"I Want You Back"... But Not Literally

With all due respect to the dead, I feel no sadness today. We lost the "King of Pop," and all I feel is... neutral. It's terrible to say, I know, but I don't really care.

A Big Deal?

The big hoopla that typically accompanies the death of a celebrity never sits well with me, especially when I never really knew (or cared to know) much about that celebrity when they walked the earth. When a well-known actor dies, I just kinda say "That sucks," and continue about my daily routine. Just recently, Gary Pappas passed away. I was too young (or else appreciated sports too late) to appreciate his work, and when he died, I can't say I was terribly upset. Even when the Pope died, I just kind of acted sad because I didn't want to go to hell.

Maybe it's not fair for me to compare Michael Jackson, Gary Pappas, and the Pope. But what we can learn from all three of these examples is that people have every right to grieve after the passing of a celebrity, especially if you are someone who had legitimate affection for that person and an appreciation for their work during their lifetime.

People like Justin Timberlake or ?uestlove should and will be saddened by the loss of someone who so obviously inspired them. It's just like an aspiring Catholic priest would be saddened because the Holy Father has passed. These important people inspired thousands or millions, so if you truly are a better person because of Michael, then weep all you want. That's one of my problems I guess...

"I Want You Back" is about the only damn Michael Jackson I like.

Feigning Interest

This being said, it irks me when someone who didn't give a single shit about Jackson before today are now suddenly acting like their idol is gone.

Why does this irk me? Probably because I'm a petty fuck. But I was in work today when the news broke that the Moonwalker was gone, and even the damn old people were upset. Why? When did you ever care about Jackson when he was alive? When was the last time you popped in Off the Wall? You belittled him when he hung his child over a fourth-story balcony, but now you lost your idol?

I'm all about sympathizing with people who are truly saddened by this loss, but don't pretend to be sad just because it's trendy.

Then again, if I died, I hope some people would at least pretend to be sad.

Trivialization

One thing I pondered for a long time today was about the recent trend to update your Facebook or Twitter about a celebrity death. That's actually how I hear about most deaths first—someone has it as their FB status. And I'm wondering, is this a fitting tribute for someone, or does it trivialize his or her death?

On one side, I'm sure Michael is smiling in his grave over the fact that he is a trending topic on Twitter (which basically means a shit ton of people are tweeting about him—I know, great, right). But at the same time, what does that say about society that the first thing we do when we hear about a death is run off to a social networking system?

I feel like it's the equivalent of people going to concerts just so they can say they went. "Oh, is this Coldplay? I was TOTALLY at their concert May of 2007. They were pretty good." So too will people say, "Yeah, I was TOTALLY one of the first people to tweet about the death of that Charlie's Angel." Shouldn't we be, like, saying a prayer or something, instead of texting and tweeting?

Then again, whatever you need to do to mourn.

Revisionist Media Treatment

Hey, remember that time Michael Jackson's nose fell off after too many surgeries? Remember that time MJ almost dropped his son out of a window? Remember when he opened up his own theme park so he could sleep with little boys, like that kid from Home Alone? Remember when he made out with Lisa Marie Presley? Remember the 2001 song "You Rock My World"?

Neither do I. See, after a celebrity dies, we focus on all the good things, like his incredible success across all forms of media, his beloved musical craft, and the way his work inspired all musicians. Child molestation? Never happened.

I guess I can reluctantly get behind some treatment. Focusing on the positives, forgetting about past mistakes, that's a legitimate way of dealing with a death. No one sits around at their uncle's funeral and talks about how he committed insurance fraud while battling alcoholism. They sit around and tell funny stories that put the uncle in a positive light. They talk about the good he did for his family and the community.

It would be insulting to continue to obsess over how much of a buffoon, an ass, and a laughingstock Michael Jackson became in later years. He did a great deal of good for people.

Still, I maintain that "I Want You Back" was the pinnacle of his career.

Rest in peace, Michael Jackson. I guess.

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UPDATE—03/14/2019—For anyone who gives a shit, my thoughts on Michael Jackson are a lot different now than they were in 2009. Please read this if the above blog post has horrified you as it now horrifies me.