Two deaths…two different meanings
Posted by LMReviewsJun 28
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The events of Thursday, June 25th 2009 are probably not lost on anyone with a television, an Internet connection or a cell phone with texting capabilities. Like most people, I was working when I heard the news of Farrah Fawcett’s death. When my co-worker mentioned it while looking at a news website while eating his lunch my initial reaction was “na-uh!” (yes, I know very eloquent!) I felt a moment of sadness and nostalgia before returning to my routine. I had watched the majority of Fawcett’s documentary and knew that she’d been fighting cancer. While I thought her courageous for surviving the battle as long as she did, I figured at least she wouldn’t be suffering anymore.
A few hours later when I heard that Michael Jackson had suddenly died of cardiac arrest, I was saddened and shocked. It’s a feeling that still persists even now as I write this.
A fan said it best, when it was quoted that “…Michael Jackson’s passing is like a piece of my childhood dying with him.”
I hadn’t posted sooner about Michael’s death because it is still so hard to believe. Someone at work made a snarky comment like, “you actually like Michael Jackson?” All I could say was, that I know he was very screwed up but the days of Thiller were the best ever in terms of music.” I didn’t like what he’d become in recent years, kind of a caricature of his former self, but it never changed the value of his music.
It’s funny how we are not allowed to be flawed. I find myself constantly trying to correct my flaws, hide them and even search for those who will love me in spite of them. In the end, I think that’s what Michael wanted too.
As I sat this weekend watching all the coverage…the biographies…the music video tributes…the speculation over his death and his life, I wondered what made him the way he was. It could have been loneliness or baggage from a very unique, challenging and rewarding childhood, (there’s definitely irony in that sentence…) but only he truly knows. His transformation or metamorphosis as some like to call it definitely added to the mystique that is Michael Jackson. We don’t know what he saw when he looked in the mirror or why he wanted to change it, but it leads me to wonder how as a society we come to mourn someone we don’t really know…
I’m a constant thinker… in fact thinking often keeps me up at night. And what I came up with almost as quickly as I asked the question is that we mourn the loss of a person’s contributions when they die. Someone like Michael Jackson or Princess Diana for instance are known for the contributions they made to society. Whether it’s philanthropy or entertainment, it has value and it is the loss of that contribution and the admiration for the people who share such great talents with us that makes us sad when they pass. We know people for the contributions they make, whether they are celebrities or not. If it is a positive contribution then there’s a bond of abstract friendship or kinship. We may not know someone like Michael Jackson personally but we know the talent and the contributions he’s made that has inspired others to chase their dreams and taking command of their lives. We even know the benefit of someone’s generosity even if that generosity isn’t bestowed on us directly. (Think : We Are the World).
Michael Jackson will now go the the place where all great unique talents go. Like Elvis, Janis, Jimmy, Marilyn, Marvyn and Diana, Michael will live on in the contributions his talents have made to modern culture for many generations to come.
An experience I had while in New York in April made me think of the irony of adulthood and class.






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