Last night I was talking with my brother and eventually the conversation turned to the passing of the King of Pop. I thought it was interesting how our age difference — I was born in ’77, him in ’84 — affects our perception of Michael Jackson.
When I was young, MJ rose to become “the true king of pop, rock and soul.” He transformed music videos into an art form, broke through racial barriers, put MTV on the map, and gave millions of dollars to charities. Despite the fact that I haven’t owned any of his albums since 1993, catching one of his songs on the radio continues to produce an emotional response and Man in the Mirror still chokes me up a little.
When my brother was young, MJ was a walking freak show and suspected pedophile. My brother knows plenty about “Wacko Jacko” but doesn’t really comprehend the magnitude of MJ’s career or his influence on more contemporary artists.
Regardless of our differences in how we saw MJ, we can both recognize the significance and sadness of his passing.
I can’t help seeing something of a silver lining. Nearly two decades of crazy rumors, scandals, and oddball behavior had completely overshadowed his positive contributions to our society and culture. With time, perhaps the tabloid fodder will fade from our collective memories and we can go back to seeing Michael Jackson as the great American icon that he once was.
