Padd Solutions

Here's my thoughts on MJ...

Like Madelyn says, media coverage is practically all MJ, all the time. Unlike her, though, I'm not surprised. With the tabloidization of mainstream media, a sensational story like the King Of Pop will dominate. News corporations care more about the bottom line than reporting that will benefit people's lives, unfortunately. And, in all honesty, we the people share some of the blame. If we didn't gobble this stuff up like we were starving, then the news would saturate coverage of it.

I'm a rock/metal guy, but I always liked Michael Jackson. I'm 36, so I'm old enough to remember when MJ exploded onto the scene in the early '80s. The label "King of Pop" is absolutely true--from the early '80s through at least the early '90s, there was MJ, and no one else! When Thriller first came out in '83, it just turned the world of music on its head. My favorite song is "Billie Jean." He was a true genius, and is rightfully mourned all around the world. I think we'll never see another like him.

In fairness, though, he was a flawed genius, like most geniuses are. You can't talk about MJ without the controversies that surrounded him. That's why I'm a little upset with some figures in the African-American community. I'm probably going to get into trouble for this, but it's really bothering me. Jamie Fox on the BET award summed up the feeling when he said "He was one of us, we just shared him with everyone else."

I think MJ would be the first to disagree. Although he obviously was proud of his African-American roots, he went out of his way to embrace people of all races, all genders, all religions, all creeds. Maybe Jamie should listen to "Black or White." Or maybe turn on the tube and he'll see that people all over the world, in Europle, in Asia, in Africa, right here in the USA, are mourning his loss. Or maybe that would too badly screw up Jamie's narrow view of the world.

You know, I think this is the reason we can't have an honest discussion of race in this country. I get the feeling some people, like Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, and other race-hustlers, would like nothing better than for it to be Selma, Alabama 1958 all over again. If we ever did really move to a color-blind society like Dr. King envisioned, a lot of people would be out of work.

Now, I'm not naive. I know that racism still exists. I've never been followed in the department store, and have never been pulled over for DWB. But, for crying out loud, Michael Jackson did his best to bridge the race gap all over the world. Sure, it's appropriate to celebrate his African-American roots, but sorry, Jamie, he belonged to all of us. That's what should be remembered.