Should the world be idolizing Michael Jackson?

Can we stop asking these questions? If you don’t like the coverage, go outside and play.

No, of course they shouldn’t be idolizing Michael Jackson. He was an entertainer. However, he was an entertainer known to many people and anything associated with him brings in money, so someone is going to be making big bucks out of all of this. Not Michael Jackson, of course, because he’s dead, but everyone from the guy selling souvenirs n the street outside the Staples Center to folks like Barry Gordy or whoever releases the performance on film will make big bucks.

Absolutely not. It’s very ridiculous, in my opinion. I respect the fact that people want to do something, but geez! There have been a lot of things that have been going on in the world.

People will idolize anything, but they shouldn’t.

Maybe people think he truly is a king because they coined him the “King of Pop” so could that be it?

No

No. He was a man, and now he’s dead. Since he passed away so did millions of other people who were no more or less better than he was.

Michael Jackson made a big impact with his music on a lot of lives.
It’s not unlike the Beatles or Elvis.

I can’t help but remember that on the first anniversary of George Harrison’s death, there was a memorial “Concert for George”, which seemed much the same as this memorial for Jackson, but just later. I don’t recall people getting all hot and bothered that Harrison was being memorialized at that time. Interesting double standard…

@Les who’s george harrison?

MJ earned the respect and adoration of millions around the world, let him be celebrated.

And considering the state of the world now, many of us want to remember the good times we had with his music.

@Simone_De_Beauvoir
George Harrison.

Edited to remove sarcastic retort. Sorry, I’m in a mood.

@Les thanks for the link, I didn’t have all the Beatles members memorized, no big deal, I hope? we can still be friends, right? :)

@Simone_De_Beauvoir
I edited it because I realized I was being rude. No, we’re still friends. ;-)

Ok. I am sick of hearing about Michael Jackson on the news as is. Please stop talking about him…

Its obvious the people that grew up listening to and loving his music, and the people that didn’t.

He was already an idol, he has been an idol for decades. This is what happens when idols die.

@Les oh, it’s okay, i’m having quite a day myself – I didn’t grow up here and I didn’t grow up listening to the Beatles, so I wouldn’t really know anyway…I hope your mood and mine change for the better

I don’t happen to think a signficant portion of the world idolized him (although so many knew who he was) in life and now in death. Yes, his music was global and so was his appeal for thousands of fans, but I would never call him a god and I don’t think anyone, anywhere ever tried to make him out to be a god. I think his family and friends are treating him like a deceased love one (with care and compassion) and not like a god. They are in mourning and they should be able to do it in whatever fashion they like.

Will the world form a new religion based on Michael Jackson? Seriously? What kind of theological basis would that be compiled from? Sorry, the religion part sounds a little absurd to me.

Is it really fair to call a lot of people weak because they are sad or feel bad that a pop musical icon of huge popularity has passed on? They’re all doing whatever they can to get through this difficult time (especially the Jackson family – talk about a media circus) and when it’s all over, they’ll get back to normal life. I wasn’t a huge Michael Jackson fan and I felt he displayed some odd behaviors and a weird lifestyle but I just can’t see tearing him down when he’s being laid to rest. It doesn’t make any sense to me.

I think how people on this site answer questions like these speaks volumes about their personality. I think it is a good barometer if you want to learn more about a person on Fluther: see how they answer MJ questions.

I’m gonna say that I don’t care if the guy ate puppies. Thriller was not just the biggest selling album of all time, it sold almost 110 million copies…the next highest seller was Back in Black by AC/DC, and album which came out 2 years before Thriller and it’s sold 45 million. This is for every album ever made, far more than double, almost triple the next most popular album in 100 years of recorded music. If you were a teen or pre-teen in the early 80s, you could NOT go to a friends house without them putting Thriller on the stereo, no matter where you lived. If you watched MTV they played the video every hour on the hour for months. It was at #1 longer than any album in history and 7 of it’s 9 songs became top 10 hits. His sheer commercial success made it impossible for MTV to enforce their de facto no blacks policy and subsequently caused a huge cultural breakthrough for an entire race of people who had been oppressed for 400 years. He invented dance moves that are taught in choreography classes. He put out a follow up album that put more #1 singles on the charts off a single album than anyone, including the Beatles had ever done. His music was known in every country around the planet. He met with Presidents and royalty. He made more money than any other entertainer in history. He owned all the Beatles’ music and married Elvis’ daughter. Even if he was the biggest psycho, freak and pervert in the history of the planet, the man was musical royalty. Regardless of whether you liked his music or whether you thought he was a worthwhile human being, the guy who made Thriller is going to be missed by 100s of millions of people and yes, someone has that broad of an impact, it’s appropriate to celebrate the good they brought to the world, even if it means you have to ignore the bad. Of course the world should idolize, mourn and memorialize him.

no.

“I’m gonna say that I don’t care if the guy ate puppies” I love that.

bravo @dalepetrie

Can we all just shut the fuck up about him? Please?

thank you jeff!

The guy spent his entire life trying to entertain us, create new music, encourage other artists, etc. etc. and did so at the complete expense of his sanity, perspective, relationships and health. He was a pretty tortured guy who still was able to produce some amazing music, contribute significantly to pop culture and music, and undertook successful philanthropic efforts as well. He deserves a huge amount of respect and acknowledgment, and I feel like we at least owe him that. I’m all for the gold coffin, and anything else he would want, given all the sacrifices he made.

I don’t have an issue with this memorial service at all. I’ve actually seen a lot more done (Aaliyah’s white, horse-drawn, traffic-stopping carriage through the middle of NYC, complete with white doves and a cathedral ceremony?) for artists who were far less dedicated. I actually think the Staples Center kind of sucks, though. I feel like Neverland would have been more fitting, and well, classy.

The media coverage is a bit much, but I just choose not to watch it, and move on. It’ll die down right after the memorial service.

@Siren how do you figure this?

@jeffgoldblumsprivatefacilities – Elvis died 32 years ago and people still haven’t shut the fuck up about it. Face it, this guy had a 40 year career in which he created the best selling music of all time. I imagine his estate will eventually buy back Neverland and turn it into something 10 times as big and 10 times a gaudy as Graceland. With Elvis, though his music was in my opinion far better, he was pretty much a phenomenon in the US…with Jackson, his music was known in every country, every corner of he globe. That kind of fame doesn’t ever go away, not if you molest children, not if you die, not if you drill holes in nun’s skulls and rape their brains. You’re just going to have to learn to live with it.

damn this is getting vulger.

I believe people idolize who they want to. To each his own. If anybody wants to idolize him, more power to them.

@Simone: It’s somewhat of a peer question. He was first idolized and portrayed as faultless in the media: in the early 80s he could do no wrong. Then when his music started fading from the spotlight, he also got embroiled in the court case against him. It was easy for the same “people” who glorified him to turn around and start vilifying him, even though he was acquitted on all 11 counts. And these jurists were people like you and I, who simply looked at the evidence and determined there wasn’t enough to convict him. Now that he’s dead, it seems these same people are enjoying roasting him all over again.

I guess my point is, if people want to have a memorial for him, why piss on his grave? I think those same people who are annoyed with his coverage and outraged over his telecasted memorial are the same who danced at clubs to his music and screamed his name at concerts. Village mob mentality.

So, my point is, if you are the type to enjoy flagging the guy who’s hands and head are in the wooden contraption in the middle of town square, you will jump on the “hate” bandwagon. And, if you are the type who goes by a graveyard quietly and thoughtfully, you will not have much of an opinion either way, since he’s deceased.

Rather than idolize the man, why not simply mourn the loss of whatever future music he might have produced? Most of us never met the man and have no idea what he was really like. Most of us have heard the music he made and were affected by it. Personally, while I am sad for his family, what I mourn is the loss of his potential.

@Siren I’m not villifying him, but nor do I worship him, nor do I think he deserves all the coverage…I never danced at his concerts, I never screamed his name…

@Simone: So you’re probably in the latter category. I think the bottom line is respect here. You never met the guy, don’t know much about him, never listened to his music, don’t get what all the hooplah media coverage is about, but won’t join with the lynch mob either.

And to me, you proved my point: your opinion and attitude about this celebrity speaks volumes about your personality.

@Siren you mean i should have respect for him? i don’t just randomly respect people even if they are celebrities I enjoy…I understand why his music was important…I did listen to it, obviously, just no obsessively…and I still don’t think there needs to be a media hooplah about it…but that’s really more about my opinion of the media, which is quite low rather than mj…

@Simone: No, I didn’t mean that. I was speaking in general terms.