Suddenly, chills went down my spine. The atmosphere changed for a moment, all was completely silent. The only noise to be heard was the buzzing of my phone on the dock. Something was wrong, something was different.
Turning to my friend, both feeling the awkward silence, I flipped open my phone and read the text. Time stood still.
"The End of an Era!; The Death of an Icon!" We've read all the headlines that mean the same thing, Michael Jackson is gone. But the thing that bothers me the most is not that Michael is dead, it's that some people are not respecting him after his passing.
It makes me sick. It makes me wonder if people were ever taught the etiquette for death and talking about people who are no longer with us.
Since Michael's death, I have been visiting several chat rooms on Whyville. To no surprise, almost all of these rooms have had the same subject bouncing around from Whyvillian to Whyvillian. I'm sure you can guess the subject is Michael Jackson, some positive and some negative.
As far as negative goes, most all of us have heard the shocking stories of his home life, which are often surreal. Yet, none of these stories were ever proven and Michael was never convicted for any of the sick crimes he was charged for. Another subject for argument is that Michael was weird and naive. Naive, you say? With songs like "You Are Not Alone", "Man in the Mirror", "Heal the World", and more, Michael proved he was anything but naive. Weird? How do you suppose you would come across if you had been performing non-stop since the age of eight? We took away so much of Michael by picking and constantly poking at him. Yet, he is and was the best performer of all time, regardless of everything we took away from him. What is there to truly judge that is not superficial or ignorant on our part? Tell me, please.
I may not know Michael personally, and I'm sure there are few to none Whyvillians who knew Michael on a personal level as well. Regardless, we all know many things about him. He is and was a legend for the music industry. For many people, Michael is a hero, idol, and king. It is breathtaking that he was so much to so many. Everyone on this earth has heard of Michael Jackson, has been moved or influenced by his music, and has their own opinion on his existence. You are entitled to your own opinion, of course.
However, Michael Jackson is no longer with us. Our opinions, if not respectful, should not be shared. If you can not celebrate Michael's legacy positively, be quiet. You will never get anywhere bringing him down, he will always be with us. Celebrate his music and family, for that is what we have left. If you can not do something as simple as that, shut up. Respect those who are no longer with us. Respect Michael Jackson.
