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Thursday, July 9, 2009

Opinion / News A different perspective on Michael Jackson

Posted By on Thu, Jul 9, 2009 at 1:55 PM

Everyone is tired of the talk of Michael Jackson by this point, but I recently read someone's blog with a different perspective on the whole thing.

It seems like most people were taking a musical genius vs. pedophile stance when it comes to Jackson's legacy, but if you throw aside any trials and criminal possibilities and look at Jackson when it comes to his legacy of music and race, there's an interesting argument here.

Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez points out that while many people say Jackson broke down a race barrier because people of all races liked his music, there were many artists before him that enjoyed the popularity of a widespread audience — Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Louis Armstrong, Cab Calloway, and the list goes on.

I guess it comes down to a worldwide love of his music to staggering numbers, but that's also because of television and various media that would make familiarity more possible than in the old days?

She also comments about his race, which I won't get into here. I'll let you read it for yourself. It's just another perspective on the situation.

One opinion I've shared with friends, that has come under fire, is the fact that one month ago, it seemed like no one cared about Michael Jackson. Sure, people were buying tickets to his London shows, but you weren't listening to his music all over the place, you weren't hoping for a new album... you were wondering if he'd put the shows on or cancel them like he did for the first few. You wondered whose children those kids really were. You waited for his nose to fall off in a public place. You wondered if another child would come out of the woodwork and allege crimes against him. You laughed off rumors of a Jackson 5 reunion. You waited for some other ridiculous action by the man who held his baby named "Blanket" over the railing, tried to buy the elephant man's bones and slept in a hyperbolic chamber.

Remember his contributions to the music world, his artistry, his ability to take celebrity to a whole new level, but don't forget all the other things that caused him to disappear from the public eye for the last 10 years. This does not mean I don't like his music, that I don't respect his contributions, etc. It just means that I look at the whole picture and not just pieces.

Anyway - everyone has their own opinion. No one's right, no one's wrong. That's the beauty of a free country. Would the concerts have gone on as planned? Would he have done a Jackson 5 reunion? Would he have released another album? Would he have disappeared from the limelight completely? We'll never know...

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