Who killed Michael Jackson? - For us hard to take?

[mjdove]

Who killed Michael Jackson?

By Yolie Cerda 05/20/2010

Last year, we were all shocked by the sudden death of an American idol. He had been an idol all his life. No one, but no one, saw it coming. No one expected that he would leave us so quickly; in fact, we all thought he would live forever. After all, this is what a living legend does, right? He is not supposed to die. So, lo and behold, when Michael Jackson (MJ) died, most of us did not know what to do, how to act, what to say, how to respond. It shattered us beyond belief. How could this happen … to him? Isn’t he the King of Pop? He couldn’t have died; he had a role to fulfill. Besides, multitudes of his devotees eagerly anticipated his performances at all his sold-out concerts.

But no, it WAS true; MJ had indeed passed away at his home in Southern California on June 25, 2009. They weren’t rumors after all. Naturally, we all ran to confirm that these weren’t just rumors; sure enough, they were all true. We walked around stunned for the rest of the day. How did this happen? Who was responsible? A myriad of questions swirled around in our minds, and confusion reigned supreme. How were we possibly going to continue living without MJ in our lives? Even if we rarely listened to his music, he was a part of our daily lives, like it or not.

And this is why I pen these words — because I believe there is something much more intrinsic going on here. For you see, my friend, MJ had no privacy. He couldn’t walk, or breathe, or think … or move without the blinding camera flashes going off like machine guns in every direction he turned. They have become piranhas; the paparazzi have gone mad. They don’t care about people’s lives, or children, or need for peace and solace …. My heart hurts for MJ; it truly does.

MJ and I grew up in the same era; this is the only thing we have in common. I was able to run, and skip, and jump, and play as long as I wanted. I was able to go to college. I was able to get married, and have babies … and get divorced in peace. MJ didn’t get to do any of these things. He couldn’t take a walk without a pack of savage wolves trailing him, snapping pictures left and right, each hoping to get the perfect shot to earn fame and fortune before the world. Wolves have a way of imposing themselves in the most unexpected manner; they sneak and poke around in search of prey.

And so I pen this in honor of MJ — a man who never got to be a man, a child who never got to be a child. A man who lived and died a very desperate, lonely life. He never got to know himself, for he never had the freedom to do so.

So who killed MJ? In my opinion, we did. We couldn’t get enough of him. We couldn’t let him live his own life. We couldn’t let him make mistakes. We couldn’t let him be human. The tabloids devoured him, piece by piece. When will we learn, folks, to let pop stars and celebs just be? They have a need for freedom, just as we do. They don’t want to have to look good wherever they go. Sometimes I take my kids to school in my Tigger pajamas. One time, my kids locked me out of our family vehicle just to get a good laugh. I stood outside my door, begging them to let me in before the entire neighborhood saw me.

MJ couldn’t do that. Oh, no, he would have been plastered all over the tabloids the very next morning, in his Tigger pajamas. So, hey Michael, at least you have peace now; at least you can run and play and laugh and scream as loudly as you want. I’m so sorry you never got to do these things while you were in our midst. We were too selfish to let you live your own life. We had an insatiable hunger to know everything about you. No matter which way you turned, we were there, clicking away like crazed maniacs. On some days we adored you, and yet on others we loathed the mere utterance of your name.

Some people would say you did this to yourself … that you wanted the adoration of the masses, that you couldn’t live your life without the flashing cameras. I don’t think so. It’s human nature to seek freedom and comfort and relaxation. It’s human nature to pursue wholeness through the company of others. Most of all, it’s perfectly normal to want to be left alone. Sure, you were meant to be on stage and become famous, but that didn’t mean we needed to destroy your privacy. That didn’t mean we needed to run your life into the ground … literally and figuratively.

Yolie Cerda, mother of five, is a freelance writer currently developing a multimedia-style teen curriculum: The ABC’s of Life: a Survival Guide for Today’s Teens, and writing a book: The Pursuit of a Dream. Yolie resides in Santa Paula and loves the County of Ventura with all her heart.

http://www.vcreporter.com/cms/story/..._jackson/7927/

[izilda]

Me desculpe
Mas nao concordo
Nós demos vida a Michael
Ele amava isso da fama e de ser amado
Quem o matou foi a midia
A midia o detonou, acabou com ele
logo depois daquelas acusações absurdas
que marcaram seu coraçao



Sorry
But I do not agree
We gave life to Michael
He loved it the fame of being loved
Who killed him was the media
The media the ended up with him
soon after those absurd accusations
that marked your heart

[AdamBa17]

shes not talking about michael fans, because we were never like that.

we couldnt get enough of him, true, but we never put expectations upon him. we were just glad for the way he was and happy that he was living and enjoying life.

we never wanted him to be perfect, we loved his imperfections.

great article though, and i think it applies to non mj fans, but we definitely didnt contribute towards this. we gave michael life and happiness. he lived for us.

[thrillerchild]

Great, now i feel terribly guilty

[xthunderx2]

the article is ok,,it is only one person's opinion..so I dont take it to harshly..,but...we have seen Michael in his pajamas plenty of times...he loved his jammies. But that is who he was..and we loved him for it.

[blankyluvdoodoo]

i think she is talking about media ,paparazzi in general.but the 1st part is very true ,it applied to everyone ,no one knew how to process that news or that day.it was like every one was in shock at the same time mj fans and non mj fan.

[Melania]

Going from saying that fans made it impossible for him to have a normal life to saying that that is what killed him is a pretty huge jump, and one that she fails to fully explain or defend her argument for.









ETA: Thank you, though, for posting this mjdove. Definitely interesting to read and she does bring up some valid points.

[Sophielo]

The fans were there for him when no one else was and Michael loved the fans deeply. We were the ones that stuck by him when everyone else turned their backs and Michael treasured us for it. It was the media who made his life a misery with their lies and gossip, following him everywhere he went, and now they are stalking his kids.

[forevernmyheart]

The fans did not kill Michael. We were his inspiration.

[Pace,MioDolceCuore]

Hm, whom is the author of that article referring to? Him/herself?

I don't go easily on guilt trips because of others usage of "we". I didn't kill him. If that person feels some kind of guilt than that's up to him/her, I don't know why that person feels guilt, maybe is it some collective guilt of journalistic endeavours, I don't know.

I didn't kill Michael Jackson. I loved his music and art and admired him since I was 12. I never stalked him, nor am I conscious of violating his boundaries by stalking him, harassing him or buying any kind of tabloid rags. I never read Halperin's book and don't plan on it either.

People need to take personal responsible for their own actions, not guilt others in the seductive usage of "we". I didn't kill him.

People need to decide for themselves if they did anything to carry that cross of guilt, period.

I didn't stalk, I didn't chase him in my car- I only wrote him a letter of support in 1993 when those disgusting extortionists showed up the first time.
That's hardly a contribution to killing him.

He was an artist, he wanted his art to be loved, his music listened to. That's not what killed. I'm looking for WHO killed him.

And those that killed part of him by accusing him of disgusting crimes- those should take the guilt because it's theirs to take. Those that were unkind, those that lied, those that slandered him, those that speak ill of him despite knowing better- they can take all the guilt there is, rightfully so.

It's a tall order, taller than at first sight- be kind to one another, don't speak ill about someone, don't slander someone- because just a few unkind words can be enough.
He gave me a good wake-up call what it really means to misalign somebody, to trash someone behind their back- I will never again gossip if I can somehow avoid it. THAT'S my lesson, it even influences how I view certain people in his surroundings- I never spoke to them and just hear a lot of 3d hand hearsay.

But I didn't kill him. I love his music, I love his art and I love his vision. He said that all he wanted to bring people is joy and happiness- not unjust guilt.

His supporters who believed in his innocence all the way got called ugly names, delusional idiots with more than a couple of screws lose- now the same people are responsible for killing him? Please. The coroner's report stated his death as acute propofol intoxication in connection with benzodiazepine effect- not dead by love.
I love him, I didn't kill him.

Find his murderer(s), not guilt those who loved him truly.

[Pace,MioDolceCuore]

Great, now i feel terribly guilty

Please don't feel guilty. He died at the hands of another, because somebody did the wrong thing. Not your guilt to carry.

[Pace,MioDolceCuore]

...
Some fans were so agressive in loving him so they made tabloids agressive in trashing him. This is how it works. One goes after another.
...

Those that did violate his boundaries have their share to carry. But I refuse to release those of their responsibility that SLANDERED him, trashed him and treated him like an emotionless piece of wood.

Every fan needs to decide for themselves if they violated his boundaries- but that does not mean AT ALL that the (potential) misbehavior of one person means others should follow suit. That's nuts. Nobody "makes" anybody do anything. If a guy decides to beat his wife- that's the first thing he'll say "she made me do it." Don't fall for it.

Tabloids are responsible for what they did to him, they might have fed of the fan frenzy- but nobody forced them to shoot the fan frenzy and fans didn't put the gun to any tabloid rag saying "here, shoot him leaving the store, call him disgusting names". Media alone is responsible for the media crucifixion. Even if people applauded them, bought their stuff- the one putting it out there is STILL the one responsible for it.

If some idiot down the street beats his child does this mean I start too? No.

Don't get me wrong, there is some fan behavior that does worry me and yes, fans were among the reasons he had bodyguards in the first place.
But that's not what killed him.
When was the last time you heard him being ridiculed for wearing his PJ pants? When was the last time fans gave him a hard time for that? I only see fans trying to buy similar ones on ebay, not rip MJ to pieces in a "how could he" way.

His life was a cage in many ways but pinpointing the fans as the "cause for making the media aggressive" is not something I will agree with. Just because person A engages in maybe questionable behavior doesn't release me from my own responsibility.

But it wasn't fans who called him child ******* and THAT really poisoned him slowly but surly.
Wherever he was there was AT LEAST the same amount of media and cameras that matched the number of fans- or even outnumbered the fans in many instances. They asked ridiculous questions, it wasn't fans shooting a presumably dead man in the ambulance.

Overzealous fans carry their share but the majority of "non-violating fans" is also not responsible for those who did violate his boundaries. Collective guilt isn't serving anybody, Michael Jackson the least.

[~* White Chocolate *~]

Hmmm, I'm only going to say that I in all of my 24 years on this planet I have always been and will always be a MICHAEL JACKSON FAN. I was born into fandom, and I have never stopped. Ask anyone who knows me, they'll tell you that if you say an ill word against Michael in front of me then you had better have all your facts straight because I will come at you hard with all of the truth. Michael, the man, his music, his words, his light have been there for me throughout my entire lifetime, when I was in the darkest place he brought the light into my world. I have and continue to look up to him in every way a person can look up to another. I loved him for all his gifts, talents, imperfections, and flaws. I never expected anything from Michael, I never felt he owed me anything. He had given me as a fan, as a fellow human being EVERYTHING he had in him to give, and I was ALWAYS grateful for whatever he was willing to give. Michael was truly the most beautiful man I have ever gotten to know in my life.

If this person is saying that I and all my fellow admirers of Michael contributed to his passing, I take great offense to that. We understood him when the rest of the world refused to even try. We stood by him when the rest of world wanted to kick dirt on him while he was down. We continued in our support of him even when the world thought we were crazy. I did so knowing that Michael would have done the very same. WE didnt turn our backs on him, WE didnt kick him while he was down, WE didnt make up nasty and disgusting jokes when it was a free for all to hate on him, WE didnt bombard the world as a collective whole with falsehoods, innuendos, untruths/half truths, and disgusting lies to try and profit from it for our personal gain. NO WE DID NOT! It was the media, the paparazzi, so called "friends", ex-girlfriends, an ex-wife, etc. who ridiculed him, allowed others to go on and on with lies about him, with the ill words. It was them NOT US. I didnt chase him down with a camera, it wasnt I who sought out pictures of his children when he did everything in his power to protect them, it wasnt I who caused him to feel the weight of the world on his shoulders. It wasn't the fans! I also know that if I had ever seen him in public I would have been one of the fans beating the paps back to at least try to give Michael some peace, and I know as a fan of this wonderful community that I would not have been alone in that. Michael TRULY LOVED EACH AND EVERY LAST ONE OF US, AND WE LOVED AND CONTINUE TO LOVE HIM! He gave us L.O.V.E. when all the rest of the world gave hate. I thank him for that, I thank him EVERY DAY FOR THAT! THANK YOU MICHAEL! THANK YOU!

It took him passing for the world to wake up and finally say 'We had it wrong. He was an amazing human being. We're sorry Michael.' To bad it came just a day too late...

[SIDEWALK]

the media and the scummy families and the back stabbing 'friends' of michael lead him to his untimley death.

we, the fans, i'm sure kept michael strong throughout his darkest days.
this is my opinion and my opinion is the truth.

[The Healer]

" White chocolate"...you took the words out of my mouth. I feel exactly the same.
Michael is such a big part of my life....without him I would not be me.
If we are guilty of loving him with all our hearts, so be it. I am guilty.