More than a week after Michael Jackson's death, we still seem to be trying to sort it out. Personally, I remain stunned by the response to his death. The volume of news coverage and spontaneous public concern has been similar to what I might have expected from, say, an alien invasion of our planet. Of course, I shouldn't be surprised at all, because I have seen this happen many times before, when celebrities such as Princess Diana have died unexpectedly.
Nevertheless, I am always astonished anew by the number of people who seem to be genuinely shaken by the death of a person they have never met and with whom they have no actual relationship. Even more challenging is to attempt to grasp the hours and hours of commentary in the major news media. The same people who analyze health care policy and the rulings of the supreme court attempt to provide serious insights into the cultural significance of the "Thriller" video.
Michael Jackson was a talented singer and dancer who had a string of hit records, mostly over twenty years ago. He also seems to have had some severe psychological difficulties, and was repeatedly accused of child molestation. I have asked myself again and again" "Why in the world should his death send shockwaves around the world?"
And then the answer occurred to me: The talk about Michael Jackson's death isn't about him, it's about us. Most of what is said about Jackson's significance isn't about him as an actual person, rather it is about an era of our history, or the trajectory of race relations in the United States, or the evolution of MTV, or people's memories of the eighties. In this context "Michael Jackson" is not a person but rather a symbol
representing aspects of our culture. When people reflect about "him," whether on the streets or in the media, the net effect is like the telling of myths and stories in non-literate cultures: through such reflection key ideas and events in our culture are defined and remembered.
In a broad sense, such talk happens all the time, not only when celebrities die, but on all those occasions that people gather to reflect on the history and values and possible futures of the groups in which they live. Such talk occurs whenever families gather to renew their ties, congregations come together to worship, or local communities assemble to do their business or celebrate holidays. When a celebrity of Michael Jackson's stature dies, the community that reacts is broader even than our nation, it is a culturally based group that embraces much of the world. Such an occasion is an opportunity to build and strengthen the culture that ties us together. The celebrity dies so that we might live.
Peter G. Stromberg is the author of Caught in Play: How Entertainment Works on You. Photo Credit: Kouk
