Sad Man
Among the outpouring of media attention on the death of Michael Jackson there is little comment about his desire to be white. In fact his ideal was a white version of Diana Ross, and he set about becoming that with the aid of cosmetic plastic surgery and skin de-pigmentation. That he had psychological problems, that manifested themselves in his change in appearance and his sexual proclivities, is well known.
It is widely reported that when he was a child his father beat him and forced him to work many hours a day at rehearsing and performing. This abuse apparently robbed him of a normal childhood and subsequently his manhood, and resulted in a very low self-esteem, surprising for one of the world's great entertainers. Once he was free of his father's control he descended into a dream-world, where his gradual transformation from a handsome black boy into an ugly white woman was clear for all to see. The changes to his appearance, with a smaller "white" nose, his long feminine hair and the white skin tone were obvious outer manifestations of his internal suffering.
Why did he want to be white, and why a woman? This gets into areas of psychological subtlety beyond my understanding, but one can speculate that the son of an abusive father may be sexually damaged, possibly impotent, and seeks an alternative identity. Michael knew Diana Ross, and apparently she became his "idol," a strong woman compared to his mother, who did not or could not stop his father's abuse of him. Having white skin was also supposed to confer the advantages of the power that whites are supposed to have relative to blacks.
His abuse of young boys was undoubtedly an outcome of his own abuse. His sister Latoya once publicly acknowledged this tendency in an interview and said that by exposing it she hoped that it might stop Michael from doing it. But, apparently it did not. The whole "Neverland" thing was an escape into fantasy, as it was for Peter Pan, and a trap for the young boys he longed to befriend.
Yes, he was a great entertainer, but he was a sad, sad man.
It is widely reported that when he was a child his father beat him and forced him to work many hours a day at rehearsing and performing. This abuse apparently robbed him of a normal childhood and subsequently his manhood, and resulted in a very low self-esteem, surprising for one of the world's great entertainers. Once he was free of his father's control he descended into a dream-world, where his gradual transformation from a handsome black boy into an ugly white woman was clear for all to see. The changes to his appearance, with a smaller "white" nose, his long feminine hair and the white skin tone were obvious outer manifestations of his internal suffering.
Why did he want to be white, and why a woman? This gets into areas of psychological subtlety beyond my understanding, but one can speculate that the son of an abusive father may be sexually damaged, possibly impotent, and seeks an alternative identity. Michael knew Diana Ross, and apparently she became his "idol," a strong woman compared to his mother, who did not or could not stop his father's abuse of him. Having white skin was also supposed to confer the advantages of the power that whites are supposed to have relative to blacks.
His abuse of young boys was undoubtedly an outcome of his own abuse. His sister Latoya once publicly acknowledged this tendency in an interview and said that by exposing it she hoped that it might stop Michael from doing it. But, apparently it did not. The whole "Neverland" thing was an escape into fantasy, as it was for Peter Pan, and a trap for the young boys he longed to befriend.
Yes, he was a great entertainer, but he was a sad, sad man.
posted by Jack Cohen at 7:14 AM
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