Some Perspective On Michael Jackson

(See yesterday's political post below this one)

For decades, I liked and continue to like much of Michael Jackson's music. In fact, I wore out two cassette tapes of Thriller and finally got the CD, to which I still listen from time to time.

Michael Jackson was indeed a great musical artist and an amazing dancer (although Sammy Davis, Jr., could dance just as well and so proved in a live concert I attended). Certainly Michael Jackson enjoyed a lot more than fifteen minutes of fame. He was indeed a talented performer.

And, yes, it is a shame that Michael Jackson has died at such a young age. Of course, once the autopsy is completed, we may learn something scandalous as to his cause of death, and his image may be tarnished yet again. Furthermore, if one is honest, one has to admit that he was downright weird: dangling a baby from a window, uttering that "share your bed" line in a nationally televised interview some years ago, and undergoing plastic surgeries until his face no longer resembled himself but rather a decomposing cadaver.

Hat tip to Bloviating Zeppelin for the following video:



Read Bloviating Zeppelin's post HERE.

And let's face it. As Mustang points out in "Commensurate Honorarium," Michael Jackson was not a hero in the same category as Major Ed Freeman or Major Bruce Crandall, both of which are names which few Americans recognize.

Michael Jackson may deserve the title "The King of Pop." But unlike "The King," Elvis Presley, I don't recall this latest fallen superstar's singing one single patriotic song. Correct me if I'm wrong about Michael Jackson's lack of patriotism. (continued below)
-------
I will enjoy listening to and watching the tributes to Michael Jackson over the next several days. I'll probably even put Thriller on the stereo for another listen, sing along, and dance around the room. I may even get the film Thriller from NetFlix — after a long wait, of course.

It is also interesting to note that, once news of Michael Jackson's death became public, Twitter's ratings of most-frequent Tweets changed: information about what's been happening in Iran, the world's only Islamic theocracy being challenged, dropped way down on the list of "Trending Topics."

In my view, however, Michael Jackson was no American hero. Also in my view, the way America today chooses heroes speaks to the superficiality of our nation and of our culture.