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Let Michael Jackson Rest In Peace, Now!
A lot has been said of Michael Jackson now that he is dead. Indeed it would appear that his comeback tour could not have been as successful as his death in establishing without question his iconic status in the entertainment industry. Millions of people wept and expressed their condolences with the Jackson family when the news of Michael Jackson's death began to spread like wildfire. Also millions watched in the US and all around the world as the King of Pop was given a solemn funeral/memorial. The major news outlets have been awash with Michael coverage for many days.
Perhaps, it is time to stop now and move on.
The man has been saluted in grand style; his peers and an endless barrage of influential personalities have spoken favorably of him; the media (which ironically helped to demonize the man) has given way to lavish and unrestricted praise. And yes, Michael Jackson probably deserved all the adulation he has received.
But are we not overdoing it now? Has MJ suddenly transformed into a cult figure? Aren't we running the risk of deifying a man who despite his humanitarian engagements was also remarkably flawed? There is a lot that can be said but unless we are intent on making this man something grander than a national hero, perhaps it is time for the breathless and incessant adulation to subside. It is time to let Michael Jackson rest in peace and in the memories of all his loving fans. This ongoing attempt to dismiss all of Michael Jackson's human foibles, attack any fair criticism as racist and shove down fanatical, rose-scented reconfigurations down people's throats may ultimately prove to be ill-conceived.
It is inevitable that this non-malicious, simple request to allow MJ rest in peace will be misinterpreted in some quarters. But before anyone launches off into a tirade, remember that I stand to gain absolutely nothing from being overly adulatory or condemnatory. It is therefore very important to remember the following:
- When Michael Jackson was alive and needed help, understanding, friendship and solidarity he was rejected essentially by American Whites and American Blacks. He was ridiculed and mocked for going out of his way to bleach is skin—a move that many Black people interpreted as a sign of some deep inferiority complex about his own skin color and a strenuous attempt at ingratiating himself to the white American community. It is true that the Jacksons played a pivotal role in the acceptance of Blacks into the mainstream entertainment industry, but many black people, while he was still living, could not understand nor indeed forgive a man who bleached his skin, surgically straightened his nose somewhat, changed the texture and nature of his natural hair, wore a glove, carried an umbrella to hide from the sun, and spoke like a 10 year old white girl!
- Many American whites especially elements in the mainstream media were altogether not too happy about the global popularity of Michael Jackson. In their minds, if Michael Jackson was not destroyed somehow, he might actually turn out to be a bigger star than Elvis Presley ever was. The idea that it can ever be said that some black entertainer was the biggest American entertainer was a prospect that many in the white establishment were not too comfortable with. It didn't help matters either when it seemed that Michael Jackson appeared to seek the exclusive company of white women for any sort of heterosexual interaction/companionship—whether as a wife, girlfriend, or a surrogate. It became a classic case of whites looking at Michael Jackson as a man who desparately wanted to be more than what he actually was; a man whom in their estimation is laughably pathetic despite the fact that modern cosmetic surgery had all but recast him as a white person. The edifice of hypocrisy and false modesty about Michael Jackson on the part of the white establishment was gladly collapsed when allegations of pedophilia were launched against him. It was the much-needed avenue for the spillage of previous cautiously guarded bile.
- In the end, there is no denying the fact that the man felt alone and lonely. He was indeed a man haunted by his personal demons. He missed his childhood and was driven to desperate traits for attention and love. It manifested itself in bizarre paranoid ways and it could have contributed to his severe drug addiction. I am not sure that after his autopsy the family will release the cause of death if it is found that Michael Jackson serially abused more severe drugs than people imagined. It is the reason why this man needs to be allowed to rest in peace; the endless attempts by the media to present a larger-than-life image of Michael Jackson by their hypocritical praise-worship (hypocritical when one understands that it was the same media that hounded, caricatured, criticized and victimized him) may backfire when people decide to examine him more critically after this period of mourning. Enough is enough!
I shall not bother posting some of his more memorable videos on this blog post. No one can claim to need any sort of reminders about Michael Jackson's songs. In any case, there are a thousand and one places anyone can find his songs if they bother to look—that is assuming that not everyone already has an album or two of his. All I can say is: "It is time for people to really let Michael Jackson rest in peace!"
