On Tue, Jul 7, 2009 at 1:22 PM, Karla Robinson < [email protected]> wrote:
> I respectfully disagree. If we are talking world-wide fame—not just > U.S/Europe/Australia, but also Africa and Asia and the Middle East, there is > no one as famous as Michael Jackson. That’s why the heavy coverage, that’s > why the spectacle. Maybe Paul McCartney or perhaps Madonna are the only > other modern stars as famous internationally as Michael Jackson. > > I would say this about the television coverage: NBC made the smart > decision to have several of their African-American staffers assisting with > the coverage. Brian Williams deferred to people like Lester Holt and > Michael Okwu to provide some of the analysis and context for why MJ was so > important to so many people. What many of us white folks don’t get is that > the iconic stature of Michael Jackson was not diminished in the > African-American community, even though his reputation had suffered in the > world more generally. > > I’m not trying to excuse MJ’s admittedly poor decision-making, his bizarre > stunts, his odd appearance, the possibility that he truly did hurt children, > his many many quirks…but I think many people in this group just don’t get > it, because they culturally cannot understand it. > I only saw about 30 minutes of the pre-game show, and then had other things to do; I have it on TiVo, but when I got home a few minutes ago I was so icked out by the few minutes of the ghoul post-game show on Larry King that I could not make myself watch the recording - maybe I will watch bits of it later. I did get regular text messages from my little sister all day, giving me her reaction and updates on what was going on. I love my sister, and I know how much Jackson meant to her all during her life, so I don't share with her my nausea at the spectacle, but.....YIKES! I shouldn't talk - I cried when Mrs. Landingham **died. I am going to disagree with Kevin about the MJ-Elvis comparisons; I think they are exactly parallel. We did not have the internets or cable news when Elvis died, but I remember that day very clearly, and how insane everyone about 5 years older than me started acting. By my lights, Elvis deserved his fanatic following even less than Jackson did - and thank the gods we did not have cable and the web back then. I am a little puzzled by Karla's ethnic point above. First, with a few exceptions of people who have shared their photograph, I don't know that the ethnic backgrounds are of most posters to this list (and don't care). I know a lot of black people who are going crazy for Jackson, and a lot of white people who are going crazy for him. I don't detect any more tolerance for child molestation in the African-American community than I do in the white community. If there is an ethnic or "racial" angle here, it has to do with Michael's long-standing racial self-hatred, or at least ambivalence, which says as much about the America he grew up in than it does about him, or the so-called black community. CNN also deferred to a lot of the black and ethnic correspondents, but the result I thought was mostly absurd, and at times sounded exactly like a bit from the Jon Stewart show. I don't think there is really anything culturally unique about the appeal of Michael Jackson, or the insanity surrounding his death (have you seen the response in some parts of Japan?). I don't think there is much need to debate MJ's standing on the celebrity meter - he pegged it. The fact that a few others may have also (Ali certainly, Tiger Woods maybe later someday, Obama, maybe later someday, Beatles together or separately, maybe a few others). But I do not buy for a second the claim that the saturation coverage on US news stations is motivated by his world-wide appeal; this is motivated by pandering to US audiences, and passing off as news what people want to see instead of what they need to know. I had a hell of time finding TV news about the recent US action in Afghanistan (which may turn out to be one of the most important things that happened in 2009), or Obama's visit to Russia (I guess there is nothing really important there). The state I live in (and Jackson died in) is having a financial meltdown whose consequences are more far reaching than all but a handful of countries, a Supreme Court hearing is imminent, and two pieces of potentially historic (or dangerous, depending on your POV) legislation are pending in congress (climate change and health care). Its not exactly like we are in the dog days of summer and there is nothing else going on but the Jackson hysteria. Yes, his memorial is news and I don't begrudge it getting reported, but its domination of the recent news cycle is shameful and irresponsible --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People! You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TV or Not TV" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
