I never was a huge Michael Jackson fan but of course listened to his music. For a while he was everywhere. I remember watching him with The Jackson 5 on “The Andy Williams Show” way back when. He was very talented, but grew up to be eccentric. And not just a “normal” eccentric, but eccentric to the point of being downright weird.
At any rate, the news of his death was surprising. He was, after all, 50. Younger than me. It always feels kind of creepy when people younger than yourself die. The media has been saturated with stories about Jackson. Which is understandable; it’s always this way when someone famous dies. But it was a bit much to hear JT the Brick (yes, I still do listen to sports talk radio even though I can’t catch DP live anymore and don’t really have time to listen to him at night) say “The whole world is in mourning” over Jackson’s death. Sure, I’m sorry that the man is dead. I am sorry for his family and his friends. But “the whole world is in mourning”? Give me a break. That could be the overstatement of the year.
I am on record as being a avid reader of obituaries and a recent one struck me:
Jerri FitzGerald, Who Treated Herself at South Pole, Dies at 57
Jerri Nielsen FitzGerald, a doctor who treated herself for breast cancer for months while stationed at the South Pole in 1999 and then when the weather thawed a bit was flown out in a daring rescue mission, died Tuesday at her home in Southwick, Mass. She was 57.
The cause was breast cancer, which had recurred in 2005, her husband, Thomas, said.
Gosh, what a compelling story that was; I can’t believe it was 10 years ago. A friend of mine has done research at the South Pole and conditions down there are unbelievably harsh.
I feel sorry for Dr. FitzGerald’s family and friends, just as I feel for Mr. Jackson’s. I can’t say that I am in mourning over them, as I knew neither person. But I am sad that these two people have died. Both made contributions to the world. But Dr. FitzGerald’s death is being treated as a footnote, as is Farrah Fawcett’s. Which is too bad, because the families of the deceased are in mourning, and the rest of us are just spectators to their passing.
sadly, it seems the exploitation continues. the saturation news coverage is mind boggling. if I had stopped to think about it,I never could have seen MJ growing old – an untimely death seemed inevitable. I feel a detached saddness for his loved ones, especially his children, that doesn’t equal personal grief.
Comment by rrgirl — 27 June 2009, Saturday @ 20:59:02 |
I found it hard to get upset by Michael Jackson’s death, I was much more bothered by both Farrah Fawcett and the South Pole doctor’s deaths. Indeed I have just found out that the author of a book I am reading died not that long ago, and that upset me much more as well even though I never heard of her name before a few weeks ago. I liked some of Jackson’s music didn’t see him as anything more than an entertainer. I didn’t ever connect with him on another level (even if my connections with the others were all one sided). Perhaps he was just too different to ever relate to?
You are right though, we are all just spectators to their passing.
Comment by Hawaii — 4 July 2009, Saturday @ 01:45:26 |