Michael Jackson’s death suggests we need to get our priorities straight.
Riots in Iran, North Korea threatening to launch a missile in the direction of the USA, and a climate change bill in congress that could devastate this country’s economy; and what had almost non-stop news coverage for 24 hours and beyond? Michael Jackson.
His death is sad and the way he lived his life is even sadder, but to forsake real news coverage in order to speculate on the cause of Jackson’s death and rehash his bizarre behavior is excessive. Just as he was excessive as a free-spending recluse, a possible drug addict, a suspected pedophile, and a person who acted more like a child than a man. His lifestyle, in the minds of many, overshadows his extraordinary talent and the revolutionary affect he had on pop music. Does our fascination with celebrity warrant the virtual shutting down general news reporting to concentrate on this event?
As a pre-boomer, I can recall major events that stopped the world on its axis. First it was Pearl Harbor, then the ending of the wars in both Europe and Japan. Later the country faced withdrawal from Vietnam and more recently the terrorists’ attacks on the World Trade Center. As for the deaths of individuals, there was the passing of President Roosevelt and the assignation of President Kennedy. On the celebrity level, the deaths of Elvis Presley, John Lennon and Princess Diana were big but not this big.
Maybe it’s the 24/7 cable news networks that have blown the Jackson death out of proportion. Or, it could be the times we live in, causing us to lose ourselves in outside stories rather than deal with the internal strife brought on by today’s problems. Of course, the controversy surrounding Jackson makes for great news. Is this the news we want to hear or is it what the TV networks chose to promote in order to garner viewers? The cable people and the blogs were all over this story and enhanced it whenever possible. This forced the broadcast networks to reciprocate along with radio and the print media. It’s the proverbial snow ball rolling down the hill gaining mass and increasing speed as it plummets to an ultimate end.
After several days of intense coverage about Jackson, we’re back to normal. However, there are many questions unanswered, since the exact cause of death won’t be known for weeks to come. In the meantime, we are still confronted with unrest in the middle-east, a mad man with a bomb, and more questionable bills moving through congress.
There was another person who died a few hours before Jackson passed. Farrah Fawcett lost her several-year battle with cancer a few hours earlier. The story of her courageous fight took a backseat to the news about the “king of pop.” But, she was brave until the end while Jackson tried to escape from his perceived physical pain and real emotional discomfort through drugs. We can learn more from the way Farrah fought to live rather than the way Jackson tried to run away from life.
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