Enough Already

Eight days ago, Michael Jackson died. Ever since, the news media has exploited his death ad nauseum. I have had it, and I know I am not the only one. To the media I want to say, "Enough already. Give it a rest." From now on, when coverage is given to Jackson, I am switching channels. If this weekend is anything like last weekend, I may be watching the Weather Channel.

Now, I will admit I have not been a Michael Jackson fan. His and the Jackson Five's music is okay, but I never wanted to buy one of his albums. The moonwalk is amusing to watch, but I would never have bought a concert ticket to see him.

To me, Jackson is just another case of an extraordinarily fortunate but narcissistic entertainer who ruined himself with drugs and self-indulgence. Reportedly, he died over $400 million in debt. Sackfuls of drugs were removed from his home by investigators, according to press reports.

Jackson's death is sad but not tragic. He made wrong choices, and he reaped what he sowed. Faced with life's pressures, he was a coward, as every addict is.

On the same day Jackson died, Farrah Fawcett died. Now, that was tragic. Farrah did not choose cancer. Yet, when faced with it, she responded with courage and bravery. She was a good example to people of all ages of how to deal with life's struggles.

Fawcett's death received about two hours of coverage before Jackson's death was announced. After that, she received hardly any mention. Now, I am not suggesting that her death should have received the amount of time spent on Jackson's by the media.

In a world rife with real crises and important issues, neither death deserved more than short reports for a couple of days. We have an economy in a death spiral with mounting unemployment and a collapsing dollar. The legitimacy of two governments, Iran and Honduras, are in question following a disputed election and a coup, respectively. While troops are withdrawing from Iraq, war efforts in Afghanistan are ramping up. Korea is threatening to launch long-range missiles at Hawaii. Korea and Iran are thumbing their noses at the world as they pursue development of nuclear weapons. Congress is debating health care reform and global warming measures. The list goes on and on. Yet, for the weekend after Jackson's death, a viewer was hard-pressed to find any coverage of any of these stories. No, it was Michael Jackson all the time. Even Fox News fell into this trap. As one commentator said, "We have become the United States of Entertainment."

The media's coverage is lazy journalism. It is much easier and cheaper to let one story consume all their time and resources. This cult of celebrity provides an escape from the tough issues for both reporters and viewers. What makes it dangerous is it gives cover for nefarious politicians. While our collective attention is diverted, what are foreign and domestic leaders doing? Are they working for or against us?

Finally, this worship of Jackson is particularly disgusting because of the allegations of child abuse. I cannot know if Jackson ever molested any children when they visited his Neverland home. A jury acquitted him when some charges were brought against him. On the other hand, he made multi-million dollar settlements with some of his accusers. The one thing I do know is that, if he did molest any children, he answered to God for it. If he faked out that jury with the help of his lawyers, he did not fake out God. If his victims did not get justice here on earth, they can know they have it now.