Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2009

RSS |

Twitter

OPINION

HuffPo's New Faves:
Nip Slips, Nude Pics

Once a political site, the Huffington Post turns NSFW for traffic

Nov 25, 09 8:17 AM CST
Movie Review

Quiet, Creepy, Absurd,
Home Wows Critics

Acclaimed French film makes US debut

Nov 25, 09 11:55 AM CST
Veggie police

This Thanksgiving,
Say No to Green Beans

They're not seasonal, and not all that appetizing to boot

Nov 24, 09 5:13 PM CST
Sneak Peek

Lovely Bones Is
Jackson's Best Yet

After sneak screening, critic predicts Oscar glory; another pans it

Nov 25, 09 2:40 PM CST
YES, MAKEUP IS OK

Things a Feminist Can Still Do

Wearing plunging necklines doesn't make you any less of a feminist

Nov 25, 09 8:45 AM CST
OPINION

Requiem for
the Soft Sell
of the Catalog

As retailers focus online, the 'serene' paper version will be missed

Nov 25, 09 12:42 PM CST
MOVIE REVIEW

Put Down Old Dogs

No new tricks in Travolta-Williams turkey

Nov 25, 09 9:06 AM CST
OPINION

One Non-Profit Should
Index the Internet

It would make things faster for everyone

Nov 25, 09 3:25 PM CST
OPINION

SNL a Right-Wing Mouthpiece

Or latest sketch just a 'vehicle to make anal sex joke'

Nov 24, 09 1:14 PM CST
MAUREEN DOWd

White House Counsel's Fall Should Worry Obama's Loyal

Cold handling of Craig recalls Clinton era

Nov 25, 09 3:50 AM CST
MOVIE REVIEW

Welles Best Part of
Me and Orson Welles

Christian McKay eclipses Zac Efron

Nov 25, 09 11:24 AM CST
MALKIN GETS FESTIVE

This Year's Top Liberal Turkeys

Stimulus, President O-bow-ma get top billing

Nov 25, 09 8:01 PM CST
5 Painful Stages
of Thanksgiving
With Family

Brace yourself: It's going to be a rough ride

5 hours, 23 minutes ago

|NEXT STORY »

OPINION

World's Fuss Over Jackson 'False Emotion'

By Harry Kimball| Posted Jun 26, 09 5:31 PM CDT|

(Newser) – The outpouring of grief over Michael Jackson’s death really has nothing to do with the singer, Hadley Freeman writes in the Guardian. Just look at him: “For the past 15 years, ever since the first child-abuse allegations,” Freeman writes, “he has been a figure of freakishness.” So what’s going on? It’s the desire for “A Big Event,” Freeman concludes, “something that will bring a sense of community.”

The most obvious precedent is Princess Diana, but at least when she died she was still “a beloved figure in the eyes of most people.” Of the “Diana Moment,” Freeman writes, “it’s impossible not to suspect that the excitement at just being part of a collective moment exacerbated it beyond any reasonable limits.” The hubbub is even more quixotic and shows “that the desire for collective emotion leads only to false emotion.”

[Images (3)]

[Quotes (2)]

Fans of Michael Jackson watch as people perform a dance in his memory during a memorial to commemorate him in central London's Trafalgar Square. (AP Photo)

Fans of Michael Jackson dance during a memorial to commemorate him outside a central London train station. (AP Photo)

Two women sob at a sidewalk shrine at the star of Michael Jackson on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. (AP Photo)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

One of the interesting twists to the multiplicity of media now available 24 hours a day, coupled with the diminished importance of religion in most people's lives, the idea of A Big Event is more desirable than ever. - Hadley Freeman

When Diana died, she was still—despite the unexpected alliance with the al-Fayed family—a beloved figure in the eyes of most people. Jackson has, outside the circle of his impressively devoted fans, never really claimed that mantle.
- Hadley Freeman

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

11.24.09

Murdoch and Microsoft: The Mice Are Trying to Roar

11.23.09

Books Are Bad for You

19 comments

VIEWING:

cheni99a
Jun 26, 09 6:04 PM CDT

Agreed. It may sound harsh, and many people certainly are upset about his death, but the idea about the desire for a "a big event" is spot on. I'll admit it, I'm more interested in that aspect of this whole ordeal than actually caring about Michael Jackson and his death. Reply

| 0 minutes ago

AS1280
Jun 26, 09 6:11 PM CDT

Totally. MJ is a freakshow. Everyone said it before because they knew it was true, but now his bizarre antics are just forgotten, like oooo he was such a great performer. Yeah, and OJ was a great football player. Reply

| 0 minutes ago

Newser001
Jun 26, 09 6:43 PM CDT

Those that grew up with the Jackson 5 and onwards understand piece of our lives has passed on forever. As Reader64481089 said yesterday, ever so eloquently, ... 'MJ did things no other person had ever accomplished, yes accusations were made of child molestation and he was found innocent, weird, strange and innocent and a shame that darkens his life. As a whole he accomplished much in music and many people will miss him. As the saying goes, "I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him" and so it is with Michael Jackson. RIP' Reply

IN RESPONSE:

Laugh
Jun 27, 09 2:14 AM CDT

Wow, well put, Reader64481089. Didn't see that yesterday - thanks for quoting him Newser001.

| 0 minutes ago

Jojo
Jun 26, 09 7:11 PM CDT

I don't agree. I think it has more to do with a person's childhood memory of Michael Jackson. If you listen to people, almost everyone talks about the first time they saw the Thriller video, or the time he moonwalked on the Motown special on tv. Most everyone who loves music has an important memory that involves Michael Jackson. And there are millions of people my age that were hit hard by all 3 deaths. I remember my school days, staying up late to watch Johnny Carson and Ed McMahon. I grew up with a brother 10 years older than me that had the famous Farrah Fawcett poster on his wall - and nothing else on his walls, so for 10 years of my life, I have the memory of going in to my brothers room and seeing a huge poster of her. I remember rushing home from school and planting myself in front of the tv to watch the premier of Thriller because MTV had been advertising it for 2 weeks or so and I could not WAIT!. Pretty sure 30-50 year olds out number the teens and senior citizens as far as internet usage. Teens don't give a shit and seniors went through the same thing with the icon of their time - Elvis. A lot of memories died in the last week. And that is the reason there is so much sadness. Reply

IN RESPONSE:

shonangreg
Jun 26, 09 8:30 PM CDT

Agreed. Unless something comes up to more certainly link Jackson to some specific unconscionable behavior, he will be remembered for his music, his dancing, and his performances. We've had other eccentrics in histroy, and their mysterious transgressions are often just footnotes to their main entry. Michael Jackson's fans are already looking at his legacy from this point of view.

| 0 minutes ago

SBS
Jun 26, 09 8:18 PM CDT

That may be the only good thing about dying. After you do you become a much better person then you were when you were alive. At least that what people say, " He (or she) was sure a good person. " Reply

-1

| 0 minutes ago

BeatBlaster
Jun 26, 09 9:01 PM CDT

His music inspired people in ways a lot had never felt before. MJ touched my life through his music and it made me happy when I was sad. It's this kind of emotion that bubbles to the surface for a lot of people I've talked to about this. I grew up rockin' out to his stuff and so did my friends. It's like a part of our childhood died with him. So sad. Reply

| 0 minutes ago

lthurman
Jun 26, 09 9:59 PM CDT

He was good, once. Let's just remember that. Reply

| 0 minutes ago

anchower
Jun 26, 09 11:49 PM CDT

The first album I ever bought was the Thriller LP. And even though my taste in music has broadened over the years, I still love that record (which I only recently re-bought on CD). So my sadness on hearing of Michael Jackson's death was genuine. If anything rings "false," it's Hadley Freeman's umbrage. He's the real freak here, opportunistically attacking mourners with a lot of half-baked psychobabble just so he can get a byline in a newspaper. If you have a problem with Jackson, fine--the man wasn't a saint. But let his fans pay their respects in peace. Reply

| 0 minutes ago

joehark
Jun 27, 09 1:43 AM CDT

"specific unconscionable behavior" You mean like . . . child molestation? Or do you you think that denial is just the name of a river in Egypt? No talent in the world excuses that. He was never convicted only because of a bizarre California law that allows a victim to be bought off and withdraw the accusation, thus preventing prosecution. Innocent people do not hand out 25 Million to silence false charges. Reply

-2

IN RESPONSE:

shonangreg
Jun 27, 09 6:16 AM CDT

Of course that's what I mean, though I wouldn't limit it to that . . . And "never convicted but . . ." is the kind of vagueness that is going to be more and more washed out by history. Mind you, I think the kids' stuff needed more attention, but that's over now. Jackson will not molest any kids from now on.

| 0 minutes ago

oldgoat
Jun 27, 09 2:18 AM CDT

MJ was a icon for his music, but he also used his fame and money to buy his way out of the child molesting problem. For all his greatness in music he still is nothing more than a freak pedophile. Reply

-3

| 0 minutes ago

browzman
Jun 27, 09 10:33 AM CDT

How many Diana impersonators are out there? Reply

-1

| 0 minutes ago

RichardF
Jun 27, 09 3:27 PM CDT

For the first 24 hours after his death I thought of it as a sad end to a freakish life. But then I remembered being a kid in the early 70s singing Jackson 5 songs with my brothers and sister and mom, and I remembered being a teenager and trying for hours and hours to learn to moonwalk. Those really were great times in my life, and though MJ's behavior in later years had wiped them out somewhat when they came rushing back I realized that he did have a major impact on my life, and I appreciate him for it. Reply

| 0 minutes ago

DarkFrancis
Jun 27, 09 5:11 PM CDT

Michael's death made a lot of us think back to the 'other' Michael, the one that many of us loved, admired, envied, whatever. Michael's appearance and life in the last 15 years kinda forced a bit of a disconnect in the public's mind. We didn't really view him as the same guy who sang about his rat, moonwalked, or blamed it on the boogie...both Michaels died. So people got a bit sad thinking about the old one, and probably a little reflective thinking about what he became. Reply

IN RESPONSE:

Susie
Jul 15, 09 5:14 AM CDT

Yeah, very much agree - was thinking not long before Michael actually passed away that we'd already lost the 'other' Michael and it was sad he became almost an empty husk compared to those happier times. Maligned is not a strong enough word to describe his existence in later years.

| 0 minutes ago

Susie
Jul 14, 09 7:35 AM CDT

Michael's Jackson's Last Show (Guardian 07/07/09) Hadley Freeman describes the Jackson siblings as 'pushing' Michael's daughter, Paris, to the microphone' and the family knowing the value of a child, no matter how reluctant, to take the spotlight. Hadley Freeman should be fired for lack of observation and once again, fuelling negativity into the 'Jackson' brand. Paris was in no way pushed and her speaking was a completely spontaneous action brought about by the emotion of the moment. It seems the Guardian are endorsing the completely biased reporting of this woman and in doing so, printing lies? Prince Harry & Prince William walked behind Diana's coffin - were they pushed into doing it because it made good press? I think not. I hope you're not a mother, Hadley, or if you are, you show little compassion or truth to pass on to your children. It seems too many journalists 'get off' by bullying in print a man who looked a like a 'freak' because he suffered from vitiligo and lupus disease(excessive nose surgery was his own doing, granted), but nonetheless, the man suffered from genuine disfiguring conditions. Further, even though his first accuser has retracted his allegations, admitting it was a set up for financial gain, and the second accuser was found to be a serial fraudster, none of this makes front news, let's just all keep bashing Michael and feel proud of ourselves, eh? Reply

| 0 minutes ago

janeil88
Jul 18, 09 1:16 PM CDT

Yeah? And Hadley Freeman is full of shit. Reply

| 0 minutes ago

View all 19 comments »

entertainment • music • Princess Diana • memorial • Michael Jackson • public figure • collective emotion • false emotion • Hadley Freeman

from our news partners

Girls on Pop: Thanksgiving Shenanigans
(Nov 25, 09 9:26 PM CST)
Why You're Searching "Vicki Kennedy," "Laura Wasser," and "Allen Iverson...
(Nov 25, 09 8:05 PM CST)
Forgotten Celebrity Playboy Spreads
(Nov 25, 09 6:00 PM CST)
Roasted Baby on Spit Was 'Too Much' for 'Road' Director
(Nov 25, 09 3:58 PM CST)

A moving Thanksgiving Day tribute to America expressed with a...
(10 minutes ago)
♫ ♪ I'm a Rocketman, ditching through the clouds into...
(31 minutes ago)
Photoshop this deep depth Dumbo [Photoshop]
(33 minutes ago)
Before you have 15 firefighters and two tankers show up...
(2 hours, 28 minutes ago)

Fantasy Thanksgiving: Guess What Wolverine's Bringing To Dinner?
(Nov 25, 09 8:38 PM CST)
First Hobbit Script Completed, Making the Rounds
(Nov 25, 09 5:55 PM CST)
Not Amazing Norwegian Avatar Poster
(Nov 25, 09 5:50 PM CST)
Invictus Writer Will Dive Into Deep Sea Cowboys
(Nov 25, 09 5:28 PM CST)

Associated Press

Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Green Day, Jay-Z among performers expected at American...
(Nov 5, 09 6:57 PM CST)
After jazz, country and Latin music, classical music gets a turn in White House...
(Oct 28, 09 7:27 PM CDT)
Michael Jackson's dermatologist files nearly $50,000 claim against estate for...
(Oct 28, 09 8:33 AM CDT)
Michael Jackson delivers on 'This Is It,' early fans say; film features signature...
(Oct 27, 09 11:27 PM CDT)

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most important stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »