“King of Pop” or “Wacko Jacko?”
Tuesday, March 30th, 2010
by steveb
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Some say Michael Jackson was a freak. Some even go to say he’s better off dead. Michael Joseph Jackson, as criticized and speculated as he was, is one of, if not the greatest figure in entertainment history and one of the most influential men of the 20th century.
“The King of Pop” has sold more than 300 million copies to date, is the first artist to chart seven singles in the top 10 from one album, and the only artist to have an album (Thriller) sell more copies than any other in two separate years. He has been described as “biggest-selling artist of all time,” “the single most awarded entertainer the world has ever known,” and “the most popular artist in the history of show business.”
Leading up to his death, however, his personal struggles grew to a tabloid-filled “freak” show, and began to overshadow his iconic accomplishments. Beginning with rumors of him purchasing the bones of John Merrick, the Elephant Man, and sleeping in a hyperbolic chamber to decrease aging, the “King of Pop” became better known as “Wacko Jacko.” Further accusations of child molesting and bizarre physical changes did not help his image either, but these pieces of the Jackson puzzle do not tell the whole story.
Living under the celebrity spotlight since he was five years old, he never had the traditional childhood, telling Oprah Winfrey in an interview he “had no friends as a child, [his] brothers were his only friends.” Virtually skipping the developing years of his childhood, Jackson grew up under extreme pressure from the media, his brothers, and his record company, not to mention the frequent beatings he received from his father. His troubled past became more public through interviews like Oprah’s, however sympathy for him did not. Growing up with such an external demand for maturity and music success, the physiological effects he endured are difficult to compare because of his super-stardom. In the interview, he said:
“I would do my schooling which was three hours with a tutor and right after that I would go to the recording studio and record, and I’d record for hours and hours until it’s time to go to sleep. And I remember going to the record studio and there was a park across the street and I’d see all the children playing and I would cry because it would make me sad that I would have to work instead.”
With no childhood, a violent father, an insecure self-image, and coming out of a dysfunctional group of brothers, Jackson became addicted to painkillers and excessive plastic surgery operations to help cope with such a unique life-style. Even through all of this, the contributions he made to various foundations and charities show his strong humanitarian beliefs.
As listed in the 2000 Guinness Book of World Records, Jackson held the record for “Most Charities Supported By a Pop Star”. When touring, he would take time to visit sick children in hospitals. His Neverland home has special rooms for sick and terminally-ill children, and has helped set up the Heal the World Foundation, and supported 39 charity organizations either through donations or sponsorships, and has donated an estimated $500 million to such groups. His devotion to children is said to be the most important thing in his life, which usually goes unnoticed to the “Wacko Jacko” headlines that we always hear about instead.
So who are we to judge the greatest entertainer of all time, if no one can in fact compare their lives with his? None of us went through the struggles he faced with his family, or the constant limelight he lived nearly his entire life under, or the on-going medical attention he faced by his doctors. To expect someone living under these circumstances to turn out like you and me is unreasonable and unrealistic. Perhaps his greatest skill was also his biggest enemy, and his overwhelming success was not worth the depression he lived with for much of his life. What should be taken from his life now that he has passed away is his successful music career and devotion to bettering the world, and maybe “Wacko Jacko” will once again be better known as “The King of Pop.”
Photo Credit: Mr. Fotoshop
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