When watching the news the night of Michael Jackson's death, I came to the realization that we were all in for a looooooooong ride. After all, in addition to singing and dancing, MJ also walked on water, fed the multitudes, and, oh... wait... nope. Turns out it was just the singing and dancing, and the obligatory throwing of money to pet causes in which nearly all rich celebrities partake. Other than that, his contribution to humanity has been nil. So why, oh why, oh WHY are we CONSTANTLY being told what a hero he was? A hero to whom, exactly? He's a black man who did everything he could to look like a white woman. So we can't say he was out championing racial or sexual issues (at least not in such a way that would normally garner one recognition). And let's not even get started on all of the accusations of pedophilia. Please.
American society (and actually, in this case, the society of the Western world as a whole) has severely warped the meaning of the word "hero." According to dictionary.com, the definition of hero is:
1. a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities
2. a person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model or ideal
Someone please tell me when, according to the definition above, Michael Jackson behaved heroically?
Allow me to introduce you to some real heroes:
-Lt. Brian Bradshaw, 24, died in Kheyl, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle.
-Pfc. Aaron Fairbairn was killed in a suicide bombing, also in Afghanistan.
-The seven soldiers killed Monday in Afghanistan.
-The four soldiers killed on the eve of withdrawal from Baghdad in Iraq.
This is a very short list, I've taken the most recent items from a very brief google search.
These are people who fully embody the definition of the word hero. Michael Jackson (pardon the pun) pales in comparison with these people. Next to these people it becomes obvious that a well-trained monkey could have done what Jackson did (except a monkey would have had to do all of the lyrics in sign language).
So again, why, oh why, oh WHY are so many people trying to hold up Michael Jackson as a hero? Please, let's be honest with ourselves. A lot of people liked Michael Jackson. He had talent, and, before all the weird settled in, a lot of people thought he was really cool. But by the time of his death, he had pretty much faded into obscurity, and because of his death we'll never know if he could have made a big comeback. But at the end of the day, even if he did make a comeback, his contribution to society will never measure up to the contribution of any of the dead soldiers mentioned above.
Please, don't forget who the real heroes are, America.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
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2 comments:
Gladly, you didn't go in-depth on the pedophilia accusations. He was acquitted by the grand jury and was never found guilty in a civil trial. So, technically we can't claim he was a pedophile. Even then it's a moot point.
I can see how people view him as a "hero." He wasn't the first, but he was the largest black male to transcend the racial barrier in the music industry. He owns the achievement of having the #1 selling album of all time. He has achieved great status that other humans haven't even come close to achieving. I respect his business side what he has done in the past but I am no firm farm of his.
In an essence, I agree, he doesn't deserve the mass media he's getting. In the end, he's human and thus fallible. He deserved no more media hype as Farrah, Ed, Steve Mcnair or any other celeb that past away in the past few weeks. But, being a soldier isn't the only thing that qualifies you as a hero. Shorter Oxford English Dictionary desribes a hero as:
1. A name given to men of superhuman strength, courage, or ability favoured by the gods.
2. One who does brave and noble deeds; an illustrious warrior.
3. A man who exhibits extraordinary bravery, firmness, or greatness of soul, in connection with any pursuit, work or enterprise.
He was and icon, not a hero though.It is very much a personal decision and not our place to discredit someone's opinion. This was a long winded reply but I find it fitting. So, there's my two cents!
I didn't mean to insinuate that being a soldier is the ONLY way to be a hero-- obviously others can be as well... mostly I was just trying to make the point that there are other people who deserve the amount of attention he's getting.
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