Michael, Ebony Magazine & the Raging Debate over Innocence, Race & Music

http://www.ebonyjet.com/michael_jackson/

This is a song for the genius child. Sing it softly, for the song is wild. Sing it softly as ever you can - Lest the song get out of hand.
Nobody loves a genius child.
Can you love an eagle, Tame or wild? Can you love an eagle, Wild or tame? Can you love a monster Of frightening name?
Nobody loves a genius child.
Kill him - and let his soul run wild.
Langston Hughes

I always think of Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Berry Gordy, Joe Jackson, Shakespeare, Michelangelo, Langston Hughes, WEB DuBois, Malcolm X, Farrakhan, Martin Luther King, Jr., and a litany of others when I read this poem. It also brings to mind the fact that true genius is only appreciated when it's at its height or when it's gone. Is Michael Joseph Jackson, King of Pop, a musical/creative genius? YES! Is he the greatest entertainer of all time? Depending on your criteria, the answer may be YES. In my opinion, if you look at his stats, then the answer should definitely be YES! Why is there so much hatred towards him and of him? Some may be jealous. Others are just born to criticize, I guess. Still others have a sense of righteous entitlement that obviously makes them feel that it's their job to police Michael and every other celebrity when they fall too far below our "PERFECT" radar....when Michael and others start to seem a little too human, regular, normal....flawed like the rest of us, these kinds of people are ready to attack. It reminds me of the violence-loving savages that flock to watch two people fight rather than rushing in to stop it! They love the thrill of the kill....like many love watching Michael be criticized...watching a star fall as I've heard some say.

Just as there would be no MJJ without the existence of Africa, slaves, negro spirituals, gospel music, r&b music, soul music, country music, rock & roll music, jazz music, Joe & Katherine Jackson, Sammy Davis, Jr. , Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, Nicholas Brothers, Ray Charles, Quincy Jones, Little Richard, James Brown, Jackie Wilson, Marvin Gaye, Temptations, Supremes, Motown, J5, JACKSONS and CBS/Epic Records, there would be no JUSTIN, USHER, CHRIS BROWN, NEW EDITION, New Kids on the Block, NSync, Backstreet Boys, Immature/IMX, Marcus Houston, Omarion, Ne-Yo, Pharell, etc. without Michael Jackson! I'm not just talking about his singing and dancing skills...those are obvious to anyone. We know the moves when we see them even if it's some young artist today doing them. I'm talking about the way in which he does what he does - receiving inspiration from the heavens, beatboxing melodies into recorder or on a rough track in the studio, then layering that with sounds from the board, doing his own foreground and background vocals (he was among the first if not THE first to do this), earning $.75 of every $1 from Thriller (royalties never heard of before his time...in the 1980's). Making millions from tours and endorsement deals. Making smart purchases, like the Beatles catalog or real estate. Whether we like it or not, Michael is part of the fabric that made American music what it is. He made CBS/Epic/Sony records. He made MTV (before him only 1 demographic was really tuning in...since him, well...we see what MTV has become). Say what you want about his personal life (which to me is still wrong but people will be people), musically NO ONE ALIVE CAN TOUCH HIM! SO, BOW DOWN!

I think that as a society we are so critical of one another and this is amplified for anyone in the public eye. We expect our pop icons to be perfect- physically, socially, spiritually, mentally, but they are not and neither are we. The harsh reality of no longer having our love and attention and adoration forces stars to do unspeakable things to themselves - drugs, surgeries, alcohol, sex addictions and other destructive behaviors- to maintain the image of the kind of person they think WE want them to be. We (well not me) wanted Michael to remain that cute 9 year old of the J5. It was obvious when teen years, acne and hereditary skin disorders hit, that this was not going to be the case for Michael. Not only was he ridiculed by family, but the public, as well- making an already fragile mind and heart even moreso. I think it's interesting that Michael, the greatest entertainer in the world (a man who was loved by millions) would have low self esteem amidst all his fame and glory. We have seen Michael's pleas for understanding as a weakness, as a sign of femininity, as the con of a pedophile. We don't consider the fact that maybe WE (THE PUBLIC, THE FANS...EX FANS AND FAIRWEATHER FANS) are partly to blame for this Michael we see today. Why can't we just see his plea for what it is? A plea for love and understanding. Wouldn't we do the same for a child that wasn't famous? In the field of education and social services, when someone asks for help they aren't ridiculed, they are helped and supported. I guess it's easier for society to throw him away now that many rode him to wealth (media, record execs, etc)!

It's crazy to me that people focus so much on his looks and nationality when so many Blacks pass for white or don't look Black or have never dated any other Blacks once they hit the limelight don't receive the same kind of criticism. It's fine for Mariah Carey or Tiger Woods to be on the cover when they don't overly profess their blackness but MJ can't? RAce is only .1% of who we are as human beings....it's internal...it's at the level of DNA so why does it preoccupy so much of our social psyche? I, like many of you, prefer Michael’s looks from before (my favorite pics are along the right sound...scroll down a bit), but we can’t go back into the past so let’s just deal with it! I know a lot of people who wish they could go back to the way they looked 10 years ago much less 30 years ago! Can’t we appreciate him as a musician and not criticize the man personally? Who made us God? It’s not up to the media or us to criticize the individuals that God puts before us as geniuses – whether they be musicians like Michael or activists like MLK, Jr (criticized for reportedly having an affair).

As far as him being a molester, none of us were there. None of us sat on a jury. The jury declared him innocent. None of us should look to the media and mass hysteria to be our eyes and ears. As far as I’m concerned it seems fishy to me – I don’t know any parent that would be cool with their child being molested …so cool that they’d accept a check, trips, shopping sprees, spa treatments, free rent, potential business deals,cars, etc to keep their mouths shut! Why is it that money was enough for these parents? Could it be there is more to the story than we know? Besides, I don’t know any 13 year old boys that willing let grown men molest them and I don’t think that Michael would be stupid enough to do it considering how much public attention he gets. I agree that he doesn’t get that people are creeped out by him talking about kids and that he doesn’t answer questions in the best ways, but I don’t think being socially inept makes him a pedophile. I try not to judge a fragile book by its damaged cover.

Just as the world has always underestimated the power of the Original (Black) Man, they underestimate the gifts and talents God instilled in Michael Jackson. I see his whole life as a test - just as we all have great trials or tests in our own lives. God sends us through hardship to make us humble. Maybe Michael needed some humbling. He's definitely getting time to practice it. To those who are practicing "hateration," I urge you not to await his slinking away into the sidelines because it's not in him. He wasn't born on this Earth to be average, ordinary, regular, normal...he was given a gift to share with the world and no one can escape their destiny even when they are faced with hardship. It was his destiny to be here...to be born the 7th child of 10 and not 9. The baby before him died, so he was viewed as a blessing (hence, his Biblical name which means "he who resembles God" or "he who is like God". Reference to archangel Michael). His very existence is a miracle... to not live out his destiny would be an afront to the Creator himself!

Like the mythical phoenix, Michael continues to re-emerge from the flames of hatred, lies, bitterness, despair, depression, anger, unhappiness, sadness, deception, drama that the world creates in his life. Yes, he looks different...perhaps, a representation of the transformations in his life or just a painful reminder of the scares of a wounded angel/soldier/survivor/human.

Yes, he has been accused of molestation and has spent a lot of time with children over the years....perhaps this is due to a state of transference in his psyche - maybe he had to live out his childhood dreams as an adult because he was too busy entertaining us when he should've been out playing or out on a date! Isn't that what many of our rappers are doing...living out childish fantasies before our very eyes (even if their fantasies involve misogynistic practices)?

Yes, he hasn't had a traditional marriage and family life...perhaps a product of a child not really seeing normal marriages growing up in the entertainment industry.

Yes, he has had plastic surgery....perhaps due to low self esteem and a fat enough bank account to change what he didn't like. How many human beings love everything about their appearance? I can run off a list of things I'd change. We'd be hypocrites to say that as a society we aren't obsessed with our physical appearances - otherwise doctor 90210, top model, beauty & the geek, the bachelor, girls gone wild and biggest loser wouldn't be popular.

I don't know how you interpret this article - a fan's blind ranting, an attempt at seeing all sides, or as a social commentary. Actually, it's all three. The point is though....don't we really have more important things to do than criticize Michael Jackson for his imperfections?