Michael Jackson

As I write this...we have all learned that the legendary King of Pop, Michael Jackson has passed away.

Like many, the report of his death was unexpected.

Or was it?

It seems to me that the real Michael Jackson never got a chance to exist. A child forced to play the part of an adult. An adult desperately reaching for his childhood.

One word:

Misunderstood.

In this time of overhyped, bullshit "celebrities" we should all take a moment and experience the sacrifices this man made for the sole purpose of entertaining us. Seriously, got to YouTube, search Michael Jackson.....I'll wait....

As a child I danced in my room with 'Bad' blaring from my stereo. As an adult I still feel that same connection. I seriously doubt that we will ever find that again. Our pop stars today are disposable and repetitive. Our culture finances the empty caloric value of reality television and Spid-e or whatever-the-fuck-that-couple's-name-is. It's a sad state of affairs all around today, to put it mildly.

We have lost our appreciation for showmanship. We have lost our ability to enjoy art. We have become jaded and dysfunctional.

Was Michael Jackson a weird guy? Hell yes. Was he evil? I don't think so. We are so quick to devour, to parade the truth that media feeds us that we forget to pause. It's easy to demonize Michael Jackson, it's easy to make the pedophilia jokes. What isn't easy is to accept the fact that we made Michael Jackson. We gave him fame and in turn, shit on him when his demons became a little too real.

An abused child turns into a billionaire weirdo. Sounds familiar, except that these stories usually occur in trailer parks, not on MTV.

What have we learned from Michael Jackson's life??

Don't be an asshole. Just be yourself.

People might poke fun. But, at the end of the day, you can still look at the Man in the Mirror.

R.I.P MJ