26th
(via maura)
good god. i’m sure i’ll articulate myself poorly here, and i don’t wish anyone to go before their time…but am i the only one here who finds any relief in this sad, sad news? certainly, MJ was far, far too young and his passing underscores the severity of his health problems and personal struggles in recent decades, as well as the harsh media glare to which he was subjected. i guess for those very reasons i am just hoping he is finally seeing some peace.
of course, he was due to embark on his comeback tour. but the cynical part of me suspects that even if the concerts did go to plan (and the *really* cynical part of me suspects that not all of them would), the media scrutiny (now with celeb bloggers!) would be cruel indeed. (hello, perez hilton.) certainly, until his death was annouced, a fair portion of the population was ready to pick him apart, both purposefully and and unthinkingly. and on a more basic level, he appeared to be in a LOT of pain, constantly. physically, but of course very likely mentally as well.
I don’t want to sound harsh. i readily admit that i’ve never been that personally invested in MJ’s songs, or his persona. certainly, as i’ve grown i’ve come to appreciate the breadth of his career and his legacy, the stone classics that are studded throughout his discography. but i think i’m also informed by having lost two people who were close to me this year who were chronically ill and in pain, who were no longer themselves. even with respect to my dad, you bet i’m relieved. i look out at the response to this passing and i see a genuine outpouring of grief. i also see a lot of people mourning an MJ that we already lost a long time ago.
whoops, guess i just added to the swirl of web traffic.
