Please! Enough! It's bad enough to see people being carried out of the Jackson tribute at the Apollo Theater for being overcome with emotion and to learn that members of his fan club have been committing suicide because they have nothing more to live for!When I saw a number of sources, including USA Today , reporting Congress rose today for a moment of silence after a debate on the climate change bill, I was stunned.
Okay. I'll cede you the point he revolutionized American pop music. I think he was merely a part of it, but I'll still give you the point. Other than that he was a disturbed and dysfunctional man/child. Look at him. He was financially irresponsible. He also, by his own admission, plied young children with wine and took them to his bed.
This is not a man I choose to honor. That the Congress of the United States did is unfathomable. Representative Diane Watson, D-CA, said, "We pay tribute to the culture that he has left behind, his legacy."
Should Jackson the man be separated from Jackson the entertainment icon? Should his brilliance in the art of performance be separated from his actions as a private citizen? Is it even possible?
Congress may have paid tribute to the culture he left behind - that of a lost soul who mesmerized millions of other lost souls to the point of an unhealthy frenzy. Have these people no life of their own to be so obsessed? His legacy? What might that be? That celebrity, no matter how bazaar, immoral or illegal, is entitled to idolization through blinders?
What a sorry statement for those who in death would truly deserve a moment of silence from Congress.
Even if it were something as insignificant as having lived an exemplary life!
8 comments:
too bad they don't have a moment of silence each day... and one for each person we lose in the war..now that would be a reason.
I interned in the U.S. Capitol in 2000. It's pretty standard that they have a moment of silence for any number of people during a session. It's usually requested by the constituent's member of Congress and entered in the Congressional Record (a daily publication).
If you ever desire to read a copy of the Congressional Record, you'll see a lot of tiny details that people aren't aware of. Truly, it is not out of the norm for Congress to take a minute to honour the legacy of some famous person.
Congress also opens each session with a prayer. So people who think Congress is run by a bunch of atheists really don't have a clue. Sorry...but I just get annoyed when people say things about Congress without realizing what really goes on there. Its not always a debate on the issues of the day.
Sansego, no need to apologize. I understand that moments of silence are often given for one of their own. However, over and above that, I do question if it's diminished if given for dubious reasons. My questions have yet to be answered.
Would you stand up on the floor of Congress and tell Diane Watson honoring Michael Jackson was not the thing for Congress to do? I wouldn't. I'd take the easy way out and figure a moment of silence was a small price to pay, compared to the bad publicity I'd receive in the media if I challenged her.
Needless to say I don't think it was appropriate and I suspect most of Congress didn't either. You have to pick your battles.
Linda,
Word has it the cloak room was full. I can't help but wonder what Nancy Pelosi extracted for this action.
What a fiasco! Here a dysfunctional person who was also a pedophile is honored with a moment of silence.
Come on people...Congress did it for Evel Knieval, Dale Earnhardt, Pat Tillman and other famous people who have passed. They couldn't ignore someone like MJ who really changed our culture.
If one reads the wordy Congressional Record each day, I'm sure you'll find many things to "get offended" about. Its just a honorary tribute like what they do at the Oscars each year. Truly not a big deal.
Thanks for the article ... added reader
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