MJ INFLUENCES-A COMPILATION ARTICLES/ESSAYS/JOURNALS ON HIS MUSIC-DANCE-IDENTITY-METEORIC TALENT

by **Admin** Sat Aug 25, 2012 12:29 am

MJ INFLUENCES-A COMPILATION ARTICLES/ESSAYS/JOURNALS ON HIS MUSIC-DANCE-IDENTITY-METEORIC TALENT

This thread will be devoted to the study of Michael Jackson – an analysis of his creative genius and genteel elegant nature featuring world renowned writers and social commentators from reputable MSM to Harvard –Acoustic Scientists to Popular Music (method, process and Michael’s magical connection to the masses).

There will be several additions made here every week-let this thread help you to remain strong and grounded in your faith and love of your family and friends. Let's all remember Michael's message and continue to perpetuate and share Michael's Legacy of healing and L.O.V.E. and always strive to make the world a better place for all.

WE LOVE & THANK YOU MICHAEL - ALWAYS AND FOREVER-MORE

LIST OF WHAT IS HERE THUS FAR AND WILL BE COMING:

1ST- Love: The Human Family's Most Precious Legacy by Michael J. Jackson

2ND- Michael Jackson's Unparalleled Influence By Hampton Stevens

3RD- Case Study: The Caricature (Includes: What lessons can we learn from the example of Michael Jackson’s life?)

4TH- In Defense of Michael By Josephine Zohny 2/9/05

5TH- Michael Jackson, the Wounded Messenger by Matt Semino

6TH- Interview with Armond White, Author of Keep Moving: The Michael Jackson Chronicle's

7TH- Remembering Michael Jackson By Kina Poon (Dance affiliates comments about MJ "God danced through him.")

8TH- MJ: The Man in the Mirror Analyzed

9TH- M Poetica: Michael Jackson's Art of Connection and Defiance By Willa Stillwater

10TH-
11TH-
12TH-
13TH-
14TH-
15TH-
16TH-
17TH-
18TH-
19TH-
20TH-

>>>>>First – we have Michael on Michael himself -

It is only fitting to begin with Michael’s own words in which he defined Love in an eloquent speech he delivered in 2001 at Oxford University, (where he introduced his Children's Universal Bill of Rights)

Love: The Human Family's Most Precious Legacy by Michael J. Jackson (speech delivered March 6, 2001)

>>>>>Thank you, thank you dear friends, from the bottom of my heart, for such a loving and spirited
welcome. And thank you, Mr. President, for your kind invitation to me which I am so honored to
accept. I also want to express a special thanks to you Shmuley, who for 11 years served as Rabbi
here at Oxford. You and I have been working so hard to form Heal the Kids, as well as writing
our book about childlike qualities, and in all of our efforts you have been such a supportive and
loving friend. And I would also like to thank Toba Friedman, our director of operations at Heal
the Kids, who is returning tonight to the alma mater where she served as a Marshall Scholar, as
well as Marilyn Piels, another central member of our Heal the Kids team.
I am humbled to be lecturing in a place that has previously been filled by such notable figures as
Mother Theresa, Albert Einstein, Ronald Reagan, Robert Kennedy and Malcolm X. I've even
heard that Kermit the Frog has made an appearance here, and I've always felt a kinship with
Kermit's message that it's not easy being green. I'm sure he didn't find it any easier being up here
than I do!

As I looked around Oxford today, I couldn't help but be aware of the majesty and grandeur of
this great institution, not to mention the brilliance of the great and gifted minds that have roamed
these streets for centuries. The walls of Oxford have not only housed the greatest philosophical
and scientific geniuses - they have also ushered forth some of the most cherished creators of
children's literature, from J.R.R. Tolkien to CS Lewis. Today I was allowed to hobble into the
dining hall in Christ Church to see Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland immortalized in the
stained glass windows. And even one of my own fellow Americans, the beloved Dr. Seuss
graced these halls and then went on to leave his mark on the imaginations of millions of children
throughout the world.

I suppose I should start by listing my qualifications to speak before you this evening. Friends, I
do not claim to have the academic expertise of other speakers who have addressed this hall, just
as they could lay little claim at being adept at the moonwalk - and you know, Einstein in
particular was really terrible at that.
But I do have a claim to having experienced more places and cultures than most people will ever
see. Human knowledge consists not only of libraries of parchment and ink - it is also comprised
of the volumes of knowledge that are written on the human heart, chiseled on the human soul,
and engraved on the human psyche. And friends, I have encountered so much in this relatively
short life of mine that I still cannot believe I am only 42. I often tell Shmuley that in soul years
I'm sure that I'm at least 80 - and tonight I even walk like I'm 80! So please harken to my
message, because what I have to tell you tonight can bring healing to humanity and healing to
our planet.

Through the grace of God, I have been fortunate to have achieved many of my artistic and
professional aspirations realized early in my lifetime. But these, friends are accomplishments,
and accomplishments alone are not synonymous with who I am. Indeed, the cheery five-year-old
who belted out Rockin' Robin and Ben to adoring crowds was not indicative of the boy behind
the smile.
Tonight, I come before you less as an icon of pop (whatever that means anyway), and more as an
icon of a generation, a generation that no longer knows what it means to be children.
All of us are products of our childhood. But I am the product of a lack of a childhood, an absence
of that precious and wondrous age when we frolic playfully without a care in the world, basking
in the adoration of parents and relatives, where our biggest concern is studying for that big
spelling test come Monday morning.
Those of you who are familiar with the Jackson Five know that I began performing at the tender
age of five and that ever since then, I haven't stopped dancing or singing. But while performing
and making music undoubtedly remain as some of my greatest joys, when I was young I wanted
more than anything else to be a typical little boy. I wanted to build tree houses, have water
balloon fights, and play hide and seek with my friends. But fate had it otherwise and all I could
do was envy the laughter and playtime that seemed to be going on all around me.
There was no respite from my professional life. But on Sundays I would go Pioneering, the term
used for the missionary work that Jehovah's Witnesses do. And it was then that I was able to see
the magic of other people's childhood.
Since I was already a celebrity, I would have to don a disguise of fat suit, wig, beard and glasses
and we would spend the day in the suburbs of Southern California, going door-to-door or making
the rounds of shopping malls, distributing our Watchtower magazine. I loved to set foot in all
those regular suburban houses and catch sight of the shag rugs and La-Z-Boy armchairs with
kids playing Monopoly and grandmas baby-sitting and all those wonderful, ordinary and starry
scenes of everyday life. Many, I know, would argue that these things seem like no big deal. But
to me they were mesmerizing.

I used to think that I was unique in feeling that I was without a childhood. I believed that indeed
there were only a handful with whom I could share those feelings. When I recently met with
Shirley Temple Black, the great child star of the 1930s and 40s, we said nothing to each other at
first, we simply cried together, for she could share a pain with me that only others like my close
friends Elizabeth Taylor and McCauley Culkin know.
Today children are constantly encouraged to grow up faster, as if this period known as childhood
is a burdensome stage, to be endured and ushered through, as swiftly as possible. And on that
subject, I am certainly one of the world's greatest experts.

Ours is a generation that has witnessed the abrogation of the parent-child covenant.
Psychologists are publishing libraries of books detailing the destructive effects of denying one's
children the unconditional love that is so necessary to the healthy development of their minds
and character. And because of all the neglect, too many of our kids have, essentially, to raise
themselves. They are growing more distant from their parents, grandparents and other family
members, as all around us the indestructible bond that once glued together the generations,
unravels.
This violation has bred a new generation; Generation O let us call it, that has now picked up the
torch from Generation X. The O stands for a generation that has everything on the outside -
wealth, success, fancy clothing and fancy cars, but an aching emptiness on the inside. That cavity
in our chests, that barrenness at our core, that void in our center is the place where the heart once
beat and which love once occupied.
And it's not just the kids who are suffering. It's the parents as well. For the more we cultivate
little-adults in kids'-bodies, the more removed we ourselves become from our own child-like
qualities, and there is so much about being a child that is worth retaining in adult life.
Love, ladies and gentlemen, is the human family's most precious legacy, its richest bequest, its
golden inheritance. And it is a treasure that is handed down from one generation to another.

Previous ages may not have had the wealth we enjoy. Their houses may have lacked electricity,
and they squeezed their many kids into small homes without central heating. But those homes
had no darkness, nor were they cold. They were lit bright with the glow of love and they were
warmed snugly by the very heat of the human heart. Parents, undistracted by the lust for luxury
and status, accorded their children primacy in their lives.
As you all know, our two countries broke from each other over what Thomas Jefferson referred
to as "certain inalienable rights". And while we Americans and British might dispute the justice
of his claims, what has never been in dispute is that children have certain inalienable rights, and
the gradual erosion of those rights has led to scores of children worldwide being denied the joys
and security of childhood.

I would therefore like to propose tonight that we install in every home a
Children's Universal Bill of Rights, the tenets of which are:

1. The right to be loved without having to earn it
2. The right to be protected, without having to deserve it
3. The right to feel valuable, even if you came into the world with nothing
4. The right to be listened to without having to be interesting
5. The right to be read a bedtime story, without having to compete with the evening news
6. The right to an education without having to dodge bullets at schools
7. The right to be thought of as adorable - (even if you have a face that only a mother could love).

Friends, the foundation of all human knowledge, the beginning of human consciousness, must be
that each and every one of us is an object of love. Before you know if you have red hair or
brown, before you know if you are black or white, before you know of what religion you are a
part, you have to know that you are loved.
About twelve years ago, when I was just about to start my Bad tour, a little boy came with his
parents to visit me at home in California. He was dying of cancer and he told me how much he
loved my music and me. His parents told me that he wasn't going to live, that any day he could
just go, and I said to him: "Look, I am going to be coming to your town in Kansas to open my
tour in three months. I want you to come to the show. I am going to give you this jacket that I
wore in one of my videos." His eyes lit up and he said: "You are gonna give it to me?" I said
"Yeah, but you have to promise that you will wear it to the show." I was trying to make him hold
on. I said: "When you come to the show I want to see you in this jacket and in this glove" and I
gave him one of my rhinestone gloves - and I never usually give the rhinestone gloves away.

And he was just in heaven.
But maybe he was too close to heaven, because when I came to his town, he had already died,
and they had buried him in the glove and jacket. He was just 10 years old. God knows, I know,
that he tried his best to hold on. But at least when he died, he knew that he was loved, not only
by his parents, but even by me, a near stranger, I also loved him. And with all of that love he
knew that he didn't come into this world alone, and he certainly didn't leave it alone.
If you enter this world knowing you are loved and you leave this world knowing the same, then
everything that happens in between can he dealt with. A professor may degrade you, but you will
not feel degraded, a boss may crush you, but you will not be crushed, a corporate gladiator might
vanquish you, but you will still triumph. How could any of them truly prevail in pulling you
down? For you know that you are an object worthy of love. The rest is just packaging.
But if you don't have that memory of being loved, you are condemned to search the world for
something to fill you up. But no matter how much money you make or how famous you become,
you will still fell empty. What you are really searching for is unconditional love, unqualified
acceptance. And that was the one thing that was denied to you at birth.

Friends, let me paint a picture for you. Here is a typical day in America - six youths under the
age of 20 will commit suicide, 12 children under the age of 20 will die from firearms - remember
this is a day, not a year - 399 kids will be arrested for drug abuse, 1,352 babies will be born to
teen mothers. This is happening in one of the richest, most developed countries in the history of
the world. Yes, in my country there is an epidemic of violence that parallels no other industrialized nation.
These are the ways young people in America express their hurt and their anger. But don't think
that there is not the same pain and anguish among their counterparts in the United Kingdom.
Studies in this country show that every single hour, three teenagers in the UK inflict harm upon
themselves, often by cutting or burning their bodies or taking an overdose. This is how they have
chosen to cope with the pain of neglect and emotional agony.
In Britain, as many as 20% of families will only sit down and have dinner together once a year.

Once a year! And what about the time-honored tradition of reading your kid a bedtime story?
Research from the 1980s showed that children who are read to, had far greater literacy and
significantly outperformed their peers at school. And yet, less than 33% of British children ages
two to eight have a regular bedtime story read to them. You may not think much of that until you
take into account that 75% of their parents did have that bedtime story when they were that age.
Clearly, we do not have to ask ourselves where all of this pain, anger and violent behavior comes
from. It is self-evident that children are thundering against the neglect, quaking against the
indifference and crying out just to be noticed. The various child protection agencies in the US
say that millions of children are victims of maltreatment in the form of neglect, in the average
year. Yes, neglect. In rich homes, privileged homes, wired to the hilt with every electronic
gadget. Homes where parents come home, but they're not really home, because their heads are
still at the office. And their kids? Well, their kids just make do with whatever emotional crumbs
they get. And you don't get much from endless TV, computer games and videos.
These hard, cold numbers which for me, wrench the soul and shake the spirit, should indicate to
you why I have devoted so much of my time and resources into making our new Heal the Kids
initiative a colossal success.

Our goal is simple - to recreate the parent/child bond, renew its promise and light the way
forward for all the beautiful children who are destined one day to walk this earth.
But since this is my first public lecture, and you have so warmly welcomed me into your hearts, I
feel that I want to tell you more. We each have our own story, and in that sense statistics can
become personal.

They say that parenting is like dancing. You take one step, your child takes another. I have
discovered that getting parents to re-dedicate themselves to their children is only half the story.
The other half is preparing the children to re-accept their parents.
When I was very young I remember that we had this crazy mutt of a dog named "Black Girl," a
mix of wolf and retriever. Not only wasn't she much of a guard dog, she was such a scared and
nervous thing that it is a wonder she did not pass out every time a truck rumbled by, or a
thunderstorm swept through Indiana. My sister Janet and I gave that dog so much love, but we
never really won back the sense of trust that had been stolen from her by her previous owner. We
knew he used to beat her. We didn't know with what. But whatever it was, it was enough to suck
the spirit right out of that dog.

A lot of kids today are hurt puppies who have weaned themselves off the need for love. They
couldn't care less about their parents. Left to their own devices, they cherish their independence.
They have moved on and have left their parents behind.
Then there are the far worse cases of children who harbor animosity and resentment toward their
parents, so that any overture that their parents might undertake would be thrown forcefully back
in their face.
Tonight, I don't want any of us to make this mistake. That's why I'm calling upon all the world's
children - beginning with all of us here tonight - to forgive our parents, if we felt neglected.
Forgive them and teach them how to love again.

You probably weren't surprised to hear that I did not have an idyllic childhood. The strain and
tension that exists in my relationship with my own father is well documented. My father is a
tough man and he pushed my brothers and me hard, from the earliest age, to be the best
performers we could be.
He had great difficulty showing affection. He never really told me he loved me. And he never
really complimented me either. If I did a great show, he would tell me it was a good show. And
if I did an OK show, he told me it was a lousy show.

He seemed intent, above all else, on making us a commercial success. And at that he was more
than adept. My father was a managerial genius and my brothers and I owe our professional
success, in no small measure, to the forceful way that he pushed us. He trained me as a showman
and under his guidance I couldn't miss a step. But what I really wanted was a Dad. I wanted a father
who showed me love. And my father never did that. He never said I love you while looking me straight
in the eye; he never played a game with me. He never gave me a piggyback ride; he never threw\
a pillow at me, or a water balloon.

But I remember once when I was about four years old, there was a little carnival and he picked
me up and put me on a pony. It was a tiny gesture, probably something he forgot five minutes
later. But because of that moment I have this special place in my heart for him. Because that's
how kids are, the little things mean so much to them and for me, that one moment meant
everything. I only experienced it that one time, but it made me feel really good, about him and
the world.

But now I am a father myself, and one day I was thinking about my own children, Prince and
Paris and how I wanted them to think of me when they grow up. To be sure, I would like them to
remember how I always wanted them with me wherever I went, how I always tried to put them
before everything else. But there are also challenges in their lives. Because my kids are stalked
by paparazzi, they can't always go to a park or a movie with me.
So what if they grow older and resent me, and how my choices impacted their youth? Why
weren't we given an average childhood like all the other kids, they might ask? And at that
moment I pray that my children will give me the benefit of the doubt. That they will say to
themselves: "Our daddy did the best he could, given the unique circumstances that he faced. He
may not have been perfect, but he was a warm and decent man, who tried to give us all the love
in the world."

I hope that they will always focus on the positive things, on the sacrifices I willingly made for
them, and not criticize the things they had to give up, or the errors I've made, and will certainly
continue to make, in raising them. For we have all been someone's child, and we know that
despite the very best of plans and efforts, mistakes will always occur. That's just being human.

And when I think about this, of how I hope that my children will not judge me unkindly, and will
forgive my shortcomings, I am forced to think of my own father and despite my earlier denials, I
am forced to admit that me must have loved me. He did love me, and I know that.
There were little things that showed it. When I was a kid I had a real sweet tooth - we all did. My
favorite food was glazed doughnuts and my father knew that. So every few weeks I would come
downstairs in the morning and there on the kitchen counter was a bag of glazed doughnuts - no
note, no explanation - just the doughnuts. It was like Santa Claus.
Sometimes I would think about staying up late at night, so I could see him leave them there, but
just like with Santa Claus, I didn't want to ruin the magic for fear that he would never do it again.

My father had to leave them secretly at night, so as no one might catch him with his guard down.
He was scared of human emotion; he didn't understand it or know how to deal with it. But he did
know doughnuts.
And when I allow the floodgates to open up, there are other memories that come rushing back,
memories of other tiny gestures, however imperfect, that showed that he did what he could. So
tonight, rather than focusing on what my father didn't do, I want to focus on all the things he did
do and on his own personal challenges. I want to stop judging him.
I have started reflecting on the fact that my father grew up in the South, in a very poor family. He
came of age during the Depression and his own father, who struggled to feed his children,
showed little affection towards his family and raised my father and his siblings with an iron fist.

Who could have imagined what it was like to grow up a poor Black man in the South, robbed of
dignity, bereft of hope, struggling to become a man in a world that saw my father as subordinate?
I was the first Black artist to be played on MTV and I remember how big a deal it was even then.
And that was in the 80s!
My father moved to Indiana and had a large family of his own, working long hours in the steel
mills, work that kills the lungs and humbles the spirit, all to support his family. Is it any wonder
that he found it difficult to expose his feelings? Is it any mystery that he hardened his heart, that
he raised the emotional ramparts? And most of all, is it any wonder why he pushed his sons so
hard to succeed as performers, so that they could be saved from what he knew to be a life of
indignity and poverty?
I have begun to see that even my father's harshness was a kind of love, an imperfect love, to be
sure, but love nonetheless. He pushed me because he loved me. Because he wanted no man ever
to look down at his offspring.

And now with time, rather than bitterness, I feel blessing. In the place of anger, I have found
absolution. And in the place of revenge I have found reconciliation. And my initial fury has
slowly given way to forgiveness.
Almost a decade ago, I founded a charity called Heal the World. The title was something I felt
inside me. Little did I know, as Shmuley later pointed out, that those two words form the
cornerstone of Old Testament prophecy? Do I really believe that we can heal this world, that is
riddled with war and genocide, even today? And do I really think that we can heal our children,
the same children who can enter their schools with guns and hatred and shoot down their
classmates, like they did at Columbine? Or children who can beat a defenseless toddler to death,
like the tragic story of Jamie Bulger? Of course I do, or I wouldn't be here tonight.
But it all begins with forgiveness, because to heal the world, we first have to heal ourselves. And
to heal the kids, we first have to heal the child within, each and every one of us. As an adult, and
as a parent, I realize that I cannot be a whole human being, nor a parent capable of unconditional
love, until I put to rest the ghosts of my own childhood.

And that's what I'm asking all of us to do tonight. Live up to the fifth of the Ten Commandments.

Honor your parents by not judging them. Give them the benefit of the doubt.
That is why I want to forgive my father and to stop judging him. I want to forgive my father,
because I want a father, and this is the only one that I've got. I want the weight of my past lifted
from my shoulders and I want to be free to step into a new relationship with my father, for the
rest of my life, unhindered by the goblins of the past.
In a world filled with hate, we must still dare to hope. In a world filled with anger, we must still
dare to comfort. In a world filled with despair, we must still dare to dream. And in a world filled
with distrust, we must still dare to believe.
To all of you tonight who feel let down by your parents, I ask you to let down your
disappointment. To all of you tonight who feel cheated by your fathers or mothers, I ask you not
to cheat yourself further. And to all of you who wish to push your parents away, I ask you to
extend your hand to them instead. I am asking you, I am asking myself, to give our parents the
gift of unconditional love, so that they too may learn how to love from us, their children. So that
love will finally be restored to a desolate and lonely world.
Shmuley once mentioned to me an ancient biblical prophecy which says that a new world and a
new time would come, when "the hearts of the parents would be restored through the hearts of
their children". My friends, we are that world, we are those children.

Mahatma Gandhi said: "The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong."
Tonight, be strong. Beyond being strong, rise to the greatest challenge of all - to restore that
broken covenant. We must all overcome whatever crippling effects our childhoods may have had
on our lives and in the words of Jesse Jackson, forgive each other, redeem each other and move
on. This call for forgiveness may not result in Oprah moments the world over, with thousands of
children making up with their parents, but it will at least be a start, and we'll all be so much
happier as a result.

And so ladies and gentlemen, I conclude my remarks tonight with faith, joy and excitement.
From this day forward, may a new song be heard?

Let that new song be the sound of children laughing.
Let that new song be the sound of children playing.
Let that new song be the sound of children singing.
And let that new song be the sound of parents listening.

Together, let us create a symphony of hearts, marveling at the miracle of our children and
basking in the beauty of love.
Let us heal the world and blight its pain.
And may we all make beautiful music together.
God bless you, and I love you.

The Journal of Pan African Studies, vol.3, no.7, March 2010

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by **Admin** Sat Aug 25, 2012 12:36 am

#2 Michael Jackson's Unparalleled Influence By Hampton Stevens

Michael Jackson was the most influential artist of the 20th century. That might sound shocking to sophisticated ears. Jackson, after all, was only a pop star. What about the century's great writers like Fitzgerald and Faulkner? What about visual artists, like Picasso and Dali, or the masters of cinema from Chaplin to Kubrick? Even among influential musicians, did Michael really matter more than the Beatles? What about Louis Armstrong, who invented jazz, or Frank Sinatra, who reinvented it for white people? Or Elvis Presley, who did the same with blues and gospel, founding rock in the process? Michael Jackson is bigger than Elvis? By a country mile.

First, there is no question that musicians in the 20th century had far more cultural impact than any other sort of artist. There is no such thing, for instance, as a 20th-century painter that is more famous than an entertainer like Sinatra. There are no filmmakers or movie stars that had more cultural sway than The Beatles, and no 20th-century writers who touched more lives than Elvis. Consider that thousands of human beings, from Bangkok to Brazil, make their living by pretending to be Elvis Presley. When was the last time you saw a good impression of Picasso? Even Elvis, though, is overshadowed by Jackson's career.
First, with the possible exception of Prince and Sammy Davis Jr., Michael Jackson simply had more raw talent as a performer than any of his peers. But the King of Pop reigns as the century's signature artist not just because of his exceptional talent, but because he was able to package that talent in a whole new way. In both form and content, Jackson simply did what no one had done before.

Louis Armstrong, for instance, learned music as a live performer and adapted his art for records and radio. Sinatra and Elvis were also basically live acts who made records, ultimately expanding that on-stage persona into other media through sheer force of charisma. The Beatles were a hybrid; a once-great live band made popular by radio and TV, forced by their own fame to become rock's first great studio artists.

Jackson, though, was something else entirely. Something new. Obviously he made great records, usually with the help of Quincy Jones. Jackson's musical influence on subsequent artists is simply unavoidable, from his immediate followers like Madonna and Bobby Brown, to later stars like Usher and Justin Timberlake.

Certainly, Jackson could also electrify a live audience. His true canvas, though, was always the video screen. Above all, he was the first great televisual entertainer. From his Jackson 5 childhood, to his adult crossover on the Motown 25th anniversary special, to the last sad tabloid fodder, Jackson lived and died for on TV. He was born in 1958, part of the first generation of Americans who never knew a world without TV. And Jackson didn't just grow up with TV. He grew up on it. Child stardom, the great blessing and curse of his life, let him to internalize the medium's conventions and see its potential in a way that no earlier performer possibly could.

The result, as typified by the videos for "Thriller," "Billie Jean," and "Beat It," was more than just great art. It was a new art form. Jackson turned the low-budget, promotional clips record companies would make to promote a hit single into high art, a whole new genre that combined every form of 20th century mass media: the music video. It was cinematic, but not a movie. There were elements of live performance, but it was nothing like a concert. A seamless mix of song and dance that wasn't cheesy like Broadway, it was on TV but wildly different from anything people had ever seen on a screen.

The oft-repeated conventional wisdom—that Jackson's videos made MTV and so "changed the music industry" is only half true. It's more like the music industry ballooned to encompass Jackson's talent and shrunk down again without him. Videos didn't matter before Michael, and they ceased to matter at almost the precise cultural moment he stopped producing great work. His last relevant clip, "Black or White," was essentially the genre's swan song. Led by Nirvana and Pearl Jam, the next wave of pop stars hated making videos, seeing the entire format, and the channel they aired on, as tools of corporate rock.

The greatest impact of the music video wasn't on music, but video. That is, on film and television. The generation that grew up watching '80s videos started making movies and TV shows in the '90s, using MTV's once-daring stylistic elements like quick cuts, vérité-style hand-helds, nonlinear narrative and heavy visual effects and turning them into mainstream TV and film movie conventions.

If Jackson had only been a great musician who also invented music video, he still wouldn't have mattered as much. Madonna, his only worthy heir, was almost as gifted at communicating an aesthetic on-screen. The aesthetic Jackson communicated, however, was much more powerful, liberating and globally resonant than hers. It was more powerful than what Elvis and Sinatra communicated, too. Hence, that whole "Most Influential Artist" thing.

American popular music has always been about challenging stereotypes and breaking down barriers. Throughout the century, be it in Jazz, Rock or Hip-Hop, black and white artists mixed styles, implicitly, and often explicitly, advocating racial equality. Popular music has always challenged sex roles, too. Top 40 artists especially, from Little Richard and proto-feminist Leslie Gore, to David Bowie, Madonna and Lady Gaga have pushed social progress by bending and breaking gender rules.

Jackson was clearly a tragic figure, and his well-documented childhood trauma didn't help. But his fatal flaw, and simultaneously the source of his immense power, was a truly revolutionary Romantic vision. Not Romantic in the sappy way greeting card companies and florists use the word, but in its older, Byronic sense of someone who commits their entire life to pursing a creative ideal in defiance of social order and even natural law. Jackson's Romantic ideal, learned as a child at Motown founder Berry Gordy's feet, was an Age of Aquarius-inspired vision using of pop music to build racial, sexual, generational and religious harmony. His twist, though, was a doozy.

He not only made art promoting pop's egalitarian ethos, but literally tried embody it. When that vision became an obsession, a standard showbiz plastic surgery addiction became something infinitely more ambitious—and infinitely darker. Jackson consciously tried to turn himself into an indeterminate mix of human types, into a sort of ageless arch-person, blending black and white, male and female, adult and child. He was, however, not an arch-person. He was just a regular person, albeit a supremely talented one, and time makes dust of every person, no matter how well they sing. Decades of throwing himself against this irrefutable wall of fact ravaged him, body then soul, and eventually destroyed him.
At his creative peak, though, it almost seemed possible. Michael could be absolutely anything he wanted; Diana Ross one day, Peter Pan and the next. Every breathtaking high note, every impossible dance-step and crazy costume projected the same message. There are no more barriers of race, sex, class or age, he told his audience. You, too, can be and do whatever you want. We are limited only by our power to dream. A performer who can make you believe that, to feel it, even for a moment, comes along once in a lifetime. Maybe. If you're lucky.

As years pass and history sanitizes his memory, Jackson's legend will only grow. One day, in addition to being the most influential artist of the 20th century, he may well topple Elvis become the most-impersonated as well. Jackson, after all, only died a year ago. Elvis has been gone since 1977. Another two or three decades and Michael might have the most impersonators from Bangkok and Brazil. Let's just hope that they don't take it too far.

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by **Admin** Sat Aug 25, 2012 2:54 pm

Case Study: The Caricature (Includes: What lessons can we learn from the example of Michael Jackson’s life?)

Case Study written by Jan Carlson:

>>>>>Introduction/Premise
Systematic media brainwashing over a period in excess of two and a half decades succeeded in turning a genuinely innovative musical genius and gentle man into a laughingstock -- a joke -- a caricature. A caricature is defined as “an exaggeration by means of often ludicrous distortion of parts or characteristics in art or literature.”

From the time his talent made him a household name in 1984 until his death in 2009, the public was conditioned to think of Michael Jackson in the following terms: “odd,” “freak,” “weird,” “bizarre,” “strange,” “Wacko Jacko,” “predator,” “pervert,” and “pedophile.” Propaganda and Inflammatory words did immeasurable violence not only to Mr. Jackson but to the world, depriving it of authentic, factual knowledge of a man who, while he has been called the ‘greatest entertainer the world has ever known,’ was also the most inexhaustible humanitarian and lobbyist for change in our cultural memory. Future generations have been cheated, too; Mr. Jackson’s next discipline was to be film direction, by his own admission, and the world will never know what further contributions he might have made had he been alive to make them.

Examined individually, and with a bit of common sense, each of the major stories contributing to the notoriety of a legend, make logical sense in the context of Mr. Jackson’s life. Taken out of context, embellished, and sensationalized, they paint a caricature, not a biography. An overwhelming preponderance of the parodies constructed about Mr. Jackson had a medical basis.

>>>>Narrative
When Mr. Jackson began his musical career, he was the “darling” of the national and international press corp. Feted for his radiantly pure vocal virtuosity, he was the planet’s most beloved child. His emotional eloquence when rendering songs far beyond his years and experience stunned audiences from the USA to Africa. His hyperkinetic energy while performing on stage and the joy he communicated lifted hearts and garnered worldwide attention when his contemporaries were still in elementary school.

Unlike many of his counterparts who lost their voices with the onset of puberty, Michael Jackson grew into an explosively-gifted adult whose recordings shattered world sales records. The Off the Wall and Thriller albums catapulted him into a class of global renown never before witnessed, releasing shockwaves in the journalistic world. Soon after that unparalleled feat, his face and name became a target for the gutter press. The original motivation behind the numerous fictions written about Michael Jackson remains a mystery but suggests many theories from racism to power struggles, to the underbelly of the music industry hidden behind the glitz and glamour.

Prurient speculation about Mr. Jackson’s sexuality led to rumors that he was homosexual. An intensely private, shy, and spiritual person, Michael Jackson seldom disclosed information about his intimate relationships, believing discretion to be the attribute of a ‘gentleman’ in such exceedingly personal matters. Although he could easily have succumbed to the practice of taking advantage of adoring fans along the tour trail; he appeared, at least publicly, to pursue a celibate lifestyle. He spent his off-stage hours distributing gifts in hospitals and orphanages in every city he visited. Easily embarrassed, he never spoke about his sexuality nor did he deny being homosexual. Michael Jackson held a great deal of affection and respect for his fans, some of whom were gay. He kept his sexual orientation undisclosed to avoid alienating any of them.

An early fiction circulated in the tabloid press had Mr. Jackson taking female hormones to sustain the soaring vocals which permeated his recordings. Mr. Jackson recounted an incident in which a young fan asked him if it was true. He denied the rumor during the brief encounter. Stunned by the question, he did not volunteer that his four-octave range had been honed to a razor-sharp edge by more than thirty years in the music business, countless sessions with a vocal coach, and constant practice. The vocal apparatus is like any muscle; it responds to frequent exercise with strength and flexibility.

An exclusive report that Mr. Jackson slept in an oxygen chamber instead of a bed gained worldwide attention. The story originated when Mr. Jackson was seriously injured during the filming of a T.V. commercial. At the director’s suggestion, he waited at the top of a flight of stairs while pyrotechnics were exploded. A spark from one of those explosions landed in his hair, igniting it. Second and third degree burns to his scalp left him essentially bald at the age of twenty six.

Reconstructive surgery and multiple skin grafts were required to repair the burn damage. His consequent empathy for burn victims impelled him to donate the hyperbaric chamber along with the rest of his $1.5 million settlement to the Brotman Medical Center in Culver City to build and equip the Michael Jackson Burn Center. Tabloid media printed photographs of Mr. Jackson “hammering around” in the chamber along with the tale that he slept in it because he was afraid to grow old—on front pages around the world. Coupled with increasingly intrusive speculation about his sexuality and female hormones to maintain his high voice, the myths became progressively more and more sensational to sell more magazines.

Several papers claimed Mr. Jackson had built a shrine to Elizabeth Taylor in his bedroom. Mr. Jackson and Ms. Taylor’s shared child-star history was a firm foundation for their lasting and close friendship. He did have a tapestry made as a gift to his friend, but his bedroom, in fact his whole estate and his entire life were a shrine to reclaiming his, and the world’s, lost and long-forgotten innocence.

In the late nineteen eighties, a breaking story circulated that Michael Jackson was attempting to acquire The Elephant Man’s bones. John Merrick, a victim of a disfiguring disease causing facial tumors, was forced to make his living as a circus sideshow and ‘freak.’ A voracious reader, Mr. Jackson had been deeply moved by the story. He denied an interest in acquiring Merrick’s bones to Oprah Winfrey in 1993. “Where would I put some bones?” he asked with an incredulous chuckle.

The tabloid press displayed a dramatic and pervasive interest in Mr. Jackson’s multi-million dollar estate in Santa Barbara County. Jackson built a ranch with full scale amusement park rides, a live animal zoo, theater, and trains. He loved theme parks, but his worldwide fame made outings impossible. Mobbed by fans and paparazzi wherever he went, his spontaneous, unplanned appearance at an amusement park presented danger for himself and others. Mr. Jackson built his own miniature fun city to amuse himself and to share with sick and underprivileged children, calling it Neverland Valley Ranch in honor of his favorite children’s story Peter Pan. He identified strongly with the character in Mr. Barry’s story, having lost his own childhood performing in clubs, recording studios, TV shows, and concerts.

Tongue-in-cheek articles trumpeted the strangeness of Mr. Jackson and his Neverland Valley Ranch. He explained to the press that he put all the things he loved behind the gates of his multi-acre home to allow himself at least a taste of the freedom and normalcy that most of us take for granted. He happily shared his creation with children from inner cities and hospitals for regularly-scheduled field days of fun and adventure whether he was physically present or not.

People flocked to Michael Jackson like paperclips to a magnet, including fans of all ages who found him enchanting and children who recognized the child in him and found him fun to be around. Mr. Jackson was so popular and beloved that he was assailed by autograph-seekers, snapshot requests, and demands for hugs with which he often happily complied. While one or two or even ten individuals did not present problems, hundreds or even thousands of frenzied people rushing towards him quickly escalated into hand-to-hand combat. Mr. Jackson was forced to climb chain link fences or the rooftops of vehicles many times to avoid being crushed in the melees that accompanied his movements.

A polite and enlightened society usually frowns upon judging individuals by appearance; this etiquette was never granted to Michael Jackson. Frequently highlighted in the media, the change in Michael Jackson’s appearance occasioned the use of derogatory comments and belittling adjectives seldom used to describe any other person. Scandal sheets attributed the alterations to an unhealthy obsession for cosmetic surgical procedures. Over a period of several years, Mr. Jackson’s face had narrowed, making his cheekbones appear more prominent, his eyes bigger and his jaw squarer. His nose changed from a typically ethnic feature to a more sharply-defined shape, and his skin became paler. A humiliating case of acne prompted Mr. Jackson to change his diet and become a vegetarian. A strict vegetarian regimen markedly redistributes muscle mass, resulting in a re-molding of body shape and increased energy level. Other than two nose jobs, which Mr. Jackson acknowledged, he denied further face-sculpting surgeries to the end of his life.

He did, however, openly admit to several reconstructive surgical procedures and skin grafts to repair damage to his scalp from the serious burn injury mentioned previously. The goal was to remove scorched tissue in the hopes of reinstating hair growth. A balloon inserted under the flesh was inflated gradually over a period of months to stretch the damaged skin prior to excising and transplanting. Healthy skin was stitched over the injured area with a graft and allowed to heal before repeating the procedure. Stretching and pulling the skin at the back of the head can have the appearance of multiple cosmetic surgeries. It would have been an extremely lengthy, painful method of performing a facelift.

Tabloids hired facial surgeons who had never treated Mr. Jackson as a patient, but who offered expert diagnoses, comparing before and after photographs to create more copy for the tabloids. Akin to asking psychologists to give expert analyses about the mental health of a person to whom they have never spoken, another common occurrence in the life of Mr. Jackson, such opinions are as questionable as the papers printing them. A youthful, round-faced Michael Jackson prior to adopting a vegetarian lifestyle, the catastrophic burn injury, and resulting reconstructive surgeries was compared with poorly lit photographs featuring camera angles calculated to emphasize a hollow-cheeked, square-jawed, slimmer-nosed appearance. Media considered such proof conclusive evidence of surgical tampering though those opinions are easily deconstructed and discounted.

Affectionately known as “Angelface” in Europe and Asia, to millions Michael Jackson remained beautiful until the day he died despite concentrated efforts to convince them that he was a bizarre-looking, other-worldly freak - not quite human.

The ever-increasing pallor of Mr. Jackson’s skin was seized upon as evidence of his suspected attempt to become white and abandon his African American heritage. News anchors and journalists castigated Mr. Jackson for erasing his beautiful mocha shade by skin bleaching. Finally, in 1993, after being skewered by the press for nearly a decade about a skin condition over which he had no control, Mr. Jackson confessed to Oprah Winfrey that he was a victim of a skin disorder. Mr. Jackson’s illness, Vitiligo, is a medical condition in which the chemical responsible for skin pigmentation and protection from the harmful effects of the sun slowly disappears leaving de-pigmented - not bleached - patches of increasing size and paleness. It is deeply disfiguring, especially in an African American or dark-skinned host. Michael Jackson, one of the most visible human beings in the world, was in effect becoming an Albino on the world’s stage. A handicap which should have aroused sympathy for a man who made his living in the spotlight and who could not control an illness that left his skin dangerously exposed to UV radiation while changing his color, was instead turned into a laughing matter by the media, including providing years of comedy material for late night talk show monologues.

In advanced cases, Vitiligo affects the entire body. Mr. Jackson’s make-up artist of 30-plus years attempted to cover the de-pigmented areas with dark make-up blending into Mr. Jackson’s natural mocha shade in its early stages. As the disease progressed, this solution became impractical; medical advice deemed it more prudent to de-pigment the remaining dark patches to blend with Mr. Jackson’s overall lighter (i.e. already de-pigmented) skin. The disease also required that he cover his skin at all times during daylight hours, even on cloudy days, with hats, masks, sunglasses, high UV factor make-up, long sleeves, and umbrellas in order to avoid contracting skin cancer.

The press deemed him “weird,” “strange,” or a “germophobe” for exercising caution and following medical advice to protect his health from deteriorating further.
Common sense explanations were never explored when the press spotlighted Michael Jackson; only the sensational sells in that genre. The media openly accused him of lying about his facial characteristics and skin condition.

Later in 1993, Mr. Jackson’s skin condition became useful in supporting the outlandish media creation. The tabloid press, diametrically opposing its former position suddenly found his claims credible when the coloring of his genitals became important in proving his innocence regarding accusations about his interactions with a child. They literally drooled over the acquisition of the photographs of Mr. Jackson’s groin taken during a forced police examination. The going rate for the pictures was reported to be $3 million.

Another media effort launched to persuade the public that Michael Jackson had proclaimed himself the ‘King of Pop’ and had demanded exclusive performing rights at President Clinton’s Inaugural Gala was aimed at painting Mr. Jackson as a megalomaniacal, spoiled brat overly enamored with his own importance. Numerous interviews and the documentary of his last musical venture, This Is It, dispel that myth and tell quite a different story. In them we meet a quiet, soft-spoken, polite, egoless, gentle man couching his requests in language intended to avoid bruising egos, coaching his collaborators to allow their talents to ‘shine,’ and embracing everyone who entered his personal space.

Public perception of Michael Jackson was significantly colored by the sheer scale, magnitude, and pervasiveness of the myths that spiral from fairly harmless, inane fantasies to increasingly misleading and harmful descriptions of a persona which bears no resemblance to accounts by those who knew Mr. Jackson personally. The misinformation may have even become a killing weapon by eroding and chipping away at a sensitive soul - an unequaled artist, humanitarian, and activist who possessed the ability to poignantly draw attention to the planetary and human condition and lobby for and mobilize agents of change. That Mr. Jackson possessed that ability and desire was proven more than once by the milestones of his life.

Through decades of sustained scrutiny upon a man who bore no resemblance to the manufactured and sensationalized version, the media defined a creature instead of a man; they drew a cartoon labeling it publicly “Wacko Jacko” and other derogations. This continuous and escalating psychological assault masquerading as journalism is reminiscent of schoolyard bullying. Few could have borne the repeated blows with equal grace and dignity; the fact that Michael Jackson endured them for decades is a testament to his strength and surety of purpose. Because of the relentless nature of the featured stories, much of the world envisions the tabloid version when the name Michael Jackson is mentioned. Despite the fact that it is a total fabrication, a fiction, a corrupt fairy tale that leaves one searching for any socially redeeming value, it endures. “If you hear a lie often enough, you start to believe it,” said Mr. Jackson who wondered, along with his admirers, why this cartoon was created by men and women who seemed to have abandoned the standards of truth, human decency, and ethics that once characterized a lofty and respected profession.

The historical picture painted of Mr. Jackson made it easy to doubt his integrity when the story broke in late 1993 that a child had accused Mr. Jackson of molestation. Most people did not immediately think that a beloved entertainer was the target of a shakedown; most of the world gasped and remembered all the fictions they’d read, shrugged their shoulders, and prepared to believe the worst. It was effortless because of all the previous associations and opinions based on tabloid biography. The news industry exploited Michael Jackson, making lots of money in increased circulation while convincing the public that he was some kind of oddity of nature.

Dehumanizing someone over time to make him easy prey for a malicious agenda is an old trick. It works well for ethnic cleansing and allowed the likes of Adolph Hitler to rid Germany of six million of its citizens. The fact that this type of public attack continues right here and now in modern culture should alarm every citizen of these United States, and for that matter, the world.

Rag journalists, by their own admission, delight in taking the tiniest whisper and splashing it in headlines four inches tall in order to be the first with the juiciest scoop. (See Tabloid Truth: The Michael Jackson Scandal a Frontline Special broadcast by PBS on February 15, 1994) For thirteen months Michael Jackson made headlines and money for the yellow press. The practice of milking and dramatizing stories to make them sensational to appeal to the lowest common denominator even leaked over into the mainstream press, once considered honorable. It became infected with the same frenzied hysteria as its tabloid colleagues causing some to dub this unrestrained monster medialoid. Unlike the tabloids which made no secret of their offers to pay large sums to anyone who would go on record making false statements for hire, respected journalists, broadcasters and newspapers still refused to pay their sources. However, they ignored the caution and professional ethics that once precluded them from quoting tabloids; they proffered the libelous material boldly quoting the questionable sources without apology. The common practice of investigating and verifying facts and sources was suspended indefinitely despite its current inclusion in the journalist’s code of ethics.

Nameless “reliable sources,” including security guards, maids, and housekeepers who were for sale at the right price or disgruntled employees who were asked to leave came forward to add to the tabloid tales. They were complicit in assisting to convict Michael Jackson in the court of public opinion. Tabloid editors were filmed and recorded saying: “it doesn’t matter if it’s true as long as we can get someone to say it’s true“ and “we practice a form of checkbook journalism, but so does everyone else in this business.”

Counter claims brought by Mr. Jackson for theft and extortion against these tell all sources were upheld in court judgments ordering the former employees to make restitution. Those who were fired for stealing items from Mr. Jackson’s home were fined thousands and required to pay his counterclaim legal fees. That didn’t mitigate damage done to his reputation. Words, once released into the public domain, cannot be retrieved. Injury inflicted by the willful printing of lies garnered by paying huge sums to the greedy and opportunistic cannot be estimated, nor can it be rescinded. Michael Jackson, reportedly a gentle and sensitive person, who sincerely believed that the “beauty, the innocence, the wonder of a child’s heart are the seeds of creativity that will heal the world” (Michael Jackson, Grammy Legend Award presentation, 1993) suffered mightily over the years at the hands of the unscrupulous.

The media censored any news that supported Mr. Jackson’s claims of extortion by those leveling molestation charges; court judgments in favor of Mr. Jackson were suppressed. Information that was deliberately withheld includes but is not limited to: the accuser’s father’s previous efforts at procuring financial backing from Mr. Jackson for a home remodel and movie deal, drugging a minor child, a tape recording that supports Mr. Jackson’s extortion claims, and the fact that Mr. Jackson’s insurance company settled over his objections. (Was Michael Jackson Framed by Mary Fischer, GQ, October 1994) A later book, Redemption, written by paralegal Geraldine Hughes who worked for the lawyer retained by the accuser’s father, exposed activities in her office that indicate Michael Jackson was framed. Yet again, these revelations were ignored by the press and never reported.
In early 2003, an English journalist who made his mark by interviewing Princess Diana sought out Michael Jackson for an exclusive interview. Martin Bashir vowed to present a fair, sane and real portrait of Michael Jackson, the man, in “Living with Michael Jackson.” Asking only honest and ethical treatment, Mr. Jackson gave Bashir unrestricted access to his life, including his children. Instead of a fair and unbiased portrayal, Bashir cut and pasted together a tabloid expose` complete with edited footage and voice-over narrative. Michael Jackson, ever the enthusiastic camera and film buff, had taped the interview for his personal use and his cameraman captured a far different portrayal when unedited. Mr. Jackson’s actual film was later made a documentary to refute the, once again, unfair and dishonestly manipulated caricature portrait of Michael Jackson. It was later learned that Bashir had been sanctioned in the U.K. for unethical practices. Far from being sanctioned in the United States for his slanted and sensationalized tabloid piece, Bashir was offered and accepted a position on Nightline with ABC News.

When Michael Jackson met the youth who would later accuse him, the boy had been diagnosed with terminal cancer and given only a few weeks to live. His dying wish was to meet Michael Jackson. Mr. Jackson called the child nightly from wherever he was in the world to tell him that he would not allow him to give up, encouraging him to take his chemo and visualize it eating up all the cancer cells like Pac-Man, and hang tough so that he could be his guest at Neverland Valley Ranch. The boy survived the chemo; he and his family were given free access to Mr. Jackson’s estate while he recovered his strength in what his doctors later dubbed a miraculous recovery. Bashir’s documentary revealed Mr. Jackson’s ministrations to the boy. Rather than portraying the relationship as a tender and inspiring story of survival, Bashir’s edits and voiced-over comments strongly implied sinister motivation on the part of Mr. Jackson. The boy’s mother consulted a lawyer after the broadcast complaining that Bashir had filmed her minor son without her knowledge or consent. The lawyer she consulted just happened to be the same one who had negotiated the settlement in the previously successful extortion attempt. The lawyer consulted the same psychologist and the same prosecutor nicknamed ‘Mad-Dog’ by his peers, whose personal dislike of Mr. Jackson was long-standing and well-known. Two grand juries had refused to allow him to bring criminal charges ten years earlier citing lack of evidence, which likely added fuel to his decade-long pursuit of Jackson; the goal was to bring Mr. Michael Jackson down hard.

Tom Sneddon, the DA in Santa Barbara County, although failing to procure indictments against Mr. Jackson on charges of child molestation in 1993, continued an open investigation during the ensuing ten years. He had followed Jackson all over the globe at taxpayer’s expense, trying to find a child to speak against Mr. Jackson; he found none. He had also activated a website soliciting evidence against Mr. Jackson so that he could prosecute citing that he was “the law” in Santa Barbara County. His single-minded purpose was called obsessive by many legal commentators.

After interviewing the young cancer survivor, Sneddon invaded Mr. Jackson’s home going through the entire compound and Jackson’s private quarters with 70 deputies. Videotape of the interview clearly shows law enforcement officers leading the boy. They appeared to have already judged Mr. Jackson guilty without benefit of legal process; the wording of the questions left little doubt of bias. The ranch was raided a total of three times. During a televised press conference, Sneddon openly mocked Mr. Jackson, to the amusement of the gathered press corps, showing disrespect for the man and the law by trivializing very serious charges. Once again, Mr. Jackson faced accusations of molesting a child, coercing the child with liquor, and conspiracy. This time, Sneddon succeeded in bringing his case to a jury and the ‘trial of the century’ played out in the small community of Santa Maria, California and in the tabloid and medialoid headlines.

The press conference exhibits gleefulness by Sneddon that betrays a personal vendetta but most media outlets ignored the critical commentary that followed. The trial itself and its coverage put to rest any distinction between media and tabloid journalism; Walter Cronkite style journalism appeared extinct. Throughout the long five month trial, the media focused on “dancing on vehicle roofs” and “pajama pants.” Standing on car roofs was a familiar gesture employed by Mr. Jackson often to avoid being trampled by fans and paparazzi as well as to wave and allow supporters and admirers to see him above the crowd. Bearing in mind that during the five months of the trial, those fans and his family constituted his only support, his acknowledgement is understandable. The notorious pajama incident was instigated by Mr. Jackson’s lead attorney who ordered his client to race back from a hospital visit to be in court on time because the judge would not allow extra time. Humorous anecdotes about the pajama appearance abounded. What relevance such anecdotes had on the legal proceedings was never fully explained.

Exculpatory facts relevant to The State of California vs. Michael Joseph Jackson were suppressed. A prior settlement from J.C. Penney for an alleged sexual assault on the mother when Penney’s security personnel followed her into the parking lot to detain her son for shoplifting was not given coverage. The children including Mr. Jackson’s accuser who corroborated her story, later admitted lying under oath; their admission was similarly ignored. Welfare fraud on the part of the mother of the accuser was later prosecuted. Accusations of detention by Jackson’s people were dismissed when the family’s trips in and out of the compound to go shopping and for full body waxes and dental visits courtesy of Mr. Jackson’s expense account were exposed. Evidence was entered thoroughly discrediting testimony from security guards and maids from a previous incident that included orders for restitution to Mr. Jackson. The mother’s tenuous hold on reality impeached the prosecution’s case, another fact that never found its way into the press coverage. Outrage and scathing testimony from previously-named alleged victims categorically denying any harm at the hands of Michael Jackson were disregarded. Both versions of the documentary were entered into evidence - Living with Michael Jackson and the rebuttal film Living with Michael Jackson: Take Two. The rebuttal weighed heavily in the jury’s decision to acquit Mr. Jackson.

A mainstream reporter considered a Jackson insider and expert has said about the intentional oversights with regard to Jackson:

This was not the first time I'd had a Jackson story suppressed. After Evan Chandler's suicide in November 2009 I was contacted by the Sun and asked to supply information about the 1993 allegations. I spent quite some time compiling my research, advising the newspaper of common myths and how to avoid them, being careful to source all of my facts from legal documents and audio/visual evidence.

When I read the finished article I was stunned to find that all of my information had been discarded and replaced with the very myths I had advised them to avoid. I alerted staff to the inaccuracies but my emails were not replied. The same inaccuracies appeared in every single article I read about the suicide.

The same bias manifested itself the following month when Jackson's FBI file was released. Across more than 300 pages of information there was not one piece of incriminating evidence -- but that's not the way the media told it. –Charles Thomson in The Huffington Post.

The events above described by Mr. Thomson occurred after Mr. Jackson’s death, yet they illustrate that impartial, conscientious reporters may wish to report the truth, but editors and executives rewrite their stories to suit their own agendas or to follow precedence.
Aphrodite Jones, best-selling true-crime biographer and author of a library of criminal trials, tells a similar story of bias at the upper levels of the publishing world. A self-described once-rabid tabloid reporter, she met quite a different Michael Jackson at his trial from the one that was being consistently portrayed by her colleagues. Stunned by the discrepancies she witnessed between published accounts and the events transpiring in the courtroom, she decided to look into the transcripts and evidence herself and write a book based on the facts of the case. No editor was interested in a book about Mr. Jackson’s exoneration; forced to self publish, her account of media bias against Michael Jackson can be found in Michael Jackson Conspiracy.

Ms. Jones, after rethinking her tabloid-influenced view, became impressed with the demeanor of Michael Jackson. She saw no weird behavior or appearance as she sat in the press area during the trial. She describes a quiet, regally-attired, dignified man stoically bearing explicit mockery by media representatives inside the courtroom, unconcealed malignancy by witnesses and prosecution, and insidious ridicule by media hordes outside the courthouse. Remorseful that she had played a part in constructing the caricature and in damaging Mr. Jackson, Ms. Jones felt that the American public deserved the truth. Without her conscience and recognition of her complicity, her diligence and compassion for the battered and beleaguered defendant, and her sense of fair play in journalism, the public would still be unaware of the factors that contributed to the across-the-board ‘not guilty’ verdict of the jury in Santa Maria. Tom Mesereau, lead defense attorney, contributed the Foreword to Michael Jackson Conspiracy.

A serious legal proceeding that placed a man’s life, work, and reputation in jeopardy devolved into a circus. The trial ended with fourteen ‘not guilty’ verdicts. The media hordes were stunned into silence. Instead of examining how the verdict of complete exoneration had come about and what it meant, they almost unanimously ignored the trial outcome and continued to demonize Mr. Michael Jackson with the appellations ‘pervert,’ ‘predator,’ and ‘pedophile’ for the rest of his life. No one seemed to notice that fourteen counts were dismissed; all fourteen counts! Many, including Tom Mesereau, wondered if the trial was even warranted based on the evidence and testimony presented to the jury.

The cautionary tale here is the rush to judgment on the part of the public fed by reports published by an industry whose first and only allegiance by its own admission is greed and the accumulation of profit at the expense of people, truth, justice, and the civil rights of individuals thrust into the public eye by talent, fame, or public office. Accustomed to journalism being an ethical profession, we trust that sources are investigated for possible axes to grind by our reporters and television anchor persons, that accusations are thoroughly examined for possible extortionate motives, and that what we watch and read has been scrupulously vetted and verified prior to publication. As shown in this case study, this trust is misplaced. The destruction of unique and irreplaceable human lives by media wielding “pens mightier than swords” - and cutting as deeply - is unacceptable in a democratic society.

Despite being innocent and proven not guilty in a court of law, Mr. Jackson lived another four years bearing the onus of false charges despite it being a clear violation of his civil rights. Few voices raised an objection. Even after his death, the name Michael Jackson is seldom mentioned without the crime of which he was acquitted; his full exoneration is almost universally ignored. Mr. Jackson’s right to presumption of innocence was never observed; his actual innocence is questioned even now. Every mention of the unproven allegations is yet another violation of his civil rights. The right of the American public to be given the facts and to make up its own mind was blatantly thwarted under the “freedom of the press” umbrella.

Michael Jackson’s older brother, Jermaine, regularly sitting beside Michael as he stoically endured the trial proceedings, commented that he watched the light slowly fade from his brother’s eyes during the five-month ordeal. In an interview conducted after Mr. Jackson’s death, Tom Mesereau observed that the damage done to Michael Jackson’s spirit by the interminable days of the trial could not be estimated, but was, from his perspective “probably very great.” Michael Jackson was a global philanthropist and humanitarian who keenly felt injustice to others; he felt the world’s prejudice against him just as acutely. He is considered by many to be the greatest entertainer who ever lived. His contributions to social and ecological awareness and the fields of music and film are legion. He is an iconic figure woven into the tapestry of the twentieth century. But do we know the whole story?

What we can take away from this case study is: very powerful editors and broadcast network executives decide what we, the public, are going to read and watch. Their reports on the subject of Michael Jackson, specifically, pivoted for much of his life on ridicule, accusation, and character assassination instead of accurate information. Our highly-vaunted democratic process is held in the steel grip of media. How exactly are we to know the truth? And how much truth are we allowed to know on subjects of arguably more political and social relevance? Are we the consumers of a responsible media? You are the public. You decide.

>>>>>>>Conclusions
Michael Jackson wrote, composed, recorded, and performed some of the most “glorious music in the pop canon” according to Sir Bob Geldoff who cited him with an award at the Brit (the equivalent of the Grammy) Awards presentation of 2000. Geldoff also said: “when Michael Jackson sings it is with the voice of angels and when he moves his feet, you can see God dancing.” The Guinness Book of World Records, in addition to his musical accomplishments, lists Mr. Michael Joseph Jackson as the ‘most charitable entertainer,’ supporting at least 39 separate and distinct charities and humanitarian efforts during his lifetime and donating in excess of $300 million in aid to multiple hospitals, the impoverished, ill children in every country he visited, and air-lifting supplies to war-torn Sarajevo. During his fifteen-year tenure, he opened his home to thousands of lives devastated by darkness, disease, disadvantage, or gang violence. He lent his voice and his songwriting talents to worthy causes, the most famous, but not the only, example being the We Are the World song and recording session. His musical contributions (whether recordings, short films, or live performances) abound with messages of hope, healing, unity, and planetary stewardship. In the words of Travis Payne, choreographer and contributor to the stillborn This Is It concert, his music “always spoke to humanity.” Michael Jackson was, and remains, “a global cheerleader” reminding us of who we are and the power we hold to heal the world.

A living example of following your dreams and not letting anyone turn you from your goal, many millions the world over heard and adopted his messages. Michael Jackson’s resolute strength and courage in the face of hardship inspires countless others facing obstacles in their own lives. He stood like a rock firmly embedded in the earth’s crust personifying love and compassion for those less fortunate even when that love was massively misunderstood and misrepresented. Mr. Jackson’s gifts to the world through hard work and an incessant allegiance to excellence comprise a worthy testament to his legacy. As shown in the documentary of his last project, he remained a humble, kind, polite, soft-spoken, gentleman even when surrounded by inconceivable wealth, fame, and the unchecked suspicion of others.

Mr. Jackson’s vocal coach of thirty years, Seth Riggs, spoke of his pupil only after Mr. Jackson’s death in 2009. Lauding his work ethic, perfectionist nature, and dedication to excellence, Mr. Riggs expressed his gratitude to have contributed to Mr. Jackson’s ‘genius.’ As a matter of fact, no one who knew or worked with Michael Jackson, whether in a recording studio, concert rehearsal, film set or humanitarian effort had a negative word to say about their encounter. All commended his humility, professionalism, awareness, intelligence, talent, gentleness, gallantry, and “generosity to almost a fault … of himself,” as his friend Dame Elizabeth Taylor told Oprah in 1993. Mr. Jackson was described by colleagues and intimates as “an angel walking the planet,” “a gentle spirit,” “a lovely soul,” “an absolute sweetheart,” “a very approachable man,” “the least weird man I have ever known,” and “the sweetest person I have ever met in my life.” Those words from those who knew him best contrast sharply with the caricature portrait by the media who knew him not at all. Yet sadly, that is not what most of the world remembers.

This is not just a case of violence and words; it is a case of relentless, all-pervasive violence and words. That assault over a lifetime, but particularly over the last ten years of his life, likely caused post-traumatic stress and the sleeplessness which ultimately led to Michael Jackson’s untimely death. Media intrusion and a total lack of respect for truth and decency played a large part in the destruction of a reputation, a career and a life. That coupled with a law enforcement official who ignored protocol and justice while harboring bigotry and personal vendetta and the careless actions of a physician administering a drug outside of his expertise in conditions not conducive to the patient’s survival made Michael Jackson’s death a question of when, not if. All involved are culpable.

>>>>>>What lessons can we learn from the example of Michael Jackson’s life?

1.As consumers, we can and must learn that “just because you read it in a magazine or see it on a TV screen don’t make it factual” (Michael Jackson, Tabloid Junkie, HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book 1, 1995). We are too easily led. We trust that news media are trustworthy and practicing a minimal code of ethics. They are not. First and foremost, we need to be aware of the changes that have occurred in reporting the news.

2.We, as the ultimate consumers of their product, must educate our journalists regarding what we will and will not tolerate in their profession. Although he was not the first of our brightest and best to be literally hounded to death, let’s make Michael Jackson the last whose life we sacrifice to greed. By not buying garbage news, we wield the power to eliminate the choke hold on our airwaves, horizon and psyche. We can starve the monster. Should we consider it?

3.If we see unfairness or unethical practices in our television news or newspapers, we have a right as well as a responsibility to call our editors and broadcasters to task. Who loses when consumers bury their heads in the sand and ignore the elephant in the room? Democracy, it has been said, is not a spectator sport.

4.Should we use intelligence and the power to discern when making choices about what we buy and read? What we choose to believe? What about the role of critical thinking?

5.Some minimal standards in the profession of journalism based on human decency and truth in the market place should be legislated. All freedoms bear responsibilities. Freedom of the press is no exception.

6.Law enforcement officials have a responsibility to remain impartial. Personal biases, vendettas and strong dislikes have no place in the enforcement of the law. Mockery of suspects is serious and unprofessional.

7.Our national media must be reminded of its purpose. While magazines are in business to entertain and tabloids are in business to make money, our respected mainstream media does not share either of their goals. Our national media’s purpose is, and always has been, to inform! Should they be held to this task and standards?

>>>>>Discussion Questions
1.How can we, as consumers, change the way our media covers celebrity?
2.How can laws be constructed assist in the control of media bias?
3.How can newspaper and broadcast media be held to a minimum code of ethics as doctors and lawyers are?
4.What can be done to improve the Shield Law that protects journalists from being accountable for their actions in wielding their pens as weapons of destruction?
5.How has the advent of the ‘information superhighway’ impacted the journalistic profession?
6.How has the 24 hour news cycle impacted television?
7.Given this account of media bias, inaccuracies and failure to report the facts: how do you feel as a consumer? Are you surprised? Outraged? Or unaffected?
8.If you could change anything about this story, what would it be? If you had the power to request a change from the media, what would you say?
9.If you were the target or subject of such storytelling, how would you feel? What would you do?
10.If you agree with the media using these tactics, why do you agree? If you disagree, why? And what do you think can be done about it?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Case Study written by Jan Carlson: Jan is a lifelong observer of the media and its manipulation of public opinion. A resident of the midwestern United States, she is a grandmother, wife and full-time employee. A student of music and its relationship to human emotion, Jan is an avid reader of philosophy, history, mythology and ancient cultures

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by **Admin** Mon Oct 15, 2012 7:50 pm

#4 In Defense of Michael By Josephine Zohny 2/9/05

I am a Michael Jackson fan. I have no qualms about it. I love his music, I love his dancing. Hell, I even love those gold, glittery shin guards he’s so taken with wearing for special occasions. But I am a young fan—by the time I knew who Michael Jackson was, it was the late eighties. He’d already been pegged as bizarre by the world press so virtually nothing that’s gone on with him since then has shocked me. A lot of people born in the ‘80s grew up embracing that Michael Jackson, the one who has come to be synonymous with virtually everything stigmatizing and lurid. However strange, even that Michael Jackson was acceptable—at least until the child-molestation accusations started coming out.

When the first scandal broke, it gave people a legitimate reason to dislike Michael Jackson, one a little meatier than weirdness. It gave an excuse to question his once unquestionable talent, though it’s somewhat ludicrous to think that an immense talent like his would conveniently cease to exist exactly when public opinion shifted. The case in 1993 where he was sued for—but never charged with—sexually abusing a 13-year-old boy apparently gave the public permission to view him less as a human being and more like a lemming they delighted in watching hurl itself off a cliff. Michael Jackson’s detractors say he has brought this derision on himself, but it was the media who chose to let the allegations define Michael Jackson, not his work. Michael Jackson didn’t suddenly become irrelevant musically when accused.

Despite the fact his postThriller albums were large sellers and met with general critical acclaim at the time, received opinion today tends to extol the virtues of only Off the Wall and Thriller, crediting Quincy Jones’s magic for their appeal. (Never mind that Jones was also involved in 1987’s Bad.) What may have been the real catalyst for Jackson’s “downfall” began to take shape in 1986, when Jackson acquired the ATV catalog, including the publishing rights to more than 150 Beatles songs, for a reported $47.5 million. Later he merged ATV with Sony’s publishing catalog, creating a music-publishing business worth close to $1 billion. With these moves, Jackson became more than just a simple song-and-dance man. He became one of the most powerful men in the music industry.

Criticism was immediate. He “stole” the catalog from Paul McCartney. He desecrated the Beatles’ precious songs by licensing them for commercials. Around this time, the epithet “Wacko Jacko” emerged. Were those same critics all over Sir Paul when he purchased the music-publishing rights of other artists? No, he was praised for his business acumen. But Michael Jackson’s purchase of the ATV catalog marked one of the first times a black person (since Jackson’s own mentor, Motown’s Berry Gordy) became a force to be reckoned with in the music industry and, consequently, the business world.

And indeed, the catalog remains the crux of much speculation, with hopeful detractors constructing elaborate stories with Jackson teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, the loss of the precious catalog imminent: He borrowed $200 million from a Saudi prince to pay off his debts. He’s going to lose the catalog. No, wait, he borrowed the $200 million from Sony. Wait—they’re denying it? Well, then, he borrowed it from Bank of America. Any day now, I swear to you, he’ll lose the catalog. Sources? Of course I have my sources. Jackson’s maid’s former neighbor’s uncle’s cousin’s second husband told me so.

Well, it’s been eighteen years and Jackson still owns the catalog and yet this unfounded speculation persists. Does McCartney face the same speculation, even though the catalogs he owns include the work of many black artists? Of course not. McCartney lives lavishly without a raised eyebrow or a snicker about his financial savvy. But because Michael Jackson bought the Beatles, he has all the snickering Sams in their efficiency apartments eager for his financial ruin.

Why such different treatment of the two artists? Arguably, race comes into play. Jackson has been accused of playing the race card during this current situation, as well as during his very public falling out with former Sony Music chair, Tommy Mottola. It could be argued that those who scrutinize Jackson’s business practices more exactingly than those of comparable whites, feel the need to undermine this particular defense. Media pundits and commentators—everybody from the ladies of The View to Bill O’Reilly to Rolling Stone‘s resident “voice of all things black”, Toure, tried to strip him of his professional accomplishments, and now they’re attempting to strip him of his race. (though admittedly “Black Man” is now written prominently on his now famous mug shot).

If the media derision Jackson faces had no racial component, one would expect him to still earn his critical due from the mainstream, much the way other alleged pedophile Roman Polanski has been able to do. If it wasn’t about race, Jackson’s bail wouldn’t have been set at $3 million while accused murderer Phil Spector’s was set at a comparably paltry $1 million. Apologists for Santa Barbara County argue that bail was set in accordance to Jackson’s wealth, to ensure that a significant proportion of his money would be at risk if he skipped town. But, wait—isn’t he supposed to be going broke? Make up your minds, already!

The fact is Michael Jackson’s persona will always be inextricably connected to America’s feelings about race: at best, color-blind transcendence, at worst, self-loathing. Because Jackson has been a star since childhood, society seems to believe that they own him, and when he overstepped the bounds of what society thought he should be in terms of power, they felt it was their duty to cut him back to size. The man who integrated MTV was loved when he merely sang and danced as society wanted him to, when he posed no threat, when he looked the way any non-threatening black man “should” look. In 1993, Michael Jackson was arguably the biggest international star in the world, reaching people of every color and creed, crushing sales records on a global level left and right with his hugely successful Dangerous tour and his internationally televised record-breaking interview with Oprah Winfrey and his philanthropic effort, the Heal the World foundation. But he was also markedly different looking than he was when the beloved Thriller album came out, and he was coming off the heels of signing his near-billion-dollar deal with Sony.

And then the first molestation allegations came out. But is the eerie loneliness demonstrated in “Stranger in Moscow” (from 1995’s HIStory album) any less beautiful because it came after the first allegations? Are the intricately orchestrated minor-key strings and driving rhythm line in “Who Is It” (from 1991’s Dangerous) not compelling and gut-wrenching because the song was recorded after Jackson’s “descent into madness?” Is the funky deliciousness of “You Rock My World” (on 2001’s Invincible) lost because the Michael who sang it bore only a slight physical resemblance to the man on the cover of Thriller? I, for one, can’t buy that, but most of the public apparently has, since all of Jackson’s musical efforts seem to be derided and ridiculed regardless of merit.

It may be that the idea of a black man, especially one who refuses to conform to virtually any societal norms and expectations, having such a profound effect is profoundly scary to some. In his 1997 song, “Is It Scary” Jackson promises “If you want to see eccentric oddities, I’ll be grotesque before your eyes” and indeed, in that simple line Jackson made an important social comment—in terms of public perception, he is whatever people want him to be. Perhaps subconsciously, Jackson’s eccentricities were a way of saying “f—- you” to those he felt were boxing him into what the polite society deemed acceptable for a black man. But in destroying the restraints put upon him, these deviations from the norm—his business ventures, his plastic-surgery transformations, his marriages to famous daughters of deceased pop icons—also made the atmosphere ripe for anyone to believe just about anything about him. This in turn allowed the child molestation allegations (both past and present) to serve so readily as ammunition to destroy the dynasty that he began creating back when he was just a little boy in Gary, Indiana.

Now, following a grand jury indictment, Michael Jackson readies himself to stand trial on several counts of child molestation, administering an intoxicating agent, and conspiracy. It begins a process in which the whole world will find out more about Michael Jackson than it ever thought it would, and it will be very surprised, I suspect, regardless of its current opinions of him. If our system of jurisprudence is effective, then and only then will any of us know this particular truth about Michael Jackson. But iother truths will remain untouched.

In the meantime, I’m not going to put away my copies of Dangerous and HIStory, and I’m not going to forget all that Michael Jackson has meant to so many people, not only in terms of his enormous talent, but also his ability to give of himself to help others with his equally enormous wealth and to break down racial barriers in the entertainment and business worlds. No matter the outcome of his journey through the judicial system—and despite what many would have us believe—he has always been and will always be more than just these charges.

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by **Admin** Mon Oct 15, 2012 8:02 pm

#5 Michael Jackson, the Wounded Messenger by Matt Semino - November 29, 2010

Here is an attorney-legal analyst with his perspective:

Michael Jackson, the Wounded Messenger by Matt Semino - November 29, 2010

It has been over a year since the untimely death of the King of Pop during which a “Michael Jackson” movement of epic proportions has developed.

Commercially, Jackson’s international resurgence has been marked by the enormous success of newly released music, films, books and memorabilia.

Intellectually, cultural critics have begun to examine the idea of Michael Jackson and his role in our social history. Emotionally, fans are still grappling with the personal impact of losing their icon. Even with the highly anticipated release of the new album “Michael”, controversy continues to envelope the star’s legacy. The legal battles of the Jackson estate and the upcoming trial of Dr. Conrad Murray will further captivate the media’s attention and spawn divisive debate over who is to blame. Beyond cashing in and pointing fingers, where does the public’s collective consciousness now stand in the post-Michael Jackson era? Societal challenges persist and difficult global questions remain unanswered just as they did in the months following the loss of Jackson. It is the hope that during this time, catharsis and self-reflection will work hand in hand.

With the mask finally removed, her tearful goodbye humanized him in the eyes of millions of adoring fans and even skeptical detractors across the globe. Paris Jackson was the poignant conclusion to her father Michael’s celebrated memorial service. At the same time, her few words served as a painful reminder of the conflicted legacy that, as some proclaim, the greatest entertainer of all time leaves behind in the wake of his sudden, tragic and mysterious death. In Michael Jackson’s passing, this international icon casts as many if not more unanswered questions about the out of the ordinary life he led behind the curtain of his private stage.

Intense speculation over the star’s actual cause of death has ranged from an accidental overdose to explosive allegations from some family members of foul play and even murder. In the later stages of his life, Jackson was caught in a downward spiral of prescription drug abuse fostered through a tangled web of star-struck enablers and unscrupulous members of the medical establishment. As in his life, Michael Jackson was engulfed by complex legal and ethical dilemmas even at the precise moment of his death. Questions concerning the custody of Jackson’s three children, whether those children are connected to him biologically, control over and division of his complex estate, burial procedures and a final resting place for the star’s remains, use of Los Angeles public funding for a celebrity laden memorial service at the Staples Center and countless more controversial issues moved in swiftly like an ominous and heavy fog in the days and weeks following June 25th.

Upon his death, the Pandora’s box that is Michael Jackson’s secretive but highly scrutinized life burst open once again and the media as well as the public’s insatiable appetite for all of the juicy details immediately became palpable. The daily headlines read like vivid medical records. ‘Michael Jackson’s Autopsy Photo,’ ‘Michael Jackson’s Hair on Fire,’ ‘Michael Jackson’s Leg Wounds and Needle Marks,’ and ‘Michael Jackson was Sterile’ are just a few. Only the most imaginative fiction writer could create a story with such high drama and sordid twists and turns. Even with all of its tabloid entertainment value, it is a monumental disservice to Michael Jackson’s memory that a thoughtful analysis of his significant cultural contributions, particularly in the realm of human rights and social justice, are being obscured in the process of examining his death and now his corpse.

Through his prolific body of work, advocacy initiatives and multi-million dollar charity efforts, Michael Jackson raised international awareness and support for some of the most complex and timeless issues confronting the human condition. AIDS, cancer, famine, homelessness, gang violence, racism, totalitarianism, environmental degradation, child abuse, violations of animal rights, restrictions on freedom of speech and other infringements upon basic civil liberties are just some of the difficult subjects Jackson tackled by leveraging the power of his celebrity. Michael Jackson’s intuitive understanding of the problems besetting the human ecological system was uncanny and uncharacteristic for any entertainer close to his magnitude.

Many have been so dazzled by Jackson’s masterful showmanship and the consistent controversy surrounding his life and death that it would be easy not to recognize the overarching social and political themes embodied in his music, videos and public interviews. The intense emotional pull, messages and raw feelings that reverberate through the lyrics and sometimes disturbing video imagery of songs such as “They Don’t Care About Us,” “Heal the World,” “Earth Song,” and “Man in the Mirror” are gut-wrenching. A deeper analysis of Michael Jackson’s work reveals an individual with a burning concern for improving the lives of the disadvantaged and persecuted around the world. The passion and verve with which Jackson digs his hands into the soil and grasps the trees in his video for “Earth Song,” an operatic piece where he addresses environment and animal welfare, is a reflection of a leader of humanity who cares deeply about the issues he is challenging.

Global events in the weeks surrounding Jackson’s death alone directly mirror the complex problems for which he attempted to raise international awareness. In Iran and before the world’s eyes, civilian demonstrations were squashed and innocent victims like the young Neda Agha-Soltan brutally murdered by instruments of a totalitarian state. In Washington, D.C., a white supremacist motivated by pure hate attempted a killing spree at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, murdering an African American security guard in his rampage. In North Korea, U.S. journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee were unjustly sentenced to twelve years of hard labor to merely serve as international bargaining chips for an evil dictator. Michael Jackson spoke out loudly against these forms of racism and repression and attempted to ignite our passion to prevent the continuance of such abuse, neglect and discrimination. How are we now missing this message when it is even more crucial for it to be absorbed into the public mind? Not only do Michael Jackson’s cries of awakening continue to be ignored but his reputation continues to be smeared.

With the current fixation on the gruesome details surrounding Jackson’s physical demise, we have lost focus on the social relevance of Michael Jackson in our cultural timeline. Jackson’s symbol has the power to force what might be a difficult and uncomfortable period of public self-reflection. What progress has been made on the global humanitarian and civil rights issues that Jackson brought to light for the masses? What realistically still needs to be accomplished in each of these realms to actually make future progress? These are the crucial questions that need to be contemplated in the context of Michael Jackson’s death.

Many may ask why this controversial figure, a man who has been the subject of intense criticism and public backlash, should be given such gravity in framing public discourse over the day’s most important topics. Sometimes it takes one person, not just a political or spiritual leader, who stands out symbolically from the rest of society, to make that society reflect on the principles that it follows and the values it embraces. Jackson, throughout his life and in his death, has been ridiculed and revered, vilified and vaunted. In many respects, his story represents the highest possible highs and the lowest possible lows that life can present to a human being. Michael Jackson’s tremendous talent, success, wealth and public adoration were at odds with his extreme loneliness, fear, addiction and destruction of reputation by public opinion. In the end though, Michael Jackson was much more than an entertainer. His contributions to the entertainment field are no doubt profound. However, it is his broad cultural impact that truly transcends economic, social, political, racial, religious and generational barriers. Jackson rose from being simply a magical performer into becoming a humanitarian of historic import. He was a modern day messenger, a visionary storyteller who raised the level of consciousness for citizens across national boundaries. This level of contribution is what the social contract demands of those who are blessed with natural gifts, power and wealth.

Shouldn’t we then embrace and support people who are destined for this life mission instead of deriding them? As history progresses and Jackson’s symbol and work are analyzed in conjunction with the unfolding of human events, the important cultural relevance of his persona will be uncovered. Like a piece of classic Greek literature that embodies timeless themes of human striving and suffering, Michael Jackson’s canon and celebrity will come to hold a similar place in the modern day cultural pantheon. Why then was it necessary to shoot the messenger?

Martin Bashir’s highly controversial 2003 TV documentary, ‘Living with Michael Jackson’ is just one of the many examples of the ways in which Jackson was unfairly portrayed in the media. The documentary was a PR nightmare for the star. Bashir’s video interviews and commentary were cleverly edited as to purposely paint Jackson as a megalomaniac child molester. The film focused, in a highly negative manner, on the abuse Jackson suffered as a child at the hands of his father, the rumors behind his drastic physical transformation, his intense friendships with young boys, the nature of his past romantic relationships and questions concerning the genetic lineage of his children, among other sensitive topics. Bashir conveniently cut out footage that presented a countervailing impression of Jackson. Bashir’s documentary and Michael Jackson’s subsequent rebuttal, in the form of a TV special hosted by Maury Povich, provide a candid, never before seen glimpse into what made this man tick. In many respects, Michael Jackson was a lonely soul who found the greatest comfort isolated behind the gates of his Neverland ranch and in the company of animals, children, carnival rides and opulent possessions. In the last years of his life, Jackson became reclusive to the point that he was unable to function even within celebrity society due to the immensity of his fame and the parasitic attention drawn by even the briefest public appearance. Examining these interviews, it becomes clear that Michael Jackson is one of the most misunderstood figures in modern day popular culture.

The incessant media backlash against Michael Jackson throughout his career and now in his death is driven by the fact that Jackson, as a symbolic figure, forces us to look in the mirror and face the difficult and sometimes intractable problems of our society and in ourselves that we may not want to acknowledge. How dare he? Jackson brilliantly shines light on civilization’s accomplishments and failures in their most extreme forms. To be repulsed by the drastic transformation of his face was to simultaneously recognize the excessiveness of a beauty obsessed culture that allows money to change even the most fundamental components of our DNA. When looking and commenting on his mask, weren’t we also secretly acknowledging both the literal and figurative masks that we sometimes hide behind? Ironically, Michael Jackson’s physical changes led him to be branded as an “oddity” or “freak” by a media culture that promotes physical perfection through any means necessary. As Jackson proclaimed during his interviews with Bashir, “Plastic surgery was not invented for Michael Jackson!”

The child molestation charges brought against Jackson first in 1993 and again in 2005, for which he was skewered and roasted by the media and public, were baseless extortion attempts fueled by the petty greed and jealousy of his accusers. Despite settling the 1993 case and being acquitted of the 2005 charges, Michael Jackson’s commercial appeal and public image were severely damaged by the allegations. The child molestation charges against Jackson represented a modern day witch hunt in its most base form. Unfortunately for Jackson, the hunt was not localized to Salem but played out globally through the aid of modern media technology. The molestation charges were fueled by likely feelings of inadequacy in the parents of the alleged child victims who were so enamored by Jackson. Perhaps these parents did not believe that they could compete with the love and material fantasy that Michael Jackson provided to their children which caused them to lash out in desperation. Jealousy combined with greed is highly combustible. The media’s depiction of Michael Jackson as a plastic surgery obsessed eccentric made him an easy target and an unsympathetic victim. It just wasn’t believable that someone that acted and looked like him could be kind, sensitive, compassionate and loving. What was the motivation behind it all? What was wrong with him? There had to be something askew. What if Michael Jackson’s motivation was simply to give hope to those less fortunate? Was all of this then just the senseless destruction of a human being to satisfy our insecurities and quell our fears of the unknown and misunderstood.

As we reflect upon Michael Jackson’s life and now death, it is difficult not to feel sad for the man and view him in a tragic light. With all of his power, wealth and fame, he now lies before us like a bird crushed after being pelted repeatedly by outsized stones. Dejected, Jackson continued to turn inward, fearful of what the world he cared so deeply about changing for the better was throwing at him. The drugs just served as an opiate to the pain of an artist and humanitarian that was overburdened by a mission that he didn’t believe he accomplished.

Addicted, it was the greed of those surrounding Michael Jackson who continued to indulge his desires out of self-preservation. The numbness of the painkillers relieved the ache caused by knowing that despite what he sought to give and change in the society around him, the burden of his creations and the scathing critique it engendered had become too overwhelming for one person to sustain. Michael Jackson was a modern Sisyphus, the loin clothed man condemned to repeatedly pushing a rock up a mountain only to see it roll back down. Sadly though, our Sisyphus collapsed under the weight of his struggle.

Michael Jackson was inflated to the position of a pop deity, a mythical figure, only to be crucified and stoned by the media gods who created his success. His bold eccentricities lied outside of the norm of standard, socially acceptable behavior but were they necessarily illegal or wrong? No. Most of Michael Jackson’s actions were unconventional yet, at the same time, wasn’t the grandeur of his celebrity and global status beyond anything that modern day culture has ever witnessed? His grandeur, his eccentricity, each influenced and exaggerated the other.

It is undeniable that Michael Jackson’s immense celebrity and wealth allowed him to remove himself from mainstream society and observe the world from a privileged vantage point. Sometimes though, it takes that fortunate but isolated position to be able to make the least polluted social observations and ultimately produce the most effective societal commentary through art. Throughout history, the work and lives of multiple artists have been ridiculed and scorned by the public during their heyday, only to be placed posthumously into the canon of the Greats. It is without doubt that Michael Jackson will, in due course, garner this same level of critical acclaim as an artist and most importantly, as a humanitarian.

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On the author: Matt Semino is an attorney and legal analyst who reports on headline-grabbing celebrity and entertainment news. Matt offers an authoritative voice on the intersection of law with popular culture and society and has been featured as a legal expert in such national media as The Huffington Post, Forbes and CNBC. Matt is a graduate of Columbia Law School, Cornell University and is a Fulbright Scholar. He can be contacted at [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

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