I Don’t Care About Jacko

Ok, so that headline is inflammatory and it’s not totally true.

I do feel sorry for those closest to Michael Jackson and I also felt sorry for Michael Jackson when he was alive.

He was obviously a tortured soul and it seems endured the kind of upbringing even the most level headed person would have struggled to cope with.

I’m sure that most of his actions in later life were learned behaviors developed in his formative years. If you want to apportion blame (and quite frankly, I don’t),  look no further than those that raised him, and those that stood back and watched his behavior grow increasingly erratic without having the guts to intervene.

I have no idea whether he was a pedophile, a child molester or just a misunderstood genius, and quite frankly that is the bit I don’t give a damn about. He was a human being, no better, no worse than you or me. The music, the singing and the showmanship is academic.

I posted this on Twitter yesterday when the news broke:

“I think I may have to walk away from Twitter for a while because I care more about the homeless guy down the road than Michael Jackson”

I thought I may take some flak, but it actually got retweeted by people I don’t even know. On reflection, it was probably unfair to say that. What I should have said was:

“I care as much about the homeless guy down the road as Michael Jackson”

Michael Jackson made some brilliant music and as somebody that owned a record store for 8 years he made me a lot of money.

Personally I was ambivalent about most of his albums, but I could then, and still can see the appeal. It was and still is classic pop music in the truest sense.

Prior to Michael Jackson dying there were a number of tweets saying how sad it was Farrah Fawcett had died.

Well yeh, I guess it was, but because a human being had died and not because it was a Charlies Angel that had her wings taken off her.

18,000 Americans die every year (that’s almost 50 people every day) because they couldn’t afford proper medical insurance.

I don’t see much on Twitter about that, yet to me that is something worth Tweeting about.

62% of all bankruptcies in one of the wealthiest countries on the planet are because of medical bills. Insurance companies employ people to find ways to avoid paying claims, even to those that are in danger of losing their jobs, their homes and their self respect.

That to me is also worth Tweeting about.

And of course I could go on about the inequity of life, but what’s the point?

What has this got to do with Life Coaching and/or self development you may be wondering?

I joked in this video and encouraged people to embrace celebrity culture. It seems to me for millions of people in this country and also the UK, it’s far from a joke, it’s a way of life.

Michael Jackson is looked upon as being almost Godlike by some people and no doubt his untimely death will heighten that status in years to come. The reality is, he had the same limitations, the same concerns and the same foibles as we all do, maybe even more so. He was human, he lived, he died, he paid taxes.

If you’re saddened or shocked any more by the death of a guy that could sing when you never even knew him, than you are by the death of a homeless person that freezes to death sleeping under cardboard boxes, I’d ask you to reevaluate your priorities.

Oh I know people will say people say he brought so much joy to the world. Well yeh that’s true, but so do the teachers that help children overcome learning difficulties, nurses that help patients regain full health and fire fighters that stop blazes before they level peoples property. The guy that invented chocolate did a bang up job too.

If you believe in God, then I’m sure you adopt the belief that God made all human beings equal. Some aren’t a bit more equal than others because they happen to be able to bang out a tune or dance a bit. G

od probably isn’t all excited because MJ can now teach him in person how to do the moon dance you know.

Even if you don’t believe in God, unless you’re a homophobe, a racist, a misogynist or an elitist I’ll presume you still think we’re all equal.

If that is the case and you’re upset about the passing of Michael Jackson, I feel sure you’re equally concerned for the 50 mothers that lost their children in the time it took you took to read this post.

Should we tweet about them?

Image: ‘Michael Jackson’ Courtesy of peskaour