Allow Me

Let me throw my considerable weight around on this issue, since everyone under the Sun feels the need to talk about it.

I did my minute of memorial service for Michael Jackson soon after I found out he died. I feel a sense of loss each time I hear a story of someone dying, reprehensible character or not. However, the reverence and attention Michael is receiving is surprising and not at the same time.

The love of celebrity and fame isn't anything new to anyone in my generation. When a figure like Jackson dies, there are going to be some varied degrees of a spotlight on the subject. But let's get real for a minute. None of us knew Jackson personally, were never going to know him personally or may even want to judging on what you believe had been written about him in the press for the past two decades.

You would have been more likely to make a joke about Jackson's alleged pedophilia than listening to "Bad" these days. I'm sure there are some true blue fans who never lost hope in him, but I think most of them are in Germany. Or Indonesia. The rest are going back through their long forgotten catalog of Jackson hits, or scrambling to iTunes to download "Thriller."

So let's not kid ourselves here. How much thought in your day went into the personal life of Michael Jackson before you heard he died? "I need to get to the store and pick up a loaf of bread for tomorrow. I really need to get to the gym more. I wonder how Michael Jackson is holding up since he sold Neverland Ranch? Did I check the mail this afternoon when I came home from work?" He's dead now, and so today we care.

The greatest crime is how we treat these people. We lift them up to heights and wealth none of us will ever attain, and when they slip up or have a perceived slip up, we in our righteous indignation rip it from them and rub their noses in excrement to show they are no better or worse than us. Then, when they die, we hold candle light vigils and teary memorial services for them and remember the good times. It may be a good day to die, but it's never a good day to show a shred of dignity or decency.

I, for one, think this is a little hypocritical and even unfair. Depending on the "crime" I suppose. So let's let Michael's family grieve. Leave the weeping to his close friends and intimates. We need to get on with our own lives. I heard Kim Jong Il was going to fire a missile at Hawaii. And congress was trying to pass an energy bill that will tax us until infinity. But before we get back to reality, let's listen to a little "Billie Jean" while we get a Starbucks and then settle in for some TMZ.

Rinse, repeat.