tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2244179965818646686.post6078218187955780772..comments2014-09-16T18:23:59.867-04:00Comments on The Line by AlexanderKhan: Michael Jackson and the Death of the SuperstarAlexanderKhanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230593415564193226noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2244179965818646686.post-30539175236659926332009-07-12T09:14:58.516-04:002009-07-12T09:14:58.516-04:00Here's my problem with the whole "MJ Phen...Here's my problem with the whole "MJ Phenomenon". I was around when the Jackson 5 first arrived on the scene, and I loved them. I watched their cartoon and everything. <br />Once Michael became the big hit that he was in the 80s, I lost interest. In much the same vein as the Beatles, I don't understand what Michael Jackson did that was so different and superior from everyone else at the time. Yes, he sold more records than anyone, but selling a lot of records is often an indication of hype. And the American public are sheep; we've got to jump on the latest bandwagon, and that is as much responsible for these phenomena as anything else. <br /><br />To make matters worse, I never liked him as a person. (The record deal that he wouldn't sign until after Janet had signed hers so that he could be sure to ask for more money than her, and buying the Beatles catalog out from under Paul McCartney spring to mind.)<br /><br />Granted, he was mentally ill, and had he not been the meal ticket for so many, he probably would've gotten help rather than been allowed to lock himself up a la Howard Hughes and get progressively worse. <br /><br />Finally, the stuff with all the kids... It's tough to be icon enough to make that okay. Had anyone else on this planet done what Michael Jackson was accused of, that person would be rotting in jail, but no. It was "MICHAEL JACKSON", and he's off beat and quirky and has a pile of money, so abusing children is okay.<br /><br />No, he was never convicted, but there are as many guilty people not convicted as innocent people who are. (OJ Simpson, Ray Lewis to name two.) At the end of the day, I'm afraid for me, that overshadows his "greatness", and it's difficult to hold him up as any kind of icon or hero because of it.<br /><br />I'll be anonymous for now until I figure out how to choose a profile!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com