Battleship Reason

It is true that we all accept (even if only subconsciously) that life eventually has to come to a close. The death of a family member or a friend is something that changes us forever – their presence cannot be replaced, nor can we somehow forget the memories that now seem so bitter. The passing of a public icon on the other hand is something that usually leaves people feeling slightly sorry for the person and his family – but that is usually the extent of our emotion. Michael Jackson unfortunately, or fortunately, fits in neither category. He will certainly not leave a profound impact on our lives as a friend would, but at the same time, a world without Michael Jackson doesn’t seem the same. I suppose the simplest way I can put it is that he was loved. Although Britney Spears is quite famous, it is unlikely that her passing will be mourned by millions of people worldwide. She captivates our hearts, yet she does so only ever so briefly while we are listening to her music – or frowning over her latest exploits in personal life. MJ is… well, I’m at a loss of words to be honest. I’m not MJ’s fan, let us be frank, but I do enjoy his music, and of course, I am more than aware of all of the little scandals he has managed to involve himself in. Yet, despite that, MJ was and still is a living legend.

He was a brave individual, and I think our society did not give him enough credit for that bravery. He was one of the first black entertainers to break away from the usual perception of black entertainers – big brass bands and ‘Lordy lord!’ singing. His appearance on the pop scene, and the consequences, were similar to those of say Elvis Presley and The Beatles. He brought something new to our world, and we loved him for it. It wasn’t even the songs themselves – it was MJ as a person – the way he danced, the way he moved. He managed to take almost anything and somehow turn it magical. Some of his songs and videos were like watching Godfather choreographed with lots of flashy outfits. It sounds corny – but if anyone could pull it off, it was MJ. There are very few MJ songs that do not tickle your soul and send your feet tapping and flying off in directions. You know that you can never be cool as MJ, you can’t do the Moonwalk, but you want to be able to do it. We were at the same time jealous of how cool he was, and just admiring him with open, child-like eyes. Yes, child-like. Hm.

I’m not a bandwagon kind of person, so I don’t jump on the side of MJ’s fans, nor do I jump on the side of America’s concerned parents. In fact, I got my own little story about why MJ is the way he is. The reason for that, my dear friends, is that in the end, our security-driven society is full of bastards and bigots. I am prepared to accept that MJ’s desire to spend time with children is a reaction to a childhood he never had time to experience. What if – and bear with me on this one – the man was just deeply troubled and truly needed someone to talk to. But of course, since he is part of the showbiz, that was not allowed. Put on a fake smile MJ, cameras are watching! What if, in order to fight his own psyche, he retreated into a type of adult childhood – where he likes to be around children because they are innocent and not troubled with money, exploitation, sex, advancement, image, etc. What if he himself was a child at heart. In that case, the answer is quite simple. Children don’t think about sex. Which means that the society, of which we are all a part of, examined the man, decided he must be a dirty pervert – and consequently tried to take away what little sanity he has managed to find.

I think the society never did MJ justice. He entertained us, and he made us forget about the bad things in our lives. We could not even find it in our hearts to reciprocate the same. Even if he did have an unhealthy obsession, none of us thought we should help him along the road to recovery. No, instead we pounded on every piece of gossip we found about him. We illuminated and illustrated how different and how weird he was. We just cast him out further away from us, when we should have been thanking him for everything he has done for us.

MJ, I do hope that there is some form of heaven out there, and I hope that you’re Moonwalking your way between angels, laughing like a child.