That's why my post started using the word '...

2009-07-08T09:44:50.504-05:00

That's why my post started using the word 'alleged'. He admitted to being an addict in the 90s.

Let me preface this by saying I'm not a huge f...

2009-07-08T08:13:06.634-05:00

Let me preface this by saying I'm not a huge fan of Jackson. I did not watch his funeral, I wasn't particularly upset when I heard he died, and I haven't listened to any of his albums since "Black or White" in the early 90's.

But take a moment to re-read your opening statement - "alleged pedophile and drug addict". He's never been convicted of any of these things, and details are sketchy as to what he did do. Yes, it's been brought up by hundreds of people that he's paid out-of-court settlements to families to make matters go away. However, EVERY case involving a celebrity ends the same way. It's cheaper to pay and shut people up than to go through the agony of year long court battles. It stalls your career, costs more money, and keeps your name in the negative media light during the entire process. It's simply prudent for him to pay and move on, whether or not he's guilty. And in fact, most of the individuals who have brought something against him have recanted (even without payment), or have been proven to have lied. He's a weird dude with lots of money. That makes him a target for every opportunist with a lawyer.

On the flip side, he's an acclaimed artist and philanthropist. He's sold more albums than any musician in the world and donated hundreds of millions to worthwhile charities. Many people are choosing to remember him more for that than the questionable charges and unfair labels he got later in his life.

In the end, the hype surrounding his death and funeral was insane, and is being used as a platform to make tons of money and get international attention. For that, the Al Sharptons of the world should be beaten with sticks. But what you should ask yourself is this: if there are people going nuts with celebrity worship over his death, why do you care so much about how other people perceive his death? It doesn't materially affect you, and in this country of reality TV and celebrity worship, nothing new was revealed about "America's Character".

If you want my personal opinion, I do think they guy was complete whack job and would have benefited from daily Thorazine injections and a lifetime of intense psychotherapy in an enclosed institution. The last thing this guy needed was to be producing more music and going out on tour. He had multiple health problems, body dysmorphic disorder, and who knows how many other mental issues.

Comments on What Would Mama Say?: A Worthy Glorification

That's why my post started using the word '...

Let me preface this by saying I'm not a huge f...