As I am writing this, I am certain many of you are watching via TV, Internet, or Cell phone, the memorial service for Michael Jackson. A great deal of you are also doing so while at work, hoping that your company doesn't find out that you are watching a memorial for a pop star instead of working. First let me assure you, your secret is safe with me. I, too, partook in the elevated spectacle that is taking place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. With that said, I will ask your forgiveness as I go off on a tangent related to today's events.
As I watched the service unfold a nagging thought kept creeping into my head. A thought I am sure has come to many others who are watching or covering this event. That thought was: why don't we honor others like we are Michael Jackson? Or as a follow up to that: why do we elevate our celebrities to a level reserved for deities? To be blunt, Michael Jackson was a singer and dancer, that is all. Now was he talented? Of course. Did he deserve the attention? Sure. I am not disputing Mr. Jackson's talents. He was a talented man whose music touched many lives. But again, he was just a man who sang and danced, and entertained millions as a result.
I am disturbed by how the media and us, the general populace, are turning his memorial into a must-see event. How we are in some ways declaring it a National and International holiday (sadly one that does not include time off of work, sigh). I am left to wonder though why do we not grieve for the 4000+ American soldiers who have given their lives bravely fighting a war a great majority of us disapprove of? Why is there not a national event in which we allow the families of those soldiers to walk onto a stage and tell us about them, while images of each of them is broadcast on a large screen for all to see? I understand that in many cases military families desire their privacy more than media attention. I respect those desires in fact. The bigger point here is that we have our priorities screwed up.
We shed many tears and grieve for a man the vast majority of us did not know or never would have known. We devote countless hours of our day to watch him immortalized and mourned. Why? I am not saying we shouldn't care. Empathy is collectively one of our greatest assets. It just bothers me the level we take things to sometimes. We honor and mourn singers and actors, but fail to mourn those true heroes among us. It just doesn't seem right to me.
My second nagging question- why we elevate celebrities like we do?- is one that many have been asking in the wake of Michael Jackson's death. I read an interesting article last night regarding that very point on Yahoo. The gist of it was that we form a bond with these celebrities. A bond not dissimilar to that which we form with our families. That is why when a celebrity, like Michael Jackson per se, dies, many react to it as they would had they lost a loved one. Personally, I don't understand it. I have never gotten overly broken up over a celebrity's death. I am saddened often by the circumstances of their death or the loved ones they leave behind. But I have never mourned a celebrity's death like I would the loss of a sibling or parent. Perhaps I am different than many of you out there. Or perhaps many of you in deep mourning for Mr. Jackson have been overexposed to the celebrity obsessed media. Perhaps you, due to either lack of will power or self esteem, have nothing meaningful in your lives so you live through celebrities.
It is sad really that so many out there lack meaning in their own lives that they need to live through others. I feel for them and wish they could find something to become invested in, something to care about. I don't want to come off mean-spirited or hateful toward those deeply affected by Michael Jackson's death. I harbor no ill will toward any of you out there who mourn the loss of the King of Pop. But, the truth is that I don't understand that state of being or that point of view. In fact, I doubt I ever will.
The point of this blog was for me to express my confusion over all the hoopla surrounding Mr. Jackson's memorial. It was also meant to explore, on the surface, why we look at our celebrities the way we do. I am not seeking to provide an explanation to either of these issues. I just felt the need to address them. To those of you reading this, I am not condemning you if you shed a tear or two this afternoon as you watched or if you did not shed a tear at all. I think everyone grieves in their own way and should be allowed to do so. I just feel we should try to understand why. The King of Pop is gone. He will be laid to rest today or soon. Tomorrow I hope we are able to move forward from the events of today and get back to what is truly important. Rest in Peace Michael.
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