I know I’m probably going to get third degree burns from the flames I’ll get about this, but it’s really something that I feel needs to be said. In my opinion, this whole Michael Jackson thing is being blown so out of proportion by the people of our generation. I can understand being sad about someone who has had such an influence on the music industry passing away but this is just getting ridiculous now. I’ve seen so many Facebook/Twitter statuses saying “MJ WAS THE KING I AM CRYING SO MUCH MY LIFE IS SO SAD RIGHT NOW DUE TO HIM DYING” and it just makes me wonder how much of an influence he could have had over the people of our generation.
As most people who read this know, I’m seventeen. Michael Jackson’s last real album was HIStory in 1991 (yes, I know Invincible came out in 2001 but it had no real noteworthy songs on it). That was the year I was born. I grew up with his songs present in my life but they didn’t really have an influence on it. Any changes Michael Jackson had made to the music industry were all ready well included by the time I was old enough to appreciate his music. I imagine the generation before me respect him on a different level because he was the king of pop during their era – they probably had posters of him during his prime on their walls and the like. But my generation only got the end of his life, really.
What I’m trying to say is, whilst he was (and always will be) a large presence in my generation’s lives, I don’t think it was large enough for his death to warrant the amount of grief that some people my age are giving it. It just screams bandwagon to me, because this are all the same people who were making pedophile jokes not two years ago. It sickens me, almost, to see how involved some people are getting when they really have no claim. Like I said, I can understand to a point my parent’s generation getting upset (like Mariah Carrey at the memorial, from what I heard) but I find it insulting to his memory when people my age try and stake a claim to his grief so much.
As far as the memorial goes… I didn’t watch it. I find grieving for someone to be a very private thing. I’m sure it was a very moving ceremony, and the people included were probably glad to have a way to show their respect for their loss, but I personally couldn’t be as intrusive as that. He wasn’t a major part of my life and watching his memorial/funeral and grieving for him wouldn’t have felt right. I respected him as a musician and enjoyed his music, but that’s it.
I agree with most of what you’ve said here. Everyone’s jumping on the bandwagon and it’s just disrespectful. However, I unashamedly reserve the right to be upset that he died. I’m not saying his death was a massive loss for me or anything, but when you really like someone’s music you can’t help but feel slightly attached to them as a person, too. I think one of the best things about music is its universal appeal, and that so many people our age sincerely loved MJ’s music is testament to that. One last thing. To paraphrase Meyer Wolfsheim in The Great Gatsby: let this be a reminder to us to show our appreciation for artists when they are still alive, not after they have died.
p.s. Tell me this song doesn’t make you wanna tap your feet. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fzb09NAUhEo
I agree that being sad isn’t a bad thing. It’s always sad when anyone dies. I just think that in this situation a lot of the grief being displayed isn’t proportionate to the people and their relationship with the person in question.
Of course, you’re entitled to your opinions, and these are just mine.
No, I completely agree that it’s been utterly blown out of proportion. On a slightly unrelated matter, I heard that his funeral procession was led by elephants.
Oh, by the way, Beat It makes me want to tap my feet so much more. I don’t spend too much time beating it, though, otherwise you get friction burns.
Charming!
By the way. The captchas on this website are impossible to do :’(
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