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Originally Posted by saintalfonzo /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Usually I don't feel too much about people I don't know or actively follow the careers of dying, other than thinking "well that's too bad", but Michael's death brought back a lot of things I hadn't thought about in a long time.
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I think you have pointed out a very important difference between someone like Michael Jackson -- who was famous for a reason -- and modern celebrities, who are famous for being...famous.
Michael Jackson affected me, and millions of others, with his music. I really didn't care about his private life, or the scandals in which he was mired. His supreme talent, his great music, was the point for me, and for millions of others who grew up listening to him.
Today, people obsessively follow celebrities as if they know them personally. People's lives are so empty that they have to fantasize in some bizarre way that they are part of the lives of non-entities like Paris Hilton or the latest reality star. These celebrities have nothing to offer, other than the willingness to spill their guts at the drop of a hat in order to attract attention.
Yes, I know, Michael Jackson certainly had followers of that kind, and he cultivated them. But he first became famous because of his extraordinary talent and the quality of his always innovative music. The other, shabbier dimension was there, regrettably, but it wasn't his reason for being, and it was pretty easy to just ignore it and enjoy his work. At his core, he was an artist, and a great one.
Celebutantes offer nothing of the kind. They simply hold up a mirror to the vacuity of our society, ca 2009. I think that's why, upon hearing of his passing, you had a stronger reaction than the usual "Oh, that's too bad."
Me too.
