A thought occurred to me recently.
The strange thing about the Michael Jackson memorial service was that there was nothing strange at all. If you removed the media circus, if you took away all the speculation; you would be simply left with, a respectful and often beautiful event. Why is this important to note? Because it seems to me that if you removed all of those aspects from Michael's life, you would be left viewing a much different picture. Michael's eccentricities are well documented, but what is often overlooked in the 'tale' of Michael Jackson is his genuine love for his fans and their love for him. That was the overwhelming sentiment in the line that gathered outside the Staples Center on Tuesday morning, July 7th. None of us possessed a ticket to some 'freak show', we were there to pay our respects.
Yes, the typical closed-minded protests encouraged by Fred Phelps and the congregation of the Westboro Baptist Church were present. And, yes, we all wanted to respond to their childish proclamations that "Jacko Burns in Hell" by telling them where they could stick their signs and exactly where they could go. But, at that moment when my lips parted to allow my venomous attack to travel in their general direction, something strange happened. An officer of the LAPD looked in my direction and addressed the group surrounding me:
"Don't waste your time. It's really not worth it."
You know what? He was right. Because this moment in time was not about negativity. It was not about validating the weak egos of a misinformed cult. It was a time for celebration, a time for grief, but more important, it was a time for understanding. As the line grew through the city blocks of downtown East Los Angeles; a mixture of race, class, gender and political leanings decorated in the accepted uniform of black fedora and bootleg t-shirt came to celebrate a much loved Icon. An Icon that also happened to want to Heal the World.
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