We Are The World

Michael Jackson is dead. The King of Pop. Best entertainer of our time. Father, son, brother, friend. Member of the Jackson Five. Eccentric white-gloved child/boy who once wanted to purchase the bones of the Elephant Man. Caricature who admitted to "sharing his bed" with children, albeit in a nonsexual sense.

As I perused Facebook in the days since Jackson's untimely death and in the days leading up to his memorial service, I have noticed a polarizing affect. Plenty of people complain about the excessive media coverage or are focused on his alleged pedophilia. The buck stops here. Others were touched by his musical greatness and his generosity. Maybe I am jaded because I have always been a fan of Jackson's music. He is arguably the greatest entertainer of our time. Watching early footage of Jackson Five on the Ed Sullivan Show, Michael is a stand-out. He became a musical icon throughout the 1980s. And he could dance!

I watched yesterday's Memorial Service, twice. As my daughters and I viewed the ceremony on CNN, I was impacted by the universal love for Jackson. Fans gathered at Staples Center, in the First AME Church, Times Square, London, Atlanta, Detroit. Michael was perhaps the first musical icon to transcend race, nationality, age. He broke down racial barriers. He was a superstar.

Millions of fans entered an online lottery to gain access to the memorial service. Some may have wanted to attend the event of the year. Some wanted to sell their wristbands on E-bay. I may be the eternal optimist. I believe most wanted to mourn a man and the end of an era with others.

Humans need to be with others, especially in times of tragedy. This need to connect is exemplified by school spirit, fraternities, even religious services. We need to feel part of something greater than ourselves. As I witnessed people laugh, cry, sing along, and dance, I was aware of Michael Jackson's gift for bringing people together.

We all had tears in our eyes when Paris Katherine Jackson's acknowledged her father. "Ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine, and I just wanted to say I love him... so much." Jermaine, Marlon, Brooke Shields, Magic Johnson and others all recounted personal moments with Jackson. Larger than life photos of Michael in his Jackson Five and presurgery days provided a backdrop. His humanity was redeemed. Relating to his incarnation as "Is he a man or a woman? What happened to his skin? Why is he dangling his baby out of a window? Why did he even call his son Blanket?" was difficult at best.

Michael Jackson is a legend. He changed the face of music, of videos. He donated more to charity than any other popstar in history. Perhaps now we can put aside our differences in opinion and appreciate his huge talent.

We are the world.