Legendary pop singer Micheal Jackson passed away 2 days ago from cardiac arrest.
He started out in the music industry as a pre-teen child singing as a member of the Jackson 5! Later, he became a solo singer, and becoming the world's biggest superstar,his concerts filling out stadiums worldwide!
His music crossed multiple genres, from disco, hard rock, hip-hop, R&B!
His dance moves inspired younger stars like Hammer, Sean "Puffy" Combs, Usher, Justin Timberlake and Chris Brown!
He was also a trend setter in making expensive music videos with special effects!
However, he was also very controversial!
The most serious controversy dealt with allegations of sexually abusing young boys! While criminal charges were pressed, one case was settled out of court, and he was acquitted in another case!
Another controversy was "loyalty to the race"! Jackson was of African-American ancestry and early in his career, his skin was dark. However, his skin come lighter to the point that it was lighter than most Europeans. Jackson mentioned this was due to a disease called vitiligo which makes the skin lighter. However, others said Jackson "bleached" his skin!
Jackson also had multiple plastic surgeries, with some facial features changed to a more European-looking features! This was partly due to his older brothers making fun of his big nose when he was growing up! They probably didn't realize how badly he'll internalize their mockery!
There were also the issue of sexual orientation! While Jackson was married several times to women, however there were rumors of being homosexual! There were also accusations that Jackson made tough songs like "Beat It", "Bad", etc to bring a more macho image to cover his allegedly feminine tendencies!
This whole femininity/masculinity thing has been overblown! Most people have feminine AND masculine traits within themselves! Just because one isn't a traditionally masculine person, that doesn't mean that person is gay! And even if that person is gay, that doesn't make them a bad person! Also, one can speak in a gentle voice and still show signs of toughness!
More thoughts
1) where was I when I found out about the news
I was working at a pre-school as a substitute, when someone mentioned his death was announced on the radio!
Being that Jackson was subject of so many rumors in his lifetime, I was skeptical of hearing of his death!
Eventually, it sunk in that it wasn't a joke!
The radio was playing Jackson's song and at least staff member mentioned she was trying not to cry when hearing his songs on the radio!
The parents picking up their kids were also talking about it too!
2) Micheal Jackson was known to enjoy being with children! Then came the accusations of sexual abuse!
I am not even going to talk about if those accusations are true!
However, there's this perception that if a male works with young children, that he must be a "molester"
I work as a substitute teacher with various age groups! I started working mostly with middle/elementary students, but now work with preschoolers as well!
The one place sexual abuse is LEAST LIKELY TO HAPPEN is at a pre-school!
Think about it! Those sick enough to abuse kids would do it in a private place where no witnesses could be around!
Private places don't exist in a pre-school! Every room is easily accessible to staff members and the kid's parents! The preschool directors, janitors, food service staff, etc are constantly moving between rooms that there is no privacy at all! Even the kid's bathrooms are easily visible from the outside, where the other staff members who happen to be passing by can see which kid is fooling around, which kid just vomitted, etc!
If you don't believe me, just visit any preschool!
Where you really need to worry about your children being molested is when they're being babysat by relatives or family friends. That is the situation for the OVERWHELMING MAJORITY of sexual abuse of young children! These things happen behind closed doors!
Kids need role models of both genders!
It is dangerous to have kids think only women take care of kids! Boys who think that way tend to abandon their fatherhood duties as they grow older! Girls who think that way tend to hate men, and act negatively even to positive-minded males!
It is essential that boys with single mothers have a male role model in their schools! Some of those boys mothers are immigrants with no relatives nearby! Some of those boys' mothers were abused by family members and refuse to have their child around those same family members! So no uncles, no grandpas, no male cousins around to give them a male role model!
If you are a 4 year old boy in those situations, who is your main male role model? Cartoon characters!
This isn't a joke! Boys naturally want to look up to older males! Cartoon characters, pro athletes and entertainers aren't enough! They need male role models in their everyday life!
If the boy grows up with a single mother, you're dam right he'll benefit from having a male role model working in his pre-school!
And a girl with a single mother can benefit from having a positive male role model in their schools, pre-school and up! That way, they understand that "men are NOT pigs"
3) Also on the accusations on Michael Jackson, I remember when I was working at Palama Settlement summer program, we had a talent show for the kids to show their parents the dances they learned!
At the end of the show, the kids sing an inspirational song!
The songs were "Heal the World" by Micheal Jackson and "The World's Greatest" by R Kelly!
Those songs are great songs. But I also mentioned to some staff members that some parents might objects that kids singing songs by singers accussed of .... abusing kids!
Now, both Micheal Jackson and R. Kelly were found NOT guilty in criminal court!
If God finds both men Not Guilty, I'll apologize for expressing concerns about kids singing those songs!
4) On Jackson's fading skin color, some claimed Jackson bleached it on purpose!
Again, I'll let God judge that one!
I do however, remember reading an article reading about girls in several Asian countries bleaching their skin to an "European ideal"
I am very skeptical about those reports!
I'm in Hawaii and I'm around Asians ALL THE TIME! I don't know a single one that wants to bleach their skin!
In fact, I know plenty of Asians who get suntans, and embrace the trends associated with those darker than them (ie. African-Americans, Jamaicans and Native Hawaiians)!
I'm assuming those girls in Asia who bleach their skin are an extremely tiny minority!
If your daughter wanted to bleach her skin, that's a serious issue! But those news reports of Asian girls bleaching their skin are acting as if it's a "widespread thing", they're doing so for the purpose of ratings and controversy! This is an extreme exaggeration!
5) After a celebrity's death, people appreciate that celebrity more than when he/she was alive!
I occasionally listened to some Micheal Jackson songs, but I spent a lot more time listening to other people's stuff!
But as I'm writing this, I'm listening to Micheal Jackson's songs
My favorites include "Black or White", "Jam", "Beat It", "Rock with You", "Man in the Mirror", "Heal the World".
So why do people tend to like a celebrity after their death!
I commented on this issue on Kim Fassler's blog on Heath Ledger last year
http://quarterlifecafe.honadvblogs.com/2008/08/01/is-ledgers-joker-oscar-worthy/
Here is my commentary
Pablo Wegesend: August 2nd, 2008 at 11:07 am
A lot of times, we don't appreciate the great entertainers when they are alive because we take them for granted. It is only when they die, when it hits us that they won't be coming up with new material, and we start to appreciate their body of work then!
The great thing about YouTube is you get to see old music video and hear old songs.
Being that I was born in 1980, I was a teenager in the 1990's. By then, the rock group Queen and the funk group Zapp were no longer current hits. Those a decade older than me know what it's like to listen to their songs as current hits. People of my generation didn't have that chance!
Queen's frontman (Freddie Mercury) died in 1991, Zapp's frontman (Roger Troutman) died in the late 1990's, which by that time, Zapp was known more for having their songs sampled by West Coast rap artists.
But now with YouTube, I get to understand what my generation was missing out, and understand those a decade older than me consider them legends!
Thank you YouTube for preserving the art of Queen and Zapp for future generations!
-----------
Last year, I mentioned Roger Troutman in my blog.
Troutman made hits at the same time Jackson was at his peak! However, while I like Troutman's stuff better than Jackson's, Jackson's art was more visually oriented (ie dance moves and music videos) so he overshadowed Troutman!
However, here's what I wrote about Troutman's group Zapp and the song "Computer Love"
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2008_10_01_archive.html#1432115951750057342
Zapp had a song that basically predicted the future!That song was called "Computer Love" and it came out in 1986
In 1986, computers were mostly used to type papers and play video games. That was it! There was NO myspace, NO facebook, NO online dating websites! There was NO i-tunes, NO Napster, NO watching movies online, NO online music sharing! The Internet was still in the process of being invented. It wasn't in middle class homes, nor was it accessible in public libraries! Almost no one in America had access to e-mail. People had cell phones, but there were NOT the kind that can easily fit into pockets like the ones today! There were no "ringtones", it had no "memory", it couldn't take photos, it was used for calling and that was IT!
Yet, Roger Troutman was singing about finding his sweetheart on the computer, seeing her face on a computer screen!
Roger Troutman would be amazed by how his futuristic fantasy came true if he came back to life today!
------
This year, Lil Kim had an updated version of "Computer Love"! This time, it's called "Download" featuring T-Pain and Charlie Wilson (who was the back-up singer on the original version of "Computer Love")
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZDh8wdh8CY
---
Troutman passed way a decade ago this year! I encourage everyone to check out his stuff with Zapp on YouTube and myspace! You get to hear an over-looked legend!
