Sex, Drugs, and Boredom

Why we should take entertainment more seriously than we do.
Peter Stromberg is an Anthropologist and author of Caught in Play: How entertainment works on you. See full bio

Comments on "Did Michael Jackson give his life for us?"

Did Michael Jackson give his life for us?

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. Read More

Michael Jackson revive!

Would you really give up believing that Michael

Jackson is yet to leave us? As long as

Michael's body
is yet to reveal that he is 100% confirmly
death, we still have a chance to believe he is
still with us! Do you believe in miracle? Do you
believe that human mind can create impossible by
just make a simple thought? If you believe and
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instruction in the link --> http://mckit.tk

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for the purpose of creating miracle. I hope i

can see MJ in the 02 arena ... I love you.

forever, and ever.

Visit only if you believe in miracle.

The king is dead, long live the king

Well, Elvis returned from the dead, at least according to some--I actually wrote an article about this:

http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/119370095/abstract

All celebrities are both human and something beyond human, because they represent parts of our social life. The human part is bound to die, but the other part can endure.

In this, the model for the celebrity was established in our culture by Jesus of Nazareth, and of course the vast majority of the population believes that the miracle you hope for did in fact occur in that case.

Thanks for sharing your perspective.

I am from a country in Asia.

I am from a country in Asia. I am in my 30's. I first heard of MJ when I was about 7 years old, I guess. I was not a fan of him, but didn't realize that I was admiring his music all the while. It was only in his death that I learned that he wrote and sang "Heal the World." I was not musically inclined until his death. It was when I began researching all about Michael, that I became interested of the different music genre. It can be said that Michael made me appreciate music from classical to rock.

From my end, there were lots of factors that drew me into the Michael Fever. Because of Youtube it was easy for me to watch anything I randomly think about. So days before Michael died, I watched the Making of We are The World, and it showed there a great singer who was soft-spoken, and deeply humble to say "i'm sorry, i'm sorry" when he had to redo his part. Then when I saw his interviews (earlier interviews) he was very shy, which is just the complete opposite of his stage personality. The paradox of his persona drove me to getting to know him more.

Then when I got to know of his songs, I had nothing but great admiration for some of them. The themes are universal, like "Heal the World," "The Earth Song," "Black and White," "Man in the Mirror." They all have social and global relevance, which supports my personal advocacy. Then his introspective song "Childhood" made me look into my own childhood as well, my own struggles, my own pains.

It's really funny how I became a fan of Michael in his death, but I think it's because knowing bits and pieces of his life, I emphatize in his difficult and sad journey.

Life is difficult, so Scott Peck says. I hope and pray we all get by with God's guidance and enlightenment, for truly, life on earth is a "valley of tears." And only in God do we find serenity.

Inspiration from MJ

I think that many share your experience, they have found inspiration and insight in the life of Michael Jackson (or other celebrities). As a social scientist, I am interested in the extent to which people seem to develop somewhat spiritual relationships with the celebrities they admire. In a way, this is what I am saying in my post: in today's world, often the celebrity comes to stand for important aspects of our personal and collective experience. This significance is part of the reason why the death of these celebrities is seen as so momentous.

Thanks for explaining your thoughts on this issue.

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