RIP - Michael Jackson

(originally posted in my other blog, 6/26/09)

I wasn't going to say anything about this, but since I'm actually developing an opinion about the whole thing, instead of letting it fester and eating me from the inside out like a dirty fungus, I thought I'd "get it out there" in a way that's somewhat cathartic.

I appreciate Michael Jackson as a very talented musician and performer. He really is the Elvis of my generation.

So what about all of his ... idiosyncrasies? I don't know. I didn't know Michael or anybody close to him. All I know is what the media tells me, which is obviously VERY slanted towards controversy, hysteria, and drama.

It is possible to deduce a few things about his life. First, he lived a very unique life that very few people will ever come close to. Performing since he was 5 years old, always in the spotlight. I hear his family life was .. well .. difficult. As someone who was forced into adult situation at an inappropriately young age, I understand how that kinda thing can damage a fragile growing person. And I can also understand (though I can't necessarily empathize) how super-mega-fame can really mess with someone's head.

Yeah, but wasn't he a god-damned child molester? Whether he did or not, I don't know, and neither do you. We only know what the media tells us, which I can guarantee is not the whole truth. What I DO know is: (1) childhood sexual abuse is devastating to a person, (2) abusers are almost always former victims of abuse themselves, and (3) every person, abuser, victim, or otherwise, is deserving of life and happiness as a human being with dignity, living responsibly.

I genuinely feel sorry for the guy, and his death saddens me. :(