right time.
But, believe it or not…there is a much deeper reason I don’t give a fuck. The coverage, and the response to his death borders on worship. News channels have gone on full tilt over this. What bothers me most is something that has been bothering me for a long time: our choices of who to elevate into positions of admiration and worship suck.
Issac Newton contributed more to the human race than Michael Jackson. Jonas Salk and Albert Sabin contributed more to the human race than Michael Jackson. Marie Curie contributed more to the human race than Michael Jackson. Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill collaborated and saved the world from the darkness that was the Axis powers in 30’s and 40’s….and they contributed more to the human race than Michael Jackson. The people who stopped the terrorists on flight 93, by rushing the cockpit showed us the true vigilance of the human spirit when confronted with impossible odds: They contributed more to the human race than Michael Jackson.
In terms of music: John Lennon contributed more to the human race than did Michael Jackson. He challenged us to imagine. So did Mozart, and Beethoven. The Beatles challenged all of us to look at the world 100% differently across whole albums. Michael Jackson challenged us with a few songs such as “Man in the mirror” or “Black and White”. Before you get into how you can’t compare the glorious MJ to the Beatles: consider that MJ spent a significant amount of his money to buy the Beatles catalog. The Beatles had something Jackson did not: they were in tune with something deeper than Jackson ever was. To be sure, they arrived on the scene at the right place, and the right time…much as Jackson did with “Off the Wall” and “Thriller”. But the bottom line is, The Beatles tuned into something pretty deep. They were not, at their peak and just after, real concerned with their commercial success. They were concerned with the message. Anyone who listens to “Revolver”, “Abbey Road” or, yes “The White Album” understands this. Like most people with more money than they know what to do with, they tend to waste it trying to capture things they want. But buying The Beatles catalog did not put MJ in tune with what The Beatles had. Anymore than marrying into the Presley family put him in touch with what Elvis had. In the end, his sad drive to try and buy what others naturally had tapped…showed just how much of Jackson’s earlier success was more about right place/right time. Off the Wall and Thriller made the bulk of his money. He never had anything that came close to those two albums. I would even wager, every album after that was more of an attempt to capture what he had with Thriller. Never realizing that you can hold onto a moment, but you cant put it into a bottle.
Our selection of people to put into the “Hero” slot says a lot about us as a society, a civilization, a race of people. We care more about someone who used their money and fame to feed their freak. There will be, I am sure, statues of MJ here and there. The city of Gary, Indiana is going to move the house he grew up in so they can fashion it into a museum. This will all be done quickly. Don’t think I am on the mark on whom we elevate? Guess again: there was no World War II memorial in the United States until 2004. In 2004, Michael Jackson was starting to endure whispers and accusations of being a pedophile.
More than once, I have questioned whether or not our species is too violent or sick to survive. Now, I contemplate whether or not our species is too narcissistic to survive. We care more about a washed up entertainer, who had more “Best of” and “Greatest Hits” albums than he did original albums. A person who pissed away his fame and money to descend into sideshow freak madness. We care more about a man who pissed away his vast amounts of wealth on carnival rides and building a self serving theme park, when there are children in the world who still have nothing to eat. We care more about a person who lost their mind in the public eye, than we do the people who work their whole lives, seeking and receiving no recognition for their work toward the common good of all human beings. People trying to cure disease. People trying to find out why our planet is suddenly revolting against us. People who are trying to bring peace. People who are trying to feed others. People who are trying to learn the hows and why’s of the human condition.
We cared more about Michael Jackson’s nose, his turning white, his sexual preferences…than we did about the spread of AIDS. We pay more attention to his death, than the investigation into why the VA has treated our soldiers badly, sometimes infecting them with HIV, Hepatitis…because they improperly cleaned colonoscopy equipment.
This man’s death is a tragedy. As is the death of any person. But this man is not worthy of hero worship. His contribution to us as a whole is minimal. At best. However, his greater contribution to us could be: the ugly realization that as a species, our selection of people to admire really, truly sucks ass. If his death forces even a few of us to look at that ugly truth, perhaps his contribution to society as a whole might be a bit bigger.
Current Mood:
Bombarded
