Beautiful Minds

I am from the generation prior to Michael Jackson's. My son listened to him. I remember his getting the Thriller album when he was about 12. I think of all the people who were positively influenced by this man. I think of the joy, the inspiration, the hope and the love he brought to the world. I think of his androgeny and how intriguing it was. I think of what appeared to me to be pure love for all sorts of people and then I think of the way our society sought to torment him, to demonize him simply because, it appears to me, that he was so outside the norm - and yet, being outside the norm is what allowed him to give us the things we so loved about him. I've read that he was a very isolated and lonely man and I'm so sad about that. His daughter, Paris, talked about what a great father he was and I believe that. I want to believe that. I want to believe that he was a consummate perfectionist in his craft, a true genius and a loving, pure human being. To believe anything else would be hurtful to his memory and to my own faith in mankind.

I grew up listening to Michael Jackson, we would've been the same age. The Rockin' Robin clip is so illuminating...yes, all of his talents are right there to see...you can;t take your eyes off of him..he is so dynmaic and his talents just shine through.
I find it so sad that culture and fame destroyed him. I find it so sad that he felt isolated and alone most of his life.
It is so painful to see him in his later years as the addictions and mental illnesses took ahold of him and ravaged his psyche...the eating disorder, the distorted self-image...I can hardly think about it it is so painful. If only he could've been helped through the addictions and the totally unecessary self-loathing. If only.....

Puer Aeternus

A night terror will visit this child
“…I pray the Lord my soul to keep”
Thanatos with gleaming eyes smiled,
“You will not leave with this sleep”

Selene demands, “Take hold of him”
Phobeter wields the ivory dream gate
The Midgard Serpent will swim
Dragon’s Tail is this child’s fate

“…And if I die before I wake”
Hypnos tends to the entrance poppies
“I pray the Lord my soul to take”
"Somnum ei inductum" makes two copies

Night gods frighten the Endymion waif
The Oneiroi cave causes him to quiver
Phantasos’ dreams will keep him safe
Between the banks of the Lethe river

It's been 6 months since he died and I'm still wondering why he was the way he was. What exactly were his problems that caused him to implode the way he did? I believe he died because he couldn't stand living anymore, he couldn't stand to look at himself everyday in the mirror in my opinion and look at what he had done to his once good looking face. He didn't love himself enough so he basically destroyed himself trying to achieve his idea of perfection which went terribly wrong at the end. The plastic surgeon (Hoefflin) who performed all of the excessive surgery on MJ's nose should be held accountable in some way by the medical profession. It makes me sick that his alleged M.D. would perform so much surgery on someone who had severe psychological issues. I hope that no other child star ever goes to such lengths to re-make themselves to appeal to a broader fan base as I believe MJ did. As well as to make himself look more white or more like Peter Pan? Maybe both? His doctor(s) should have known better than to give him all of the surgery and drugs he asked for. Now his kids have to suffer because of it. The media's sick fascination with celebrities in the U.S. didn't help the situation either.

I grew up listening Michael Jackson's music.I was shocked when he died. He was a big star, a true artist and a great dancer.

I wish I had discovered this earlier, but better late than never. This is an honest research which seeks to base its argument on most fitting life examples, unshaken by stereotypical impressions that are constantly being imposed by the mainstream. Unfortunately, we the "medialoid" virus has somehow managed to invade the academic community. For sadly, we find in academia a lot of incidences in which serious researchers would deal with such distorted images as givens, and would contribute to the reproduction of those distortions by integrating them into their research! I've come across numerous cases as such, and particularly when the pop icon, Michael Jackson, is mentioned. I'm so glad I've found this today. It is not only a very interesting read, but also an antidote to the bulk of mainstreamish, lazy, and unscientific "researches" that many journals are full of nowadays. Thank you, Dr. Kaufman. I'm working on a project which aims to trace mainstream influence on academic research. I've also chosen Michael Jackson to lead the way while exposing this dangerous trend, which I believe jeopardizes the very essence of any research work, namely its credibility and validity.
http://justice4mj.blogspot.com/

I saw the movie "This Is It" and it really was an eye opener. What was more noticeable than his creativity was his drive. He was relentless in his pursuit of perfection. Creativity, ability and knowledge all can be understated, but not drive.

I've only just begun reading the article, but regarding the question of whether MJ could have been a great basketball player like the other MJ -- he was fairly tall but not nearly as tall as the professionals. He very likely could have become an excellent player but lacked the height of the pro's