Originally posted by spellbound
To all you sick people making jokes about Michael Jackson - I have to presume you are from OZ, that most insensitive land.
Let me ask you this.
Have you written over 40 top songs?
Are you millionaires?
Could you please stop making fun of Michael, who achieved more than you ever will in your lives?
While I agree that making jokes about the dead is in questionable taste, this post brings up an interesting (at least to me) question. Namely,
"What's so great about Michael Jackson?". Yes, he was a great showman. Yes, he made a great deal of money. As for 'achieving more than you ever
will in your life'...I don't know about that.
He was a singer / performer. Been there, done that. Baritone in a gospel quartet for almost as many years as M.J. sang on stage. I never made hundreds
of millions of dollars, but I never went half a billion in debt, either. I'll call that a wash item.
Did M.J. ever save a life? Not to brag about myself...I'm depressingly normal in a lot of ways, but I know of two that I have. One child rescued from
a house fire, and one case of CPR that paid off.
Did M.J. ever build anything with his hands? My father, grandfathers and I built a house and two barns from the foundations up...and barring fire or
tornado, I'd wager those buildings will outlive several generations of pop artists.
His achievements are *different* from mine...and from those of anyone else...but to say he 'achieved more' just because he got time in the spotlight
and big royalty checks is, in my opinion, rather silly. Celebrity status doesn't convey great wisdom (despite what the media thinks), nor does it, of
itself, convey greatness. Don't make more (or less) of M.J. than he was...he was a pop-culture icon, and an entertainer with good dance moves and
serious mental problems.
As to whether his body was in his coffin, it wouldn't surprise me if it were stored elsewhere (probably in cold storage, not cryogenic) during the
public memorial to stave off decay. I really don't see a conspiracy in it, so much as (just as with most of his life) way too much theatrical
goings-on.