Barry Schwartz is the mastermind behind Disco Vietnam, a clan that moves soundlessly through the shadows and works tirelessly to defeat the wicked 10 percent. “Totally Awesome Decisions” coming soon–total awesomeness guaranteed.
“With the same sword they knight you/they gonna good night you with/Shit, that’s only half if they like you/That ain’t even the half what they might do. Don’t believe me? Ask Michael.”
* Jay-Z
As I watched the events of last Thursday unfold I couldn’t help but be struck with an overwhelming sense of dread. People, it would seem, are simply not improving.
When you accomplish what Michael Jackson accomplished, your obituary will inevitably be split between the great things you did and the awful things people have accused you of doing that can neither be proved nor disproved. This is a good thing in some ways; it prevents the dead from being deified. It’s also a bad thing in that it puts a limit on the amount of positive things people will aspire to accomplish.
When you’re a child it’s very easy to know when people are lying. I was only 12-years-old when I watched Jackson on MTV, recounting the humiliation of having his genitals photographed by the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Department, an experience he knew stood no chance of proving his innocence against accusations of child molestation, but rather could only provide some doubt as to his guilt. His voice quivering as he begged those who might doubt his innocence to reserve judgment, I remember watching this video and believing every word that came out of his mouth. The idea that this person was guilty of what he’d been accused didn’t seem to make much sense at all. It still doesn’t.
For the record, I do not believe Michael Jackson molested children. And perhaps that’s naïve. He was found not guilty in a court of law and I’d like to believe that means something (though perhaps that’s naïve as well). That he settled out of court with one of his early accusers is what most cite as proof of his guilt, but any lawyer worth a damn would have instructed him to do that. This, they will tell you, is beside the point.
The “two sides to a story” are not merely the positive and negative perception of an issue but rather the truth and its rival. And the truth’s rival can come in many forms. Sometimes, if you’re lucky, it can be a pure fallacy. More often than not, however, it appears as merely a plausible suggestion. The allegations against Jackson remain just that: allegations. It was simply plausible given his history of questionable behavior. Unfortunately, for those motivated by jealousy, envy, greed or just plain boredom, that is all that’s necessary to begin the slow process of destroying another person’s reputation. For what?
It should be noted I’m not disputing Jackson’s weirdness. It’s more than clear Jackson was a deeply troubled and profoundly strange person. What I’m disputing is his supposed capacity for maliciousness. To believe that the same person who aspired to heal the world and bring joy to all corners of that world through music and performance was capable of one of the most evil, evil things a person could ever do, requires a rather cynical and extreme leap to judgment.
Listening to “Leave Me Alone” today leaves me profoundly sad, which is especially unfortunate when you consider the song itself is so killing. It’s easily one of best songs on Bad, which is, quite frankly, far superior to Thriller in most every respect. The video clip for “Leave Me Alone” harkens back to the halcyon days when Jackson’s biggest worries were rumors of oxygen chambers or the elephant man’s bones or his relationship with Elizabeth Taylor, Brooke Shields or Bubbles the Monkey or his virginity. Many of these rumors, as evidenced by the video for “Leave Me Alone,” were so patently ridiculous even Jackson was able to find humor in them. Perhaps this was folly. It’s almost as though he was daring the negative forces conspiring against him that they’d need to do better than that to break his spirit. Well, they did.
Last Thursday Michael Jackson died without dignity, his obituary now and forever only a half-truth, a story too good to verify.
Download:
MP3: Michael Jackson-“Leave Me Alone”
