I can't believe that I'm going to blog about this... but here's my opinion on this whole thing.
To everyone who is making tasteless jokes about Michael Jackson, please stop. It hasn't even been 24 hours, if you must make jokes, give it time, or don't do it on facebook where people will see it and get upset. But if you want to start a shit storm, go right ahead. This man was a music legend - countless musicians wouldn't be successful today without him. He was also a son, brother and father, so show some respect for his family, please, if nothing else.
I'm so tired of people's ignorance on this matter. Shame on anyone that's saying things like, "He deserved it cause he molested children." First of all, he was never found guilty of that. Did you ever think that the people who pressed charges against him could've possibly have been hungry for a piece of his success and legacy? Would they have let Jackson keep his children if there was any suspicion that the allegations were true? I highly doubt that. Some people will always take advantage of anyone when they think they can get a pretty penny out of it. Just look at anyone who has gone to court over something as ridiculous as "a stolen idea for a screenplay", if it was your idea, why didn't you develop the screenplay yourself? Because you're useless, that's why. Anyway, I'm going to continue assuming that those allegations against Jackson are untrue.
To say that someone, anyone, deserves to die should be seen as derogatory. I think it's one of the most offensive things you could ever say to someone. This may come as a shock to some people, but you are not God. You do not have the right to pass that kind of judgement on anyone, regardless of the horrible things they may have done in their lifetime. You can't possibly know what death is like, or positively know that death is a fair punishment for certain actions. There's no way that it is, everyone, good and bad, dies at some point. Do good people deserve to die? Nobody knows, but in my opinion, if it happens to everyone, it can't really be all that bad.
And to anyone that's getting upset over the coincidence that Jackson passed away hours after Farrah Fawcett did, please calm down. I'm sure he didn't plan it that way. I'm sure his final thoughts weren't, "Farrah Fawcett died? THAT BITCH! I'LL SHOW HER!" Their deaths are both sad and far too premature, but perhaps Fawcett's death is easier to accept as in recent years her health had declined, where as Jackson unexpectedly collapsed. If you're getting all bent out of shape that Jackson took all the attention, realize that Jackson had more star power. This generation will sadly never fully comprehend Fawcett's contributions and talent in the entertainment industry. But almost everyone has heard of Michael Jackson. It's not that one death is more important than the other ... most people just aren't as familiar with Fawcett's work. I wish that Farrah Fawcett is able to rest in peace.
I'll accept that the media does care too much about celebrities. I'll even admit that some celebrities are unworthy of being on the front page of every newspaper. But that's the way people are, we're fascinated by celebrities. We'll send them fanmail, hatemail, scream at them on the red carpet or in concerts, follow them on twitter, read about them on gossip websites... because they can be so damn interesting. I agree that the media can step over the line, for example, Britney Spears's meltdown in 2007. The last thing the paparazzi should've done was to keep following her. But the public was enthralled by her behaviour, face it, you couldn't wait to see what she did next. It's all about money. These people are going to put what they think will sell more copies or get more hits on their site right front and center. For that, I don't blame them. In this economy, it's every man and business for the themselves. Of course there are better stories to have on the front page too - I'm not denying that either.
Announcing the death of a celebrity on the front page of a newspaper is not a bad thing.
People are effected by this, don't kid yourself. For many artists, a large inspiration for them is now gone. Regardless of whether someone famous or not dies, people have compassion for that person and their families. This deserves to be headline news. I'll have everyone know that the Iran election is still a trending topic on twitter - people haven't completely lost their minds because two celebrities died. People still care about other matters in the world. To say they don't is ignorance. Last time I checked, there was no such thing as International Dead Celebrity Appreciation Day, but there is a Remembrance Day for all the fallen soldiers of past wars. So let Michael and Farrah have their front page today, and tomorrow we can all go back to pretending that we care about the elections in Iran or the global economic crisis because that'll be the "cool" thing to care about tomorrow.
Comments are off, but I can be emailed at smirosevic@hotmail.com
