Michael Jackson: Reflections on the man in the mirror

Death and tragedy are difficult to comprehend and give meaning. Yesterday’s news was stunning and today, as I listened to “Man in the mirror” on the radio, tears emerged as I began to process what he meant to me as a person; his great accomplishments; and, his human frailties.

The Jackson Five, featuring Michael Jackson, became famous when I was 12 years old. I grew up in a blue-collar Black and Creole neighborhood of New Orleans where music was a centerpiece of culture and often a source of pride and identity for Black Americans (particularly after the civil rights explosion). The Jackson Five’s music made me sing, dance, and even helped form my thinking about preadolescent love with songs such as, “I want you back,” “Who’s loving you,” “The love you save,” and “ABC.” In my imagination Michael Jackson and I grew older together sharing a synchronization of his music and my coming of age. A feeling that I suppose those Elvis fans, his age as they followed his career, could easily identify.

I recall the controversy of his leaving “our” beloved Jackson Five. “It was wrong, don’t break-up such a cool group!” Well, it ended up being a brilliant decision. Going solo moved Michael Jackson from the soul genre into a mixture of pop, R&B, rock genres that launched him into an international star. He broke racial stigmas, cultural barriers, music limits, and performance styles in the same way Bruce Lee redefined martial arts in popular culture. The great singer became an icon, solidifying this status with Thriller’s great success and the revolutionary concept of producing a mini-movie music video. With his fame was a passion for peace, love, and charity all over the world. He showed that he cared for people. Seemingly idealistic, it was as if he felt he could solve the world’s problems with his music’s message and his personal image.

Despite all he had contributed in so many ways, we also learned that Michael Jackson was human. He had frailties that people often speculated about, but only he completely knew. Black Americans struggled with the constant changes in his physical appearance. Many who felt so empowered by Jackson had felt somewhat betrayed, as though the question was, “Doesn’t he understand that he crushed the race barrier of music?” Many of us thought, “Why be ashamed of being Black when you are loved just as you are!” His fans grumbled but still loved him.
As time passed, fans of all ethnicities and nationalities (now being an international star) began to question Jackson’s basic sense of reality. From the plastic surgeries, to the exotic pets, sleep chamber, fascination with the so-called Elephant Man’s bones, and questions about his sexual orientation, his fans struggled with him. Those who were not so touched by Jackson’s music were willing to believe the worst based on what seemed to be a person out-of-touch with reality. There are few who really knew whether Michael Jackson crossed the line of decency. But, it was those serious challenges and human struggles which makes Michael Jackson so real to me. Michael Jackson has accomplished what few people can ever imagine, yet he struggled and suffered in some of life’s most simplest arenas—relationship, love, and identity.

So, as I reflect on Michael Jackson, I conclude that he was both great and flawed. In that conclusion, I also see the vast potential in the human spirit, and how greatness does not wipe away our human vulnerabilities. We all must deal with both for all our lives. To me this is the symbolic meaning of the early death of this entertainment icon. Similar to Marilyn Monroe, the images we will have are those of his youth and energy. His legacy cannot be comprehended at this time. But in my own lifetime, to that man in the mirror, I can say, “Thank you Michael Jackson. Thank you for all the memories and happiness you brought to my life and the lives of so many others, on those occasions when I awkwardly imitated you or shared your music and videos with others who grew to love your work. I believe you tried to be a good person. Maybe sometimes you did fail, only God knows what was in your heart. Regardless, your accomplishments gave me hope, and your frailty reminds me to remain humble. Again, thank you.”