Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Jackson Played Peter Pan to Charm White America

To understand Jackson, look beyond the man in the mirror

By Katherine Thompson, Newser Staff

Posted Jun 28, 2009 8:24 PM CDT

(Newser) – A musical genius, yes, but Michael Jackson was also a master of performing roles. And his greatest may have been that of a de-sexualized, non-threatening black man who appealed to white audiences, David Gates writes in Newsweek. The King of Pop looked "blackest" on the cover of 1979's Off the Wall; by Thriller, he had started to develop a "precocious cuteness" that lacked the "adult sexuality" of a "swaggeringly heterosexual black male."

"No wonder, either, that the artifice eventually turned scary," writes Gates. Yet black Americans kept supporting him—perhaps because they "understood why Jackson was remaking himself"—and the black boy from Gary, Ind., united audiences as only Sinatra, Elvis, and the Beatles had done before. After Jackson "has come absolutely no one, however brilliant or however popular, who couldn't be ignored by vast segments of an ever-more-fragmented audience."

[Images (5)]

[Quotes (1)]

Michael Jackson announces that he is set to play ten live concerts at the London O2 Arena in July, at a press conference at the London O2 Arena, Thursday, March 5, 2009. (AP Photo/Joel Ryan)

This undated photo released by Julien's Auctions shows the gates to Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch in Santa Maria, Calif. Having missed his own childhood, Jackson sought to reclaim it. (AP Photo/Julien's Auctions, Shaan Kokin)

At the time his 'Thriller' album went gold in 1983, Michael Jackson was beginning what would soon become a seemingly never-ending series of cosmetic surgeries. (Getty Images)

American soul pop group the Jackson Five, five brothers from Indiana, tbe youngest of whom would go on to become the King of Pop. (Getty Images)

In this 1972 file photo, singer Michael Jackson at age 13, the youngest member of the singing group Jackson Five, sings in his home in Encino, Ca. (AP Photo, file)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

Why did he feel so deeply uncomfortable with himself? The hopeless task of sculpting and bleaching yourself into a simulacrum of a white man suggests a profound loathing of blackness. - David Gates, Newsweek

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

Jack Kevorkian Dead at 83

Assisted suicide advocate hospitalized since last month

(NEWSER) - Jack Kevorkian, longtime advocate of assisted suicide, died early this morning at age 83. Kevorkian had been hospitalized in Michigan since last month for kidney trouble and pneumonia. A friend tells the AP he recently spoke to Kevorkian about his pending release and rehabilitation, "then I left and he took a turn for the worst." Nurses played music by Johann Sebastian Bach for him before he died. No cause of death has been determined, but the friend says it was likely pulmonary thrombosis. More»

'Ivory Queen of Soul' Teena Marie Dead at 54

Motown Californian rocked fans' worlds

(NEWSER) - R&B soul singer Teena Marie was found dead in her bed at her California home yesterday. She was 54. Known as the "Ivory Queen of Soul," Marie signed with the legendary Motown label in the '70s; recorded 13 albums, including hits Lovergirl, Fire and Desire, Square Biz and I'm a Sucker for Your Love; and collaborated with Rick James. "She was a black voice trapped in a white body," said Cathy Hughes, founder of Radio One, a broadcasting company that targets African-American listeners. "She was one of the greatest vocalists of our time." More»

Jackson 5 Skit Sparks Outrage—It's in Blackface

Guest judge Harry Connick Jr. calls out Australian TV performers

(NEWSER) - A popular Australian TV variety program is under fire internationally for a skit that depicted Michael Jackson in whiteface and the rest of the Jackson 5 in blackface. Guest judge Harry Connick Jr., was shocked. “We’ve spent so much time trying to not make black people look like buffoons that when we see something like that we take it really to heart,” he said. The host of Hey Hey It's Saturday apologized on the air, the Times of London reports. More»

New Jackson 5 Tracks Drop in Nov.

New single 'That's How Love Is' available online now

(NEWSER) - The Jackson 5 may well be back on the charts this November with the release of I Want You Back! Unreleased Masters, a collection of never-before-heard material and alternate versions of beloved tunes. One of the new songs, “That’s How Love Is,” can be heard on the group’s website, jackson5.com. And there’s more to come for those grieving brother Michael. “We are going to miss him,” a collaborator tells USA Today, "but hopefully, we can fill in the blanks.” More»

Times Columnist William Safire Dead at 79

Ex-Nixon speechwriter, Pulitzer winner was forceful voice on right

(NEWSER) - Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist William Safire died today outside Washington, the paper reports. He was 79 and suffered from cancer. A onetime speechwriter for Richard Nixon, Safire, a self-described "libertarian conservative," used his background as a reporter and love for English usage to punch up his op-ed column, which he wrote from 1973 to 2005, and books of history and fiction. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining 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 »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Jackson Played Peter Pan to Charm White America