The Exploitation of Michael Jackson - Research Paper Example

? The Exploitation of Michael Jackson I. Introduction No less than MSNBC contributor Stephen A. Smith, who was formerly an ESPN commentator, appeared on “Hardball” and spoke about Michael Jackson’s legacy. He said “He was exploited”. He added that Michael Jackson was not allowed by his parents and the world to even be a child nor was he given the chance to grow up into manhood. Unfortunately, what Smith said reflects the whole life of MJ. He may have reached the top and became widely popular but he way exploited all the way. This paper will be showing how Michael Jackson has been viewed by the media and even his own fans. It will detail how he was used by other people and how media has always seen his negative side instead of his good points. It will argue that indeed, he was used and abused all his life. Then, this study will conclude with the real Michael Jackson, how he really is in the eyes of those who really knew who the person is beyond the mask. II. The Life of Michael Jackson When Michael Jackson first started his musical career, he instantly became the face of the local and international music scene, especially known for his pure vocal skills. His emotional expression when delivering his songs that were far beyond his age and experienced awed his audiences. His voice was still angelic despite puberty, unlike others whose voices change after a certain point. In fact, he went on to sell millions of records with his Off the Wall and Thriller albums. Soon after he had achieved such world class recognition, his name and face started to become the focus of the media. The motive for the countless fictional stories against Michael Jackson is still a mystery to date. However, a lot of people theorize that it could be an issue of power struggles, racism or simply the fact that he was famous. There were a lot of speculation regarding his sexuality and rumors spreading that he was homosexual. Naturally a private and shy individual, Jackson rarely talk about his relationships and sexuality. But the fact that he neither acknowledged nor denied the rumors about him being homosexual was enough for the media to pick on him even more. Michael Jackson loved and respected his fans so much, even those who were gay. The real reason why he did not disclose his sexual orientation was because he did not want to alienate these said fans. There were also reports that gained worldwide focus about Michael Jackson sleeping in an oxygen chamber as opposed to a normal bed. This story started when Jackson was severely injured due to an accident in the taping of his Pepsi advertisement. His hair caught on fire after one of the explosions’ spark fell on his hair. At twenty-six years old, he was practically left bald because of second and third degree burns. This sad incident required multiple skin grafts and reconstructive surgery. This sparked his empathy for victims of burns, donating the hyperbaric chamber and $1.5 million that he received on the settlement to the Brotman Medical Center. He also started the Michael Jackson Burn Center. Since them, tabloid media released images of Jackson seen “hammering around” in the chamber and came up with the story that he liked sleeping in it because he did not want to grow old. The press also displayed so much interest on the multimillion dollar estate of Michael Jackson located in Santa Barbara County. In here, he built a ranch equipped with a live animal zoo, trains, theaters and amusement park rides. He enjoyed going to theme parks but his fame did not permit him to do outings. Since he feared being mobbed by paparazzi and fans, he built his own amusement park, which he called the Neverland Valley Ranch (from his favorite children’s tale, Peter Pan) and made it available to sick and disadvantaged children. He can strongly relate to Mr. Barry, losing his personal childhood because of recordings, concerts and TV shows. Whimsical articles announced the oddity of the Neverland Ranch but Michael Jackson defended it and said that he made this in his personal estate so that he may enjoy normalcy, freedom and a lost childhood that most people take for granted. He also made it possible for children enjoy fun and adventure whether or not he was present in the estate. Another one of the many efforts of the media to destroy Michael Jackson’s reputation was the claim that Jackson dubbed himself as the “King of Pop” and that he insisted that he gets exclusive performing rights at the Inaugural Gala of President Bill Clinton. This effort aimed to show Michael Jackson as a megalomaniac and a brat who was exaggeratedly captivated and in love with his own importance. However, countless interviews and his last documentary entitled “This is It” seem to tell otherwise. In these stories and accounts, a soft-spoken, egoless, polite and sensitive man was seen. He used language that ensured that no egos were going to be bruised, he coached other collaborators to enable them to show off their talents and he embraced all those who came and became part of his personal space. His appearance was also a center of media frenzy. A polite society normally disapproves of judgments made solely on one’s appearance. Sadly, this kind of etiquette was not given to Michael Jackson. His changes in terms of appearance sparked the use of derogatory terms and mocking adjectives that were not commonly used to describe people. Tabloids linked these changes to his supposedly unhealthy addiction to cosmetic surgery. Over the years, his eyes got bigger, his jaw became squarer and his face has narrowed, showing off his cheekbones. His skin got paler and his nose became sharper. Acne was also a major part of his appearance, making him adopt a vegetarian diet. Michael Jackson denied face sculpting procedures apart from two nose jobs. However, he did admit to have underwent multiple reconstructive surgical procedures to fix the aforementioned burn accident he suffered in his commercial. The continuous whitening of his skin was claimed by people to be a sad attempt to become part of the Caucasian race and to neglect his original African-American heritage. The media bashed Jackson because of his skin bleaching. Then in 1993, after almost a decade of receiving insult from the press, Michael Jackson admitted to Oprah Winfrey that he suffered a skin condition known as Vitiligo, a disorder that causes skin pigmentation. In Michael Jackson’s case, being originally mocha in color, he was turning into an Albino-like state. Instead of getting sympathy over something that he had no control over, Jackson was made a target for media insults and a laughing stock. Vitiligo affected his body slowly and as the condition progressed, his whole body was de-pigmented. His condition necessitated him to wear long-sleeved clothing, sunglasses, hats, high UV make-up and even masks to protect his skin and lessen the risks of contracting skin cancer. This, however, made the press call him names such as “strange”, “weird” and “germophobe.” In late 1993, the skin condition that Jackson claimed he had started to be supported by the press. All of a sudden, the press believed him and found his testimonies credible when his groin’s discoloration showed. A forced police examination was conducted and the genitals of Michael Jackson needed to be taken in his case about allegedly molesting a child. This photo spread like wildfire and even had a value of around $3 million. During the same year, Michael Jackson was accused of child molestation. A lot of people believed the story, especially due to the previous criticisms made about him. In fact, he was singled out during his battle. The media did not publish any type of news that backed up the claims of Jackson regarding extortion and the court judgments which favored him were suppressed. Some of the information that was intentionally withheld includes the complainant’s father’s earlier efforts to sustain financial help from Jackson, a tape recording of extortion claims, and that his insurance company settled over his own protests. The book “Redemption”, which was written by a paralegal named Geraldine Hughes, who worked for the lawyer of the complainant’s father, revealed activities in the office that showed that the whole case framed Michael Jackson. Yet, these claims were rejected by the media and were never published. Rag journalists admit that they enjoy even the tiniest bit of news and making it bigger than it really is. For more than a year, Michael Jackson brought money to the yellow press for he always made the headlines. In the stories about him, there were always anonymous “reliable sources” like his housekeepers, maids and guard who were paid a hefty sum to testify. They were crucial in the conviction of Jackson. As a counter attack, former employees were fined thousands of dollars and were asked to pay the legal fees of Jackson. This, however, does not alleviate the damage made to his life and reputation. The deliberate publishing of lies about his life was hurtful for Jackson’s career. These words will never be taken back and the public has already made their opinion about him. The public opinion of Michael Jackson was considerably affected by the total pervasiveness of the fictional tales that were rooted from inane fantasies and misunderstood conditions. The press described a person who is nothing like the real Michael Jackson portrayed by the individuals who were close to him and knew him personally. The misinformation about his personality may have very well contributed to his death, chipping away at his sensitive self. If people look back and ignore these criticisms aimed at Jackson, they will see a man who was a true and unequaled artist, one who was clearly a humanitarian. In his earlier years, he was known to be an activist who was capable of drawing attention to the human and environmental conditions. Furthermore, aside from drawing attention, he lobbied for change and actually made something happen. This ability that he possessed was accounted for by his donations and his music. The media has created and described a horrible “creature” instead of a real gentleman. They have created a fictional cartoon of Michael Jackson, one who was sensationalized and insulted beyond repair. To add insult to injury, they have publicly labeled him as “Wacko Jacko” and other offensive and disparaging names. This constant and intensified psychological attack on Jackson was similar to schoolyard bullying. A selected few is capable of bearing these repeated assaults with such dignity and kindness. Being able to endure all of these for decades is enough proof to the physical and emotional strength and the certainty of purpose of Michael Jackson. Due to the harsh nature of the stories made about him, majority of the world population sees the tabloid version of Michael Jackson. Even though there was enough evidence to support the fact that all of these stories were nothing but mere fabrications, fictional accounts that were made to destroy, it still endures and leaves a lasting impression. Michael Jackson himself said that if one hears a lie often enough, he or she will start to believe it despite its credibility, or lack thereof. Jackson and his fans wondered why this image of him was made by journalists and other “animals” who seemingly preferred to ignore the standards of ethics, human decency and truth in exchange for recognition and money. Once a respected profession, these people have lowered the standards of journalism, which was, sadly, at the expense of Michael Jackson. Conclusions According to Sir Bob Geldoff, Michael Jackson wrote, recorded and performed a number of the most magnificent music in the industry. Geldoff also cited him in the 2000 Brit Awards, which was the counterpart of USA’s Grammys, and said that when Jackson sings, he does it with the voice of angels and when he moves to dance, it is as if God is dancing. Aside from all his record breaking accomplishments in the field of music, the Guinness Book of World Records also recognized Michael Jackson and listed him as the most charitable entertainer, helping approximately 39 different charities and humanitarian programs during his life and willingly donating over $300 million to the impoverished, several hospitals, air-lifting supplies to Saravejo and ill children in each of the country that he visited. Throughout his fifteen-year stay, he made his house open to several lives that were harmed by gang violence, illness and other disadvantages. He lent his voice and songs to a lot of worthy causes, the most famous being his written song “We Are the World.” Moreover, his musical contributions are full of messages about healing, planetary stewardship, hope and unity. A great example of chasing your dreams and not caring about what others feel as long as you stick to your goal, his messages were received by millions of people. Jackson’s strength despite the hardships that come his way has inspired others that are also dealing with their own problems. As seen in his last documentary “This Is It,” he stayed kind, soft-spoken and humble in spite of the wealth and fame that he enjoyed. All those who were close to him, such as his vocal coach Seth Riggs and the very popular Elizabeth Taylor, had not spoken anything negative against him. Unfortunately, this is not what the rest of the world sees. What his critics did to him was an invasive violence and words. This attack on Michael Jackson went on throughout his lifetime, especially during his last ten years, and may have led to sleeplessness and post-traumatic stress that triggered his inopportune death. The intrusion of media and complete disrespect for decency and truth was vital in the demolition of Michael Jackson’s career, reputation and life. This, along with a law enforcement officer who disregarded justice and protocol while harbouring prejudice, personal vendetta and bias and the imprudent and sloppy actions performed by a physician in administering a drug, which was not in his line of expertise, not favourable in the survival of the patient made Michael Jackson’s death sooner than everyone expected. All those who were involved in his destruction are guilty. Works Cited "Michael Jackson Conspiracy" by Aphrodite Jones and "Moonwalk" by Michael Jackson Interview with David Nordahl, USA Today - 8/20/09 Michael Jackson Conspiracy - Aphrodite Jones Moonwalk: Michael Jackson 1988  Oprah Winfrey - Ninety Prime Time Minutes with the King of Pop - 1993  Tabloid Truth: The Michael Jackson Scandal - February 1994  The Huffington Post - Charles Thomson Was Michael Jackson Framed - GQ - October 1993 - Mary Fisher   Read More