My friend sent me an email and I would like to share his take on the Michael Jackson death and funeral and my response to him.
His email to me: "What do you think about Michael Jackson? I think it is all overdone. I feel Michael Jackson was talented in an androgynous kind of way. Not really my style. He did not stir my soul. In my view, Bruce Springsteen had more soul than Michael Jackson."
My email response to him:
Michael Jackson achieved what was thought to be impossible to the black world community. He paved the way for other black people in so many spheres and did so much to help black people all over the world. There are so many entertainers who are entertainers now because of him. He is a role model to so many.
I don't think his funeral was overdone. Actually, I thought it was underdone because as an artist he was larger than life. If he was alive and giving away free tickets to a concert more people would have showed up but people were told not to show up in the vicinity without a ticket and they probably were scared that the police would not tolerate any foolishness. We both agree that he was talented, but reaching the heights he did takes more than that. He was creative, disciplined, focused and tenacious. To have the worldwide popularity and staying power he did in the industry as an entertainer is amazing. He sacrificed his childhood and his life pretty much.
He has his faults because as a black person I don't appreciate that he distanced himself from being black. He changed his features to look white but he just magnified what many black people do to be accepted into some circles. When people perm their hair, add extensions or use toning creams to look lighter, they do the same thing to a lesser degree. I also don't appreciate his children being totally caucasian, they don't look biracial so he wanted to distance himself so much from being black that he didn't even biologically father the kids, I don't even know what to say to that......As much as I'd like to go on and on about how he tried to dispose of his blackness, I have to stop myself because he was neither my family member nor friend. To me he was an entertainer and he entertained me thoroughly and that is all I should evaluate him for so I'll go, back to his entertainment career.
Michael was a singer with a wide octave range, he was dancer, he was a human beatbox, he was music producer, and he was a choreographer and music video director/producer/scriptwriter. He was innovative and ahead of his time. His outfits, dancing and his whole shows were entertaining and his songs sent positive messages. Bruce Springsteen is a good musician/recording artist and he has his place, but as an entertainer they are not in the same league.
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