Michael Jackson and Real Discussions

So, you may have heard Michael Jackson died this week. Sorry if I’m breaking that news to you.

In spite of being a fan of the Jackson Five and Off The Wall-era Michael Jackson, I try as a rule to not comment on celebrities or their deaths. However, a recent Voxunion post (which made a number of assertions I agree with, some I don’t, and some my journalist self found inaccurate, such as Michael Jackson’s greatest success coming with his skin/facial changes) made me want to write something brief.

Rather than tell you what you already know about Michael Jackson, I hope his passing brings people to conversations we need to have.

My hope is Michael Jackson’s passing brings up dialogues about beauty standards as they relate to people of color. In many cases, we get focused on media and messages, but not nearly enough on building up self-esteem. Confidence and appreciation of our differences is something many do not develop until their later years. Young people in particular need support in dealing with the pressures related to these matters.

Some great blogs, including Siddity (with an intriguing Michael Jackson post), talk about this topic (and more) from a woman’s perspective. In particular, the subject of beauty standards and women of color is far more pernicious, because society doesn’t address gender nearly as much as it needs to do so.

My hope is the Jackson passing creates space for individuals to talk about issues of mental health and people of color. Michael Jackson was more than eccentric. Clearly, he was flailing as a result of many problems, and doing so in a public light.

Most of us, myself included, simply shook our heads or rolled our eyes and thought Michael Jackson bizarre. How often did it cross our minds that individuals like him have issues that need compassionate attention?

Communities of color do not talk about mental health enough. While Michael Jackson had family, money and other support systems that did not help him, cities around the United States have less wealthy people battling their own demons. Many states, now looking at deep budget cuts, are slashing mental health initiatives. California’s crisis, which Al Jazeera recently profiled on Fault Lines, is perhaps the most stark example of the bleak future for human services.

Talking about budgets and the demise of necessary help reminds us of the need to hold policymakers, from the city/county level offices to the Obama Administration, to account for spending priorities.

I hope Michael Jackson’s passing creates a space to have real discussions that could make a difference in communities today.

And, yes, my implication earlier that we need to have these kinds of conversations and less chats about Michael Jackson dying was intentional. Not to be the dour one or anything, but I think the planet has had enough celebrity worship and big media, bloggers (not Siddity, blessedly) and others who never write so much as a comma about deaths around the globe mourning Michael Jackson endlessly.