Mapped Out on the Body: Michael Jackson’s Vision for Inclusiveness
Please play more Michael Jackson. He is an original humanitarian. Michael Jackson was more than a pop star; he defined modern popular music. It’s basic ignorance that leads anyone to continue to discredit the way this artist lived. Fans, and anyone else listening to the words written, composed and performed by Michael Jackson would not be so greedy, angry and stupid of the sort that leads us to destroy the planet and divide people.
Earth Song, Heal the World, and of course, We are the World. This man clearly propagated ‘love’ as the way forward. This nation desperately needs to reconcile with Michael Jackson and come to terms with the fact that we created a monster. In spite of the self-mutilation, abuse of credit and addiction to “consumerism,”—you know, sex, drugs and rock-n-roll—we cannot deny that he was an apt mirror of this society. As a pop star, Michael Jackson mirrored the iconic status the United States enjoys in the world- and embodies the unreconciled contradictions as well.
I’m startin’ with the man in the mirror.
I’m asking him to change his ways.
And no message could have been any clearer:
If you wanna make the world a better place,
Take a look at yourself, and
Make that change.
Instead of displeasure with the ugly picture we see in the ‘brand-MJ’ we see on stage- but mostly screens—Michael encouraged us to Keep the Faith. Now, name any pop star who does that, and your list will be real short. It’s time to reconcile and anyway our national leadership is finally catching up to this message and elected someone who would perfectly fit the visions Michael Jackson’s music set out.
No, it should not matter if you’re Black or white, girl or boy, young or old. Michael Jackson seemed to map out this vision on his body. Like the colored daughter in 1959’s Imitation of Life, Michael Jackson “passed” for Black and white, boy and girl, rich and poor. That’s one for Guinness Book of World Records.
In his capacity to feel and project human emotion through art, he came to embody King’s vision. Michael embodied the dream of Homer Plessy, who, in 1892 road a train before it was named desire, claiming that despite the practices of the land, it doesn’t matter if you’re Black or white. Plessy was one-eight black, which made him legally of African descent. Homer Plessy claimed that if the line were so easily crossed, then it doesn’t matter if you’re black or white; both were mapped out on his body.
Down in the dirty-dirty, there are whites, blacks, coloreds—creamy, chocolate, mocha, honey, caramel, butter, salt, pepper and everything in between. Folks had nappy hair, straight hair, silky hair and kinky and curly hair and wavy and every combination thereof. Certainly all permutations of rounded or pointed noses, flat or bodacious bums were filtered through the bunch. It truly does not matter if you’re black or white. Oh, but it does. The resulting Supreme Court decision in 1896- talk about speedy justice—gave birth to Jim and Jane Crow, AKA American Apartheid.
With his brown skin, button nose, and chemically straightened hair, it significantly matter that Michael Jackson was black not white, male not female, from a poor family, not rich one. It mattered what man he saw in the mirror. No, for Michael all this may not have mattered for his alleged sexual perversion. But, we cannot deny the Jackson family’s strongest and most concurrent message of inclusiveness.
Inclusiveness, all the Jackson’s music seems to say, is the underlying means of respecting one another, and the planet. That’s a genuinely mature message for any artist to relay. We can map out inclusiveness on our societies as easily as Michael tried to do so on his body. Our society has the capacity to make provisions for inclusiveness more radically, and more easily than the pervasiveness of racism Homer Plessy called attention to by the existence of his colorful, uniquely American heritage.
- Multiple songs Last.fm
Comments
There is a major poll running over at www.tinyurl.com/evilgood as to whether Michael Jackson was good or evil. Evil is currently in the lead! I think this poll is being recorded in some sort of record book, anyways, everybody go vote for good!!
Comment by Bob — July 16, 2009 @ 9:51 am
your article makes no sense to me, i think you are definitely KUKU. MJ was a black artist who wanted to be white, maybe he was singing about the man in the mirror because he knew that he needed to “change his ways”. His great songs and dancing could not change his perversion and penchant for boys. Its sad that so many are blinded by his work not to see him for what he really was. i hope that the autopsy will reveal his drug addictions so that people will come to see the truth.
Comment by concerned citizen from states — July 16, 2009 @ 10:27 am
@Concerned Citizen. Please allow me to cordially acknowledge your perspective. Since this is art, and as fans and fellow artists, this whole realm is subjective. Hence, I would ask that we raise the level of conversation above the gutter, and above the same sorts of insults that plagued Michael Jackson’s public life.
You may have heard plenty of personal testimonies since his death- folks talking about how some lyrics or image of MJ influenced their lives. This is undeniable. Equally undeniable is the impact MJ had on me when I saw him in concert when I was twelve. Sure, no one is denying ANY of the aspects of his life that you’ve mentioned. Yet, please do not deny that your eyes are not the only ones cast upon this great star- yours is not the only valid perspective.
I was a fan of MJ’s music well before the allegations and transformations, so, like many, I see his art above and beyond his own personal (troubled) life. I am not a puritan and do not need absolute perfection to be able to show an amount of appreciation. God is in me, and I am not so easily moved when exposed to the fallibility of humanity. I accept my own as well.
The article need not make sense to you, but what’s the sense in insulting me-personally- simply because our perspectives are different. Frankly, that’s the same criticism I hold of the media regarding MJ, anyhow.
And, FYI, “Kuku” is an island in the Niger Delta. I excuse you for you know not the ridiculousness of your statement, and obviously do not realize how your insults discredit ANYTHING of value that you have tried to convey. And you can imagine that since I grew up in pseudo ‘multi-cultural’ America, I grew up facing kids whose parents failed to teach them any basic amount of respect, so was harassed simply for having a name that connected me to a language and a people who are over a millennia old here on this planet; they knew not what they did. Kids’ insults and teasing, and teachers’ silent complacency made them complicit in this harassment, so for a while I actually believed that I was strange simply because of my name.
The relationship that MJ had with his brothers demonstrated to me that there is genius to be found in moving against the mainstream. But some kids never get over that hurt and grow up to be adults who abuse themselves and others- this seems to be the case with YOU and Michael Jackson, so hopefully you can take some pages from the chapters of his life and learn to do better in writing your own story.
Skip the crap and speak your mind and perhaps folks will listen up. Otherwise, you just sound bitter and desperate to drag folks down there with you. Listen to MJ’s music and he can help cheer you up and foster a brighter outlook. See the Popmatters’ article “MJ Top 10 Tribute” for listening suggestions. Do take care.
Comment by Diepiriye Kuku from New Delhi, India — July 16, 2009 @ 8:48 pm
@concerned citizen, stick with maligning people who have been convicted of crimes, and keep your moralizing to yourself. Wake up! Perversions and addictions ARE the American Way! And it isn’t just the “inner city” that’s suffering from rot, farm boys and girls get high on meth everday. We are a sick people and don’t know how to get well.
Of course we are “blinded by his work”! It was brilliant. No amount of allegations or even proof that he was an addict (or a “pervert”—whatever THAT means) can possibly diminish a single note or step he took. Take your ‘holier than thou’ perspective to church where it’s appreciated by other people who think they’re better than everyone!
@ Mr. Kuku, when you write: “Instead of displeasure with the ugly picture we see in the ‘brand-MJ’ we see on stage- but mostly screens…” I wonder if you’re speaking metaphorically or literally.
Either way, I remind you of the old saying: “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” For many, Michael remained beautiful throughout his life, regardless of how others tried to portray him as “ugly” (on the inside, if not outside). There are countless fan tributes on youtube dedicated to showing picture after picture of him. And many reply with statements of how very sexy he was! And even more focus on him as a messenger of love and peace. He didn’t throw up a peace sign as a gimmick. He was truly a rainbow and unicorn kind of guy—hard as it may be to believe in our cynical and broken world.
Personally, I find him to have been gorgeous, throughout all the transformations and mutations of his ‘look.’ I fell in love with that sweet brown skin & big brown eyes. I stayed in love through the big ‘fro and pimples stage. And even as his beautiful skin lost its brown luster, he did the best he could to cope and stay attractive. There’s no denying his beauty in the video Scream and he is as white as can be there. I even see a stoic beauty in his profound sadness during the trial period.
That’s not to say there aren’t bad pictures of him—he was human after all! Not many of us take a good mug shot. ;)
But any metaphorical ugliness others see in him is completely lost to me. As far as I’m concerned his inner beauty always shone through, in his songs, his dance moves, in his smile.
Comment by laprofe63 — July 23, 2009 @ 1:05 pm