And Nothing of Value was Lost

Any American that’s been alive for the 50 years has been privy to the prolonged mental break down that was Michael Jackson’s life. His story should serve as a warning to parents wishing to initiate their children into the world of celebrity.

Here is a dose of the plain truth in the midst of all these teary-eyed lamentations; Michael Jackson was denied any sort of normality or stability as a child. He was made to be the breadwinner for his rather large family by an over bearing and probably abusive father. As a result, Jackson was very obviously disturbed, as evidenced by his extensive plastic surgery, including bizarre skin whitening procedures, his unhealthy attachment to children, resulting in numerous allegations of abuse that were only quelled by Jackson’s mighty cash reserve, and his frequent bizarre behavior, such as dangling his baby from an open window, living in the middle of an amusement park and various other actions that would get average people institutionalized.

In light of this, his musical accomplishments seem irrelevant. Yet that is all anyone wishes to talk about, perhaps due to Jackson’s impending ‘comeback’ tour. But this strikes me as asinine as praising Adolph Hitler’s skill as a artist. Jackson hadn’t released a new album in years and is infinitely more famous for allegations of misdeeds at this point in time

I suppose it’s not really about Jackson’s sudden demise, rather it’s a golden opportunity for every celebrity who’s ever been in the same room with him to suck up a little airtime with impromptu obits. These usually mention Jackson’s contribution to music, or his humanitarianism, but they stop short of delving into the darker aspects of his character, as no one seems willing to trash the ensuing love fest.

I know It’s socially verboten to speak ill of the dead, but I think one should remain truthful in all situations. The death of a celebrity is no more or less important than the death of anyone else. The death of a bizarre, alien-like celebrity is no time to lose our collective shit and start hailing him with words like genius and humanitarian. Let’s save those noble words for eulogizing someone who lived up to them.