Defending Our Royalty, and Doing Right By Michael Jackson
(Including discussion in the aftermath of the death of the incomparable Michael Joseph Jackson.)
See Part 2, Remembering The Time, including the film, The Essential Michael Jackson at this link
Also see, Part 3, A Critical Discussion on Michael Jackson and Other Memoriams.
Now also find, "Michael Jackson's Influence on Black Culture" at this link.
"After 14 weeks of hearing evidence and deliberating they explained that they had found no grounds for convicting Jackson on a single major or lesser charge."
Michael Jackson is not the usual fare one finds here. But, in continuing to observe media portrayal of him over the years, then with this latest "near death" debacle in the news, and the sudden reemergence of a popular Euro "pop" group that was molded to replicate Jackson family talent - my hand is forced.
Granted, Michael Jackson is a poster child for the crucial need for Black parents to affirm our children, to communicate solidarity with where they are - regarding who they are, and to provide that critical balance between work and play.
We also can't say enough about the importance of working to resist subtle and blatant overtures by societal, media and corporate forces that cast vast shadows of unworthiness over Black children and youth.
But, now the dust is settling, and all that has occurred with Michael Jackson, what we think we know and what we don't is by-and-large over. Whatever our confusion about his conduct - 'is what it is.'
And so, with all of that ostensibly behind us, there is one lesson among many we can learn about Michael, his physical transformation(s) and Euro-media response to it.
Those changes in his appearance are at the root of what many of us think of him. The lesson is that we are emboldened to teach and re-teach the importance of avoiding assessing our people through the smudged lens of the oppressor.
In traveling the web, one easily notes the hundreds if not thousands of photos with Michael's face deliberately (digitally) disfigured or caricatured even beyond changes he personally made to his own features. They claim to hate his appearance, while they work in the heat of night to expand upon it.
And then, consider that not one European journalist, blogger or poster of all of these super-sized photos of Michael's look (or distortions of same) has ever had any appreciation for the luxurious beauty of Michael Jackson and family in their early and middle years.
None have mentioned their awe at the powerfulness of Michael's early-childhood nose - wide as the chocolate hills.
Nowhere have they described enchanting memories of the depth and breadth of that deep, walnut toned skin of he and his siblings in their heyday. In fact, none of them mentions missing a dang thing about Michael Jackson's illustrious 'former' self.
One would think that the opposite of vehement disgust for who Mike has become would be a love for what he once was.
Instead, mainstream media has taken on the form of bloodletting leeches suctioning with extremist delight in every mistake Michael Jackson has made, and some that he didn't.
The reality is that Mike himself created a 'wished-for' opening through which they could reach in and knock him to the floor from behind. They pulverized him with glee as punishment for his having obliterated all noteworthy records previously set by a particular pharmaceutical-addicted performer of considerably lesser talent, who many insist is still alive.
And, so this presentation is to hone in on the real aim of these virulent attacks on Michael Jackson. Their intent is to uphold a decades-old, deeply ingrained collective trepidation with referencing Michael Jackson in the only manner appropriate:
"Your Highness."
They have masterfully perpetrated their trickery - convincing many of us that our Brother is somehow less than acceptable most notably because of the way he looks. They knew that we have been historically hyper-ashamed and embarrassed, are easily turned against our own people, or are driven to silence like the lambs.
Most importantly, they knew that Michael Jackson has been proven by a substantial margin the most successful performer to ever grace a stage in the 20th century - a revolutionary act for a little Brother from Gary, Indiana.
We don't know about these various accusations against Michael Jackson, and perhaps never will.
But, we do know about his battles for presumption of innocence and about his 14 count acquittal.
We do know that he didn't steal his incredible, razor sharp dance moves and rhythmic genius as have other "legendary actors." We know that no entertainer has ever managed to gather together voice and movement and simultaneously keep it tight and set it free in the manner that he has.
We know that he is the consummate innovator in entertainment of all time.
We know that what has happened to Michael - the clawing criticism of him is only one step shy of his being accused of 'palling around with terrorists' (google 'Michael Jackson hates jews' to visualize that imminent possibility).
But, we also know that if anything ever happens to Michael, we won't have to imagine him still alive, because his accomplishments are enough to lift him to the heights of African deity.
Here find a few performances to keep us ever mindful of who it is they would have us conveniently forget.
And the moral of the story is as always - "remember the time."
Terry Howcott
Another Part of Me
Immaculate Michael
Michael Jackson, 1995, MTV Awards
(Dancing While Tired)
The Love You Save
Got to Be There, Acapella
(Audio)
Minister Louis Farrakhan defending Michael Jackson's "non-conformity" (oddly enough)
Thriller
I Want You Back, ABC
Sullivan Show
Remember the Time
Rock My World
(Keep in mind, this is Michael performing in his forties. Claims of his 'Whiteness' don't seem to project through his incredible movement. Also, unlike the vast majority of posts at this site, this has moments of discomfort for strong, thinking women.)
Jam
Michael Jackson, Michael Jordan
Reversing the Inclination to Engage Evidence as an Afterthought
There are few locatable writings online that discuss psychological factors associated with Michael Jackson's changing of his facial features and skin color.
There are few articles that offer solidarity with Michael Jackson or that offer a glimpse of possible factors that led to what we see and don't see in Michael Jackson of today.
There is little writing available speaking to the presumption of innocence in Michael Jackson's case. As I come across more, I will post them here.
Even "Alternet" writers rail against Michael Jackson, and the pudgy Farai Chideya has publicly referenced him in mean-spirited terms calling him 'grotesque.' Power can make us cruel.
However much Michael Jackson's transformation from Black to 'White-face' is distasteful, his presence is more desirable and less painful than the alternative - folk with strong, chiseled Black faces with thin little teaspoons of feeling for the needs of the masses of Black people.
One has to wonder, to what extent in his heart of hearts Michael truly believed we supported him from the beginning. Clearly, not as much as we might have thought.
For those who have made the mistake of assuming Michael Jackson's guilt without studying the matter as one would to have for their own children, here find some writings that cast substantial reasonable doubt upon Michael Jackson's guilt.
The Michael Jackson Conspiracy
"Aphrodite Jones, a New York Times crime reporter, ashamed of her behavior during Michael Jackson's trial, having realized that she was wrong, has written this book - "Michael Jackson Conspiracy" - which is pretty much a compact version of Michael Jackson's trial."
"In objective terms, the jury's decision to acquit Jackson represents a stinging rebuke to the vindictive prosecution, led by Santa Barbara County District Attorney Thomas Sneddon and supported by all the attack dogs of the ultra-right.
The verdict to reject even the lesser charges, whether the eight women and four men on the jury were fully conscious of the fact or not, stands as an indictment of the fraudulent and malicious character of the prosecution's case."
Michael Jackson: 'Guilty' verdict after acquittal?
"Not guilty." The jury representative repeated the word 14 times . . . The jurors - not a single Black member among them - were interviewed as a group at length after the trial ended.
They spoke sincerely and seriously about how carefully they worked to be objective and how painstakingly they had examined the evidence the prosecutor presented them with.
After 14 weeks of hearing evidence and deliberating they explained that they had found no grounds for convicting Jackson on a single major or lesser charge."
"Sundaram's allegations against Sneddon were serious, in that he also claimed to have heard, first-hand, statements by Sneddon and others in the DA's office that suggest that Santa Barbara police persecution of innocent citizens is planned, common, and often racially motivated.
Sundaram said that in 1994, he attended a fund-raising event with Tom Sneddon and other city officials, where ways to "get Michael Jackson out of the county" were discussed. Racist remarks were allegedly made on that occasion.
According to Sundaram, other alleged vendettas were discussed as well, to the extent where he said it resembled a Mafia planning session."
"For a juror to return a verdict of not guilty, the US judicial system dictates that they should have reasonable doubt about whether or not the individual has performed the alleged actions.
The jurors said that they did this, also commenting that they kept a close eye on the instruction pages provided to them by the judge, often referring back to them when discussing evidence in the case which contributed to the final outcome."
Michael Jackson Acquittal, Not Guilty - Special, Part 4
"They did everything they could to make something out of nothing."
"He was acquitted of all felony counts, and all misdemeanor counts."
"There were a lot of discrepancies in the story."
"They were an unbelievable bunch."
"Jackson was innocent all along."
"Factual inaccuracies, the obvious bias among people like court tv . . . very amateurish, and very disturbing . . . "
''I'm ready to fight about Michael Jackson, so we pray to God he didn't do it, 'cause I might go to jail trying to defend him.'' - Missy Elliott
''I support him a hundred zillion percent. Until I see evidence, I'm not going to be convinced. I'm not going to be brainwashed.''' LL Cool J'
"Along with the verdict, the jury gave a note for the judge to read out in court. In it, they said they felt 'the weight of the world's eyes upon us all' and that they had 'thoroughly and meticulously' studied all the evidence."
"We expected better evidence, something that was a little more convincing," a female juror said, adding she is a mother herself. "It just wasn't there."
- New York Times on the Michael Jackson Jury
Note, your host has no difficulty with engaging this issue and its merits - however, when you come - bring some evidence. Do your research.
Michael. Thank you love. Peace Be Unto You.
Someone at facebook lamented, "he sang the soundtrack of my childhood." Couldn't have said it better.
What a shock. What a disappointment.
For my part, I had hoped he might finally be able to pick up the pieces and enjoy the rest of his life in peace.
Now we know that wasn't the plan. Someone made some disparaging remarks about Michael and his physical "transformation" over the years.
Micheal Jackson's music ushered me through some terribly tumultuous times. I don't care what he looked like.
I've been stunned by some the horrible things I've read in the last 24 hours - from people who claim to love the people.
The fact is, we have what some might call questionable lookin' folk who are my favorite color - Black as a telephone.
What I appreciate is the man's brilliance, and his ability to lift a Sister up when it was truly needed.
We are a highly intelligent, talented people, but Michael pushed the bar, leaped the fence, and serving an exhibition of what we could do.
What a sad end to this day - what a horrible loss, and I'm glad I'm mostly surrounded by people who have the sense of timing and the ability to respect the people's need to mourn.
As I have said before, he was Black royalty. Nothing he could have done to alter his appearance could ever change that fact.
And there's no way you'll ever get to me
Why can't you see that you'll never ever hurt me
'Cause I won't let it be, see I'm too much for you baby
You can't believe it, you can't conceive it
And you can't touch me, 'cause I'm untouchable
And I know you hate it, and you can't take it
You'll never break me, 'cause I'm unbreakable
Now you can't stop me even though you think
That if you block me, you've done your thing
And when you bury me underneath all your pain
I'm steady laughin', while surfacing
Michael Jackson Speech at Oxford University, 2001 Audio w/Full Text
"Heal The Kids"
The Mask and The Reckoning
(There are a lot of us who would have bullied Michael to death in grade school had the had the chance. Connect the dots).
(Out of all the degenerate, inaccurate videos out there on Michael, the one really sophisticated Black analysis of Michael and his death by Michael Eric Dyson is somehow nowhere to be found.
Once Dyson launched into his discussion, Keith Olbermann realized how profound the interview was becoming and cut the interview short just before announcing he had a whole seven (7) minutes left to essentially say nothing until his next segment.
Here find the text of that interview).
"Well, there`s no question about that. I`ve listened to discussion in regard to Michael Jackson and comparing him, say, to the Beatles, an extraordinary group, Elvis Presley, an amazing icon.
But he really did carve in the stratosphere of American popular culture and American music a unique niche, so to speak, because he was capable of joining so much of the vernacular traditions of African-American music with the most up-to-date technology to project ends of the world the forceful ambition and the edifying inspiration of African-American culture and music . . . ."
" . . . His voice at the age of 10 was as a soulful conjuring of the ambitions of black people in America, and, indeed, human beings who suffered around the world as any might imagine.
And then, as an adult, he was able to have a willed vulnerability that resonated with millions of people around the globe."
(Not at all to defend the BBC, and certainly appreciating the rough life of this Black man steel worker, but people who are too hard - harsh - unrelenting, tend to reference the people they have hurt as, "soft."
A "cloaking device" for keeping from saying, "I over did it, and I hurt him" (or her).
You Chris Matthews are closer to a tabloid style entertainer than a journalist - one who questions dishonest information only when it suits the Empire.
Here we see you allowing this witch (for lack of a better way to term her) to label Michael Jackson a "pedophile" on national television when he was found not guilty by a jury of "his peers."
Your usual rude interruptions for the sake of clarification of the facts are suddenly nowhere to be found.
If MSNBC would allow a guest to reference Michael in such outrageous terms unchallenged, then your assessment that your deceased colleague Tim Russert was such a great man becomes more wholly unbelievable.
We hear that Russert had a drinking problem, and in fact rarely does one research the death of a public person to find constant references to his "favorite drink."
This suggests he - Russert - wasn't angelic after all. He was actually human. And yet none of you discussed this "accusation" about his health (which might have better explained his demise) as you went about your teary-eyed public rampage about the MSNBC "Family" loss.
Your words were already meaningless, your measure of humanity was already thoroughly unreliable - but you have blown your own pathetic history out of the water.
T.H.
Quotes From the Greatest Entertainer of All Time
Michael Jackson
"I was a veteran before I was a teenager."
"I know what a tree feels like when the wind blows through it. And that's how I feel when I'm singing. It's wonderful."
"My biggest fear is being misquoted. One word can be cut into a statement and change the complete meaning and colouring of what was meant.
Lately, people have been twisting everything I've been saying and that's why I shy away from interviews . . . . so if I can't be quoted properly, I'd rather not be quoted at all."
"There really aren't words to describe how I feel about reading. I wish I could spend more time reading because I love it so much. I can get so lost in book that I forget who I am, and what is around me and where I am.
Philosophy is my favorite subject.
What's so great about reading is what there might be something that you feel or want to say, and you'll come across it as a line in a book.
You can sometimes read in one line in a book something you've spent a lifetime trying to work out."
"Sometimes I feel I should be nearing the end of my life, turning 80 with people patting me on the back. That's what comes from starting so young."
"There are times when I wish I could be just like everybody else. For example, here are only two places that I can go shopping - New York and London."
"When I'm out there doing a show, and I see the fans dancing and singing, that's what I love the most.
It's the greatest feeling in the world."
The upper portion of this presentation was launched prior to Michael Jackson's death on December 28, 2008.
See Part 2, "Remembering The Time," including the film, The Essential Michael Jackson at this link
Also see, Part 3, A Critical Discussion on Michael Jackson and Other Memoriams.
Now also find, "Michael Jackson's Influence on Black Culture" at this link.
(Mention which box, and your comment will hyperlink people back there)
Terryhowcott.com
has made every effort to ascertain the origin of all photos, and is eager
to cite all work.
Please contact info@terryhowcott.com to
discuss citing or to propose photos for exhibition by sending them with photographer/artist's
name, image title, and/or web address.
