Michael Jackson: The Devil Made Him Do It

Michael Jackson was a great talent which allowed him to break color barriers and open up some previously closed opportunities for Blacks in the entertainment world. It is fair to say that he was an icon of entertainment. But, was his motivation for overcoming discrimination based upon a strong social conscience and a driving desire to achieve equality for Blacks in the entertainment field and beyond? No, there is no nothing in his career to suggest that he was driven by anything more than to be the King of Pop, to be rich and to be idolized by millions of fans, all of which he certainly achieved with stunning success.

Yet, in death Michael Jackson was celebrated for 10 days as though he was Martin Luther King Jr., Jackie Robinson, Elvis Presley and Amadeus Mozart COMBINED. He was credited with paving the way for Kobe Brant and Magic Johnson basketball Jerseys becoming popular, for the TV success of Oprah and the election of Obama. He was lauded for following the ideals of Martin Luther King Jr.

Michael Jackson's addiction to sleeping with children, (whether he sexually molested them is not known), is now dismissed with some psychobabble about an emotional development disorder whereby he never grew up. Jackson was a victim of "arrested development". We can anticipate "arrested development" becoming a defense in criminal trials.

Michael Jackson's addiction to changing his appearance from Black features to White features through multiple cosmetic surgeries and perhaps skin treatments is now dismissed as a psychological disturbance created by abuse from his father. Jackson was a victim of abusive parenting. It's curious that he also chose to have two white wives and children who appear to be White. Is this all supposed to be indications of his Black pride and not just an entertainment icon but a Black entertainment icon who was loaned to people of other color? He seemed to reject being Black.

Michael Jackson's long term addiction to prescription drugs, which many speculate contributed to his death, is now dismissed as being the fault of incompetent personal physicians who provided the drugs and others in his entourage who pressured him into abusing drugs. Jackson was a victim of evil doctors and those taking advantage of him.

These are "The Devil Made Him Do It" excuses and they don't wash. Jackson was a great, one of the best of the last century and broke racial barriers with his enormous talent, but he was hardly a Black leader and hardly a role model for youth of any color.