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Political LOUD MOUTH Bill O’reilly recently stated that the late Michael Jackson was not a “Black Icon.” His reasoning was that while MJ talked about saving the world, “he spent money lavishly” and that should make any clear thinking American “nauseous.” Since when did o’reilly, lower caps on purpose, become the the arbiter of ANYTHING BLACK?
I can remember getting up on Saturday mornings and while eating my bowl of Captain Crunch cereal, watching the Jackson Five cartoons. And after going through one of their adventures, they would usually sing one of their hits. Which could be considered one of the first “music videos.” At that time, the early 70′s, there were very few shows that featured African Americans of any age. For a Black show to be on tv at all was an event. And the Jackson Five cartoon was on EVERY SATURDAY! And it aired on the network channel so everyone was watching it. That in itself is iconic!
For people of a certain age who were in high school when MTV first came along, we remember watching the channel and seeing few African American artists. And when we did see them, it was usually after 10:00pm. Initially, MTV refused to even run videos by African American artists. It was Michael who broke the “MTV color line” and whose videos aired on MTV hourly! And don’t think for a minute that MTV “made” Michael. He was a star long before MTV came along. MTV brought Jackson into the homes of white teenagers and reminded their parents of the talented performer they grew up listening to and whose cartoon they had watched! I wonder how many kids rode with their listening to Mike? How many parents were able to start a dialog with their kids on important issues, that began by having a mutual like for Michael Jackson’s music? Did MTV create an icon? NO! MTV rode on the coattails of an icon. And that icon is named Michael Jackson!
Michael’s videos were “mini movies” where the music was put to film. And regardless of who was in the videos with him, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Iman, Naomi Campbell, or Paul McCartney, your eyes automatically watched Mike. Yeah, I know they were HIS videos, but when you have stars working with stars, one usually stands above the rest. And Jackson did just that! His videos changed the way music is performed, videos are created, and how artist’s plan their careers. His Thriller album has sold more copies than any artist EVER! And it’s not even close. Not an icon o’reilly?
Because of Mike’s success, his posters, albums, cd’s, and shirts were purchased by people all over the world. And because he was able to break the entertainment “color line”, he made it easier for people to wear Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Dave Winfield, Walter Payton, and Tony Dorsett jerseys and put their posters on bedroom walls. Still not an icon o’reilly?
Did Michael spend HIS MONEY LAVISHLY? YUP! Why shouldn’t he? He earned it didn’t he! But he also gave a lot of it to charities.
When Michael’s hair caught on fire while working on the “Victory Tour”, the care he received prompted him to fund the Brothman Burn Unit. After learning of the plight of Ryan White, the kid who caught Aids from a blood treatment, and who became one of the early faces of Aids, Michael befriended Ryan and his family and helped them through their ordeal. At the height of his professional power, he was able to get the hottest and some of the most historic performers to come together and create a masterpiece called “We are the World.” The singer on that song were a “who’s who” of music. From Bruce Springsteen to Bob Dylan, to Diana Ross, to Stevie Wonder to Ray Charles, to Billy Joel, to Cyndi Lauper, to Waylon Jennings, to Elton John to Paul Simon, and Smokey Robinson, just to name a few. To this day, when you hear that song, a good feeling comes over you. And the money that came from that song was to help alleviate famine in Africa. These are just a few of the ways Jackson used his personal experiences and big heart to benefit the world. Wouldn’t that be considered ICONIC?
It’s PATHETIC that o’reilly has to use the death of Michael Jackson to try and prop up his ratings. In life and in death, MJ brought people around the world together. We didn’t see color or race when we listened and watch Michael perform. What we saw was simply the Greatest Performer God ever created. And that o’reilly, is what ICONS are made of!
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