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But it was after the meaningful songs by
Usher,
Maria Carey, Stevie Wonder, Jennifer Hudson, and others that the world got to witness true courage.

The Jackson children without hesitation… took to the stage to sing “We Are the World” and “Heal the World,” along with their aunts, uncles and the Andrea Crouch Youth Choir.

The world could see how proud the children were of their father and how much he was loved. Given the haters in the world, they are going to need that courage in the months ahead as all kinds of stories circulate about their father.

Even before Michael Jackson could be buried, the haters were coming out on YouTube, in newspapers, on TV, and in Chat Rooms. Their rhetoric was similar and demonstrated that we are not yet a colorblind society. For example, four who made their comments most known were a congressman, two TV personalities, and one TV columnist.

On July 5, 2009 Peter King, the Republican representative from Long Island, New York called Michael Jackson “a pervert” and “a lowlife.” Even though Jackson was never convicted of any crime, King implied he was guilty anyway. Rep. Peter King, who was offered the ambassorship to Ireland by the Obama administration (NY Daily News, 06-15-09) used a YouTube appearance to tell his constituents that Jackson was receiving too much attention; he was “just a singer,” King said.

Echoing a similar refrain on July 7, 2009 was
Donny Deutsch, the head of a large Advertising agency, who appeared during coverage of the Memorial Service on MSNBC.
Deutsch advised mourners who were crying over Jackson, a man they didn’t even know, to “get a life.” “He was just a singer and dancer,” said the Wharton alumn. With that kind of attitude, it’s likely Deutsch would also probably say that Jesus Christ was just a carpenter; why the fuss?

Earlier in the day on July 7th, the typically angry comedian
Joy Behar told her TV audience on the View that she just “didn’t care about Michael Jackson” and that it had nothing to do with race. “It’s a generational thing,” said Behar who went on to say her generation liked the Beatles even though they appeared in 1964 and Michael Jackson in 1968.

But it was Washington Post TV columnist Lisa de Moreas who spewed out the most hated in her 07-07-09 column. Under the headline - LET THE JACKSON CIRCUS BEGIN, she announced that Usher, Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, Berry Gordy, the Rev. Al Sharpton, Kobe Bryant, and Magic Johnson would all be “part of the freak show.” Without waiting for the actual Memorial Service, the former writer for The Hollywood Reporter had decided that the coverage by 16 TV outlets was tantamount to a “freak show,” rather something worthy for the death of a legend. She certainly didn’t bother to explain the world-wide interest in Michael Jackson’s death. Instead, de Moraes focused on the fact that the Ringling Bros.’ Circus had come to town and was going to use the arena once the Memorial Service ended.

She was just as disrespectfu when she asked: “Overwhelmed by the sheer number of Jackson death-march viewing options?” And since de Moraes is paid to have an opinion, rather function as a TV critic, she felt free to conclude that NBC was “replacing its trademark peacock with a vulture today in honor of its exhaustive, leave-no-stone-unturned coverage of Jackson’s death.” Wow!!!

What makes King, Deutsch, Behar, and de Moraes worthy of attention, however, is that fact that they are not alone in their disdain for Michael Jackson. With egos leading the way, they slid onto the coattails of Michael Jackson and garnered attention via their negative comments.

As a social scientist my research remains focused on the inequities in society. At a time when millions, if not billions, tuned in to the Michael Jackson Memorial Service via a multitude of video platforms, I am most interested in the deviant behavior of a minority. There is, in other words, a reason why when millions sang “We Are the World,” not everyone is singing along.

Historically conflicts have been based on issues involving power or feelings of superiority; some, for instance, say my religion is better than yours, my gender or race is superior to yours. If the Klan had really been powerful, it wouldn’t have needed sheets. Too many of us forget that people of color make up nine-tenths of the planet. In fact, it is because the majority of the world is not white that we can understand power conflicts better. How did a tiny minority of whites rule South Africa for so long? By declaring themselves superior.

Psychiatrist Dr. Frances Cress Welsing (The Isis Papers: The Keys to the Colors, 1991) points out that if all non-white people in the world stopped fighting each other, claims of white superiority would end. In her analysis of white supremacy, she explains that what drives it is the fear of becoming extinct.

It is against this backdrop that enlightened people can begin to get the big picture: that is, what is going on when liberals and conservatives wrestle over various issues. Some people think they are entitled to things because of the color of their skin or their gender.

Michael Jackson is a unique phenomenon; he has some people afraid of him as much in death, as when he was alive.

So we have Michael Jackson the man, father, son, brother, uncle, world humanitarian, artistic genius, creative song writer and producer to remind a threatened minority that all men are not created equal. To call M. J. a “lowlife” is to ignore that he was the first Black American to appear on MTV, the cover of Rolling Stone and other magazines. To call him a “pervert” is to disrespect the Constitution and our legal system. And to say he was just a “singer and dancer” is to diminish his extraordinary talent. Would we really call Mozart or Ludwig van Beethoven
the greatest entertainer ever or in our time?

It is only by understanding the incipient and direct racism Michael Jackson experienced over and over again, that we get to see that those who say he should not be honored may well be using code words to hide their fear that “white people” are disappearing. That’s why a Donny Deutsch would advise other white people “to get a life” rather than standing around crying about a man they never met. What some M. J. haters haven’t gotten is the power of music to heal and create a global common culture.

Michael got that when he wrote: “We Are the World.”

Condolences to the family

Love from his fans

Carrying their brother…

Rest In Peace, Michael!

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