In my eyes there were two Michael Jacksons. We were the same age, and so I remember when he first started with the Jackson Five. There was the Cowsills, the Jackson Five and the Osmond Brothers. I had their record and like a lot of girls who were between the ages of 10-13(the pre teen years) Michael Jackson was liked. I know some girls had crushes on him, though for me my crush was Barry Cowsill (who died in Katrina).
Then there were the years when he became solo and really made some great music. He was one of the greatest dancers of our generation, though John Travolta in Saturday Night Live made the hearts of ladies swoon. Michael Jackson was a very talented man. I choose to remember the good things about him today. He helped others with his We are the World Concerts. He did make a difference in this world. That was the good side of Michael Jackson.
The 2nd side of him was the weird side. The pictures in the later years didn’t look like the same Michael Jackson that I grew up with. I believe that when someone dies that we should not speak ill of the dead. This is the time to think about the good that he did in life.
My heart goes out to his family as they are grieving the lost of a son and brother.
Michael Jackson: Imperfect Icon
Michael Jackson was not a political artist. Yet his determination to treat people with AIDS respectfully made him more than a pop star.
by John Nichols
This is a big world, with many remote corners where America is known only as a distant and different land. But Michael Jackson touched almost all of them.
The music star’s death Thursday, at age 50 after suffering an apparent cardiac arrest is an international event. And we ought to recognize why that is so.
For all the eccentric – and ultimately unsettling – behavior that would see the “king of pop” ridiculed as the “king of weird” –-or worse– Jackson was for a significant part of the 1980s and 1990s as much or more the face of America as Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush or Bill Clinton.
“He brought human beings together across the barriers of race and class and gender,” explained Michael Eric Dyson, the author and commentator who is a professor of sociology at Georgetown University. “He projected into the world (the genius and strength) of African-American culture.”
The better part of a quarter century before Barack Obama was credited with remaking America’s global image, Michael Jackson presented the United States as a country where an African-American kid from Gary, Indiana, could on the basis of remarkable talent and drive — as well as a musicologist’s understanding of the soul and R&B traditions — become fabulously successful, fabulously influential and fabulously wealthy.
“For all his tragic flaws as a human being, Jackson could legitimately be seen as the greatest entertainer of his generation,” argues Richard Williams, the former head of head of artists and repertoire at Island Records who went on to become a savvy cultural commentator for Britain’s Guardian newspaper.
One did not need to revere Jackson or his music to recognize that at a particular point in this country’s long and complicated history of wrestling with its better angels and uglier demons, the singer projected to the world the sense and the promise of a multicultural and tolerant United States. Hip-hop empresario Russell Simmons summed it up: “Michael Jackson was my generation’s most iconic cultural hero.”
For a time, on the basis of the enormous popularity of his Off the Wall, Thriller and Bad albums, he was not just a dominant figure in popular music. He was the dominant figure in popular music. Inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – as a solo artist and as a member of the Jackson 5 — he earned 13 Grammy Awards and 13 number one singles as a solo performer — achieving worldwide sales in excess of 750 million albums.
The key word is “worldwide.”
Jackson’s 1991 hit “Black or White” charted at number one in the Australia , Austria, Belgium, Cuba, Denmark, Finland, France, Israel, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden, the Unites Kingdom, Zimbabwe and, of course, the United States.
“Black or White” was an angry song with an anti-racist message that was reinforced by a video digitally enhanced to show Jackson smashing windows with graffiti reading “KKK Rules” and “No More Wetbacks.” The ubiquitous video featured the singer dancing with Africans, Asians, Native Americans, southern Asians and Russians.
Jackson was not an expressly political artist — he told Ebony magazine in 1992 that “I never get into politics.” Yet, because of his immense celebrity in the 1980s and early 1990s, his determination to treat people with AIDs respectfully (like that of Princess Diana and Elizabeth Taylor) took on significance that was both political and cultural. That commitment was most on display, following the death of Ryan White, when Jackson used public appearances – particularly one at Bill Clinton’s inaugural gala — to plead for more funding of HIV/AIDS research and care.
Jackson’s charities were many: programs for refugees and the victims of violence such as Warchild, the “We Are the World” project and his own Heal the World Foundation, as well as the the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund, the Red Cross, UNESCO and for many years the United Negro College Fund.
His stumbles, especially in recent years, were disturbing, at times horrifying. There was about this desperate manchild more than a hint of the tragic and self-destructive.
The tragedy and the trials will be remembered, for a time.
But, as with Elvis Presley and so many brilliant artists whose lives ended after their stars had been tarnished, it will be the iconic influence – an influence stretching across boundaries of race, class, gender and nationality — that is most remembered when we speak of Michael Jackson, and the ultimately most significant.
© 2009 The Nation
John Nichols is Washington correspondent for The Nation and associate editor of The Capital Times in Madison, Wisconsin. A co-founder of the media reform organization Free Press, Nichols is is co-author with Robert W. McChesney of Tragedy & Farce: How the American Media Sell Wars, Spin Elections, and Destroy Democracy – from The New Press. Nichols’ latest book is The Genius of Impeachment: The Founders’ Cure for Royalism.
This is to Michael Jackson. You will not be forgotten!!! I hope you have found peace.
Beat it
The Way you Make me Feel
Don’t Stop
Rock with you
You are not alone
I always liked this song.
We Are The World
I’ll Be There
ABC
I want you back
Never can say goodbye
Watching these old Jackson 5 clips I wanted to play a clip from the first boy I had a crush on Barry Cowsill. He is dead too, so this thread I guess is remembering the groups we grew up with and the boys who sang those songs we loved who are no longer living.
The strange thing is I still remember when Barry’s birthday was Sept 14, 1954. I had the biggest crush on Barry and my best friend was crazy for Barry’s brother John. We even went to see them in concert. I think we read sixteen mag. to find out the latest news about our crushes.
I hope that both Michael Jackson and Barry Cowsill are happy and playing music in heaven. They were both so creative and wonderful musicians.
Another dead blackman, tragic really.
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My Comment:
Your friends on SF seem to be celebrating his death. You White Nationalists have made some real nasty comments. Your not sorry one bit that he died. To you it is one less Black person in the world. I don’t buy your fake saddness.
LOL, he was a child abuser much like your pope and RC priests. As he was an idol so you too worship your idols, just a pity yours are in a church you judeo christian worshiper.
Hail Michael, full of grace. The jews are with thee. Blessed art thou amongst paedophiles and cathlics, and blessed is thy bleached sky. Holy Mary, Mother of God, …prayer for these libtards in the hour of their need.
Pathetic!!
ROHOWA!!
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My Comment:
At least in this comment your true feelings come out.
Yes, you White Nationalist neo nazi’s dream of your RACE WAR. It is my understanding that ROHOWA is your thoughts of Victory after fighting the RACE WAR. You dream of the day you White Nationliast Neo Nazi’s can purge the earth of all of us who master race declares unfit for life. You know us race traitors, Liberals, Blacks, Catholics, Jews, Non Whites.
Just remember Mr. White Power Man, greater is HE (Jesus) who is in me than he who is in the world (you White Nationalists). That is why in the end you will loose and we will WIN.
Even your devil can quote the scriptures, there are but a collection of random fairy tales invented in the minds of the your religious godheads to manipulate and ultimately steal their individual thought. Man has worshiped the sun for thousands of years prior to the advent of god, this is archeological undisputible fact. Your judeo christian religion was formed in the minds of men who sort to sunjugate man into a belief structure where they could be manipulated and controlled for the ulimate jew icon, money. Hence the creaction of god when all goes well and the later addition of satan when things go wrong and the mindless followers are not ‘doing the will of god’. History is littered with the bodies of religious zealots and ten times as many innocent followers.
You forget that SF is a forum for like minded individuals who share a common goal, not a papasy of heretics who allow the deaths of thousands of their own followers from HIV and starvation.
As always its my pleasure.
WPWW!
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My Comment:
I haven’t forgotten what SF is. Yes, you have the same goal of an all White Homeland. You dream of a world where there are no race traitors, Liberals( who you call Libtards) Jews, Catholics, Blacks and other Non Whites. I haven’t forgotten your message nor your goals either.
I will continue to fight you. I have a moral imperative to fight you. If one does not have the courage to stand up and fight the evil that is white Nationalism than evil will be allowed to overcome the good in the world. Yes, you dream of White Power World Wide or White Pride World Wide. Now, do you really think you will achieve that? If you really believe you guys will win the victory and will have White power world wide than you are only deluding yourselves. Hitler didn’t succeed and you won’t either. The good people in this world will fight you and we will win!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes, we had Catholics who because of their faith went to Africa, India and all other parts of the world to help the poor, sick, and suffering. We take the message of Jesus to heart and believe in the social gospels. Of course you evil nazi’s don’t know about that.
Have their been Catholic priests, nuns, and lay people who have died or been killed for their faith? Yes, some of them who stood up to defend the Jewish people in Hitler’s Germany were sent to concentration camps and died there. They were willing to die for doing the moral and right thing over living and being silent while Hitler(the hero of many White Nationalists) committed evil.
I would rather be a Catholic than to be a White Nationalists who has no soul because they have sold their soul to the evil one.
the pope is the antichrist!!
lol
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My comment:
You show just how much hate the White Nationalist neo nazi still has in their hearts toward Catholics. We Catholics are used to comments like yours.
You don’t know anything about our faith. You are not one of us and you will never be one of us, because you have sold your soul to the evil one. You don’t have souls anymore. You are empty inside because hate has destroyed all the love inside of you.
God is love. You White Nationalists know no love so you serve the devil( the evil one) because he is the one who is about hate.
I feel sorry for you. Inspite of everything I pity you.
I am the antichrist
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My comment:
That is the first true statement you have made.
Perhaps you could explain who knocked up mary?
A blackman?
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My Comment:
Someday God is going to judge you for your words and actions.
MIchael Jackson dying got me thinking about Barry Cowsill. They were both very talented and creative. Anyway, I found this clip that has some good pictures of Barry.
My friend and I went to see them in concert. She liked John the drummer. Those days are gone forever. Boy, I sure feel old. But as the song says the 60′s were some good years.
A lot of people didn’t realize just how creative and what a good sense of humor Barry had. Anyway, since I have been doing some searching for the old stuff on youtube, I have found some later stuff of Barry. Reading the comments from people, there were a lot of people who really liked him and miss him. It touches my heart to read some of the comments made.
I found this clip. It does show Barry’s weird but wonderful sense of humor. The laughter and the fun that they had as a family.
I guess Michael Jackson dying made me take a trip down memory lane and remember the first boy I ever had a crush on. I never met him in person, but I sure read about him in sixteen mag. I can still remember some of the things I read. I think I had all the records the Cowsills did.
I don’t think people can understand just how many of us pre teen girls really liked the Cowsills. The kids were really talented.
I would hate to think Barry suffered during Katrina, and I will never understand why he didn’t leave, but I do know one thing he is missed by family, friends, and his fans from yester year.
Michael Jackson was a child molester. Just because he was found not guilty does mean he didn’t do it.
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My Comment:
Yes, all you White Nationalists and Right Wing are enjoying the chance to spew your poison against someone who died.
As I told my mom, when someone dies to try and talk about the good they did in this life. His family is still mourning.
You idiots can’t even think of one good thing Michael Jackson did in his 50 years on the face of the earth?
Keep spewing your hate.
“Someday God is going to judge you for your words and actions.”
You are so indoctrinated with your RC crap, we are all gods, yours is just one that instill fear to prevent man from realizing his own true godlike potential.
To be judged by god you need to believe in it dear, didn;t they teach you that at catachism classes. I still wonder how you as a “sincere” RC could even have become involved in WN to start with? I think your motives were covert from the start, just like the serpent you are. I reckon you’ll have some explaining to do one day!
I have nothing but contempt for your type of spineless judeo RC christians, enough of the gentle jesus meek and mild crap. Your god is one who has loves wars from the beginning of time.
Deal with it.
RAHOWA.
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God is very much real. God’s judgement is very real too. Even non Catholics know that their is a higher power in the world.
If you White Nationalist’s nazi’s feel that you have Godlike potential than your are more delusional than I thought. Yes, you do have some power behind you, but that power is from Satan(the evil one).
Like many people I was born into Right Wing Hate. Yet it took meeting a man who was CI/White Nationalist to bring me into White Nationalism. Jeff was a coward like you. All Bullies are really cowards you know. I was brainwashed to be a good parrot like you seem to be. Ready to die for your glorious cause are you? You have no real Cause. It is all a lie that you so called White Nationalist leaders tell you so you will send all your hard earned money while they spend it on women, gambling, and vactions.
Yes, I know I am a race traitor because I rejected your message. Yes, you might stand me up in front of a so called firing squad someday and make me pay the price for having the courage to leave and to fight.
I am not afraid of you or any other nazi. I have had to fight and overcome struggles my entire life. You guys are just another nightmare that life has thrown me and I will deal with it.
So put my address up, and have your fellow White Nationalist nazis do their worst. If it is my time to die than it is my time to die. I personally don’t think you guys will have the guts to come from your internet threats to showing up at my house and dealing with me as a traitor. Oh, my mom is one of you guys are you going to off one of your own?
I reject you and your message.
How will they dispose of his body in a green way considering all the toxic silicone?
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My Comment:
More of your White Nationalist Hate for the world to see. I really feel sorry for you, because someday you guys are going to face judgement for all your hateful words and actions.