Goodbye, Michael Jackson

My friend asked me if this whole MJ memorial is over the top. I have to say, I am so torn on this. People gravitate towards tragedy. It is why traffic stops when there is an accident. It is why we wear ribbons depicting various illnesses. Magazines sell when there is sadness, or babies. It is a strange thing. The middle ground doesn’t hit us the same, only the extremely happy events and truly upsetting events.

I wish I could say this was a recent phenomenon. I wish that we could point to a point in our history where this trend started. Yet it seems as though we have always sought out the horrible. It wasn’t that long that there were public executions. We wanted to see the suffering. The internet of course has only added fuel to the fire when we can see videos of any horrible image imaginable. Even news is filled with imagery of war and famine. It is not something we can escape.

We want to criticize the media coverage because when you get right down to it, it is so tacky. This is a man who died; a man with a family, young children and lots of fans who adored every note that he sung. Sometimes we do forget all of that. Yet you know, aside from the handful of people who truly don’t want to know about what he was wearing in his casket, we will all look. Perhaps it is some kind of instinct. We look at those less fortunate to make ourselves feel better about our own lives. We look at the dead celebrity and feel sad that their talent is now only old recordings. The last pictures of Marilyn Monroe showed such a sweet and sad soul. Kennedy had recently had to bury a baby and with that personal tragedy, his marriage was stronger than ever. Diana was in a happy place, finally away from the Queen, and possibly in a happy relationship with someone who truly loved her. All of these people died young. Was it before their time? We don’t know, we just know it seems so unfair, and like when thousands of people die at the hands of terrorists, or just one woman is gunned down in a foreign country for having a voice, we are drawn to all of their stories, and we try to be a part of it any way we can if perhaps to just feel closer to them. We are a country who likes to mourn. Michael Jackson’s memorial is everything that we are as a people; mourning, a melting pot of different cultures, good music, celebrity and togetherness.

There is probably no correct way to say goodbye. Whether it be through quiet soul searching or public spectacles, we will do it how we need to. Dame Elizabeth Taylor, Michael’s close friend and confidant, is not attending the public memorial. She said it was not how she chose to remember her dear friend. Does this mean she didn’t love him? Not likely. It means that she chose to remember him differently. His family has chosen to be at the memorial. Does this mean they are tacky? No, they just felt this was fitting.

Paparazzi gets stupid when they take pictures of a dying man. They push people around just to get that perfect pic. Would they do this if we kept watching? Probably not. Yet there are enough of us that do watch, who read the magazines, and watch TMZ. We are more to blame for the very media we are chastising than the photogs that hound everyone who ever had a minute of fame.

So yes, this is a circus. Is it something I agree with? I am not sure. There is something fitting to have this memorial on the very stage that he was only a few days before his death doing what he did best. He was a performer, and shouldn’t his last performance be great?

The coverage may be over the top and the fans rabid, but let’s put it into perspective this morning. This is a man who truly gave to the world. I think that one crazy day in LA is a reasonable amount of time to give to this man. He may be gone, but let’s not forget him already. Trust me, we will find something else to obsess over in a few weeks. Jon and Kate’s marriage will be scrutinized some more and Lindsey will forget her underwear again. For today, let’s just remember the man and his music, even if it does shut down a few freeways.

I know that I hope that his family finds peace with all of it and that Michael is finally laid to rest. I think I can safely say that Michael would have probably enjoyed his moment this morning, if only because he would have know that he was truly loved, which is something I don’t think he every really could understand when he was alive. Isn’t that truly why we have a memorial in any way shape or form? It is to remember our loved ones, and make sure that wherever they are after death, that they hear our voices. Michael, our voices are loud and clear this morning. I hope that it brings you peace.