A very interesting panel discussion by Vanderbilt University faculty on September 23, 2009 about the “Conflicted Identities of Michael Jackson”. This is rational (i.e. sane!) discourse about the life, career and impact of Michael Jackson, the African American man from Gary Indiana who used his genius in music and the performing arts to become the greatest entertainer of our time.
What made Michael exceptional as an entertainer was his ability to elicit such strong emotional reactions from people through his performance and sometimes just from his presence. For me the connection was made before I’d actually heard Michael sing or seen him perform. The word from my kindergarten classmates about the Jackson 5 was enough for me. Eventually I saw him perform and that sealed the deal. Most people either loved Michael Jackson intensely at first sight – or they felt compelled to say crazy stuff (the craziest stuff imaginable) about him and sometimes the crazy was laced with a nice dose of malice. People talk about the media circus that Michael Jackson lived with while he was here, but as far as I can see Michael press still tends to be sensationalist b.s., and other internet media such as celeb gossip blogs, facebook, and the like are picking up where the tabloids left off with the lurid cackling about Michael and the rest of the Jackson family. I don’t read these anymore but I know they are out there.
One day the dust will settle and all people will know about is the magic of the music, and the dance, but in the meantime there is still plenty of crazy on the wires to avoid, and for that reason it was nice to hear lucid discussion about the music and impact of the musical phenomenon that was Michael Jackson. As more of the young people are exposed to Michael Jackson from an academic perspective, the insanity will die and Michael will finally get his due respect as an artist. In my opinion the best speakers on the panel are Paul Lim, who is a professor of the history of Christianity and religious studies and a long time Michael Jackson fan who shares his thoughts on Michael Jackson’s spirituality; and, Tiffany Patterson, professor of African American and Diaspora studies who has special insight because she grew up in Gary, Indiana, was a neighbor of the Jackson family and knew them personally.
Here’s the link – you’ll need to set aside an hour, but it’s worth watching: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUo2VJ2sbyg
Filed under: Music , Michael Jackson, Conflicted Identities, Vanderbilt University, Panel Discussion, 2009
