The singularity that was michael jackson left some persons viewing his memorial with ambivalence. Is it ok to care about him? Should his alleged activities – do not forget he was never found guilty of being a pedophile – overshadow his astounding talent and accomplishments? Dare i say i liked him? His fans will say yes – and his critics will say no. But most persons just aren’t sure in what manner to feel.
Surely his talent is undeniable. We expended our entire childhoods dancing and singing to michael jackson songs. His appeal spanned generations. We got out of our chairs and danced along. He was a “thriller” for us for years. As we adored him, he distinctly did not adore himself. He was perpetually tearing away his face, repeatedly going through surgeries to recreate another self; changing his skin color, keeping himself frighteningly thin as if hoping to not be seen and to decrease rapidly. Until he accomplished his goal. And now he has disappeared.
It is easy to criticize a 50 year old man whose most burning desire was to be peter pan, not mature up, and live his life in neverland. And it’s easy to believe that any individual who would spend millions to fabricate a playland could just be using it to lure youngsters to satisfy deviant desires. Perchance his cash permitted him to be more blatant then a pedophile would ever be. But with all the possiblenesses one thing is clear. Michael jackson had a severe maturational lag and in an emotional manner was a really young child. Altho the calendar said he was 50 his extremely fixed childhood experiences left a hole in him he could never fill.
Try as he may, he couldn’t get past never having any of the expected, normal childhood life experiences that kids require to mature and function successfully in the society they live in. If someone put you in a closet for a month you would be a month older when you came out. But would you be smarter? Or have matured at all. All of that would have been entirely stifled. If i took you out of the closet and taught you to read, that would be all you would know. You could just be smarter but still not more mature. Maturity comes from having never-ending and respective life experiences.
Children who’ve been very sick, kids who use drugs, those who’ve experienced abuse and neglect, and any other situation which pulled them from the mainstream of what’s considered a “normal” childhood may experience a maturational lag. Some persons have this to one degree or another. Today, child protégés are given the chance to socialize and be a child. Persons know how indispensable this is. Michael’s maturational lag was extreme. And altho his agile body amazed us, he was crippled by his inability to function as a regular adult internationally in which he lived.
Seeing him this way may aid to alleviate the ambivalence in how persons mourn him. This man-child was a giant in his field and changed the earth of music and entertainment everlastingly. It’s a tragedy that he could not fill his own shoes.
