The different personas of Michael Jackson

Written by Antonio Stinson.

Michael Jackson’s blackness was something that he couldn’t escape, something he couldn’t hide. We think that this might be the reason why black people continue to accept and root for him despite what seemed to be his rejection of us.

No matter what he became, we all knew the struggle, pain, and strife that made him unique.

This is what makes us obsess over The King of Pop. We must understand that it’s not if he is an angel or beast, it’s the way that his voice can soften even the hardest and most frightened parts of us that makes us want to praise him. Maybe that version of him is simply too over-imaginative and unrealistic for us to accept.

Michael Jackson was a vehicle for something divine. He touched people with his voice. He was the light that shined bright in this dark world. We were all deeply touched when the King of Pop had passed, however we were not crying for the loss of Michael Jackson, pained and frail. We were crying for the inevitable loss of all of our childhoods.

To read more, go to https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/the-two-lives-of-michael-jackson.