MJInTheMirror
Proud Member
Silly question perhaps, but I have thought about it and I think it's a very interesting subject, what do you think makes a true MJ fan??
I don't know. It's easier to list what isn't kosher as opposed to what IS. Personally, I never lose sight of the artist's humanity and respect that. Mike is fabulous and he brought a lot to the table, yet I never saw him as some kind of a deity. I try to apply the golden rule to everyone, famous or not; treat people the way I want to be treated. I'm not always successful with that, but if I'm wrong I can and will apologize.
It's important (for me) to respect the artist's personal space, too, which includes their lives they don't share with the fans. I was satisfied with the music, the clips, the dance, the shows and merch. Hanging outside their homes and/or trying to climb the walls of Neverland, overly invested in the artist's kids etc. isn't my style and is a bit much imho. That crosses the line into fanaticism.
Mike (or any artist, author, actor, etc) didn't owe me every waking minute of his life.
But sadly, the fanatics you talk about are usually seen as 'real' fans.
There are different levels of fandom, there are fans who are only interested in the music and nothing else and there are those who are interested in everything MJ including the person, his life etc. And there are many variations in between. All of them are real fans, as far as I am concerned, except when someone makes deliberately derogatory comments about him as a person and says "but I like his music" as if that would give him a pass for such comments. Not everyone who says they like his music is a real fan IMO. I mean Diane Dimond and Nancy Grace said at one point they used to like his music...
If you blindly listen to everything he does and refuse to acknowledge that there is a single thing wrong with the man - which is another point in and of itself, that Michael was a MAN and was just as flawed as any other human being - then you are a Stan, not a fan.
I have no problem stating I don't like some songs Michael recorded, I can't love everything. Neither acknowledging some decisions he made were wrong, all humans have flaws after all. What I would never do is going to the extreme of being rude and insulting to him as some fans have been when they express their opinions because I have the utmost respect towards him. I'm not saying they can't express their discontent about any thing, they sure can but there are ways to do it.