Glo Knows... Hypocrisy
The death of a controversial superstar has us all rethinking our opinions on talent and eccentricity.
I’m sure we’ve all been hypocrites at some point in our lives, right? We’ve all wanted someone else to get a speeding ticket until we, ourselves, are pulled over for speeding. According to Webster (no, not the little Black guy who used to sit on Michael Jackson’s lap), “hypocrisy” is defined as a pretense of having a virtuous character, moral or religious beliefs, or principles that one does not really have. This is especially true when the person in the mirror has something to lose.
The hypocrisy surrounding the death of Michael Jackson has even made my jaw drop! By the time your eyes feast on this glorious publication, the man known as the King of Pop will have been dead for just over a month. However, there will, no doubt, be countless memorial services, remembrances, and tributes still being planned and carried out in his honor. But what is so hypocritical is that some of the same people who are posthumously showering him with accolades look suspiciously like the very same people who ripped him a new butt during his child molestation troubles (of which he was never convicted). Where was all this love and adoration when he was going to court in his pajamas? Honey Hush!
Even though I was upset with him during the trials, I could then and still can separate his talent from his tribulations. I always allowed for the possibility that he could be innocent — not because of his talent, but in spite of it. I thought, at the very least, he was guilty of stupidity. After all, how could he be so careless and yet so talented?
Still, I’m reminded that, like the many saltshakers adorning tables at Racines, there is plenty of hypocrisy in this world. We all know this to be true. Hopefully, by shining a light on its abundance, we’ll all try to use a little less of it.
Whether you liked him or not, whether you believed him or not, whether you bought his music or not, there is no denying that Michael Jackson was amazingly talented. He changed the music industry and changed how an entire generation listened to music. It is true: We not only eat with our eyes; we now listen with them as well. I can remember how music videos influenced whether I even liked a song. Singing and dancing became another art form before my very eyes.
From how he walked, talked, danced, sang, and dressed, Michael Jackson represented a unique art form. Everything he wore was duplicated by fashion designers all across the world and everyone who could, imitated his dance moves. Choreography has never been the same. Since this issue is all about art, think about this: If art is the meat on the everyday sandwich of life, then MJ was definitely the zip in life’s Miracle Whip. Just as it is an art to form sentences with words and move readers to think and laugh, it is also an art to form words around music to make people sing and dance.
Minus the jokes about his sexual orientation and the fading hue of his complexion, he was a man who many other men imitated and admired although I doubt if many would publically admit that. There is no question that, just like his music, Michael Jackson changed over the years. In the beginning, he was the star of The Jackson 5 described by many as an adult trapped in a child’s body. But in the end, just the opposite seemed true: He was a child trapped in an adult’s body.
It’s been said that sometimes life can crush the soul. If that is true, then all music surely reminds us that we have one. Michael’s music reminded a lot of people that they had a soul — and a love of soul music. Once the hypocrisy, pontificating, and exploitation are over, thank goodness we will still have his music.
Denver Magazine
Issue: August 2009