Michael Jackson’s universal appeal
PEOPLE all over the globe are mourning the passing of one of the planet’s most loved figures Michael Jackson. Although the man himself was private, enigmatic and discreet, so many of us felt we had a personal connection to the superstar. Yet if Jackson was so secretive and reclusive, how did we all relate to him in such an intimate way?
Jackson built a powerful persona through his music, performances, actions and through images and symbolism. It is this persona that we’re all missing, and mourning. What made this persona, this character, so magnetic and universally appealing? For me, Jackson represented hope and unity and in a way he represented humanity itself. The persona he created was an embodiment of humanity, a personification of the human story, and this is what we were all able to connect with on such a primal level, each in our own way.
It was through this universal persona that he was able to transcend race, national borders, ideologies, and almost every other conceivable barrier between people. I believe this was his greatest achievement, more impressive than any Guinness world record he may have broken.
Watching reruns of his concert performances and music videos on tribute shows over the past few days has made this particularly clear for me. Jackson would constantly attach himself to the most pervasive, global symbols and images of our time (particularly in the 90s), in an effort to portray himself as the ‘every-human’.
When he’s not fighting zombies, Jackson is standing in front of tanks √† la Tiananmen Square, singing in front of a graffiti hippie car, dancing amongst African tribes, holding up peace signs, comforting Eastern European war victims, feeding starving Ethiopians, standing in line with urban poor in the US and protesting in the slums of Rio.
He titled his songs Heal The World, Earth Song, Stranger in Moscow, Liberian Girl and Black Or White. The film clip of the latter song featured people from diverse backgrounds dissolving into each other -—still a remarkable effect and a message only deliverable by Jackson, a character with such universal appeal. The cynic would call all this culture-bending stuff mere showmanship, a good marketing gimmick, a smart business move, or at worst, would label Jackson a symbol slut who selfishly appropriated cultural identities to expand his audience.
I see it differently. I see Jackson as a tortured human being who went to the extent of mutilating himself, perhaps even sacrificing himself, in order to reach out to and implant himself in the hearts of every human being. I see him as a person who truly wanted to be universal, not fully content being a child or an adult, a male or a female, black or white.
Jackson devoted his life to establishing common ground, the power of which cannot be underestimated. Through his music and his life he held up a mirror not only to mainstream America but to the whole globe, and in my mind he did so more successfully than anyone else in history. In future years, when we’ll need to collectively solve complex problems like global warming, nuclear proliferation, racism, and even the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, this common ground will form part of the foundation of genuine peace.
When it seems that everything is pulling people apart, Jackson’s music was and remains a powerful force pulling people together. But though the man has passed on, the persona remains with us. And that is his lasting gift to us all. For years to come, I know I’ll be able to hum the tune of Heal The World to a grandmother in Japan, practice the moonwalk with kids in a rural African village, and sing along to Billie Jean with slum kids in India. So while most of the media coverage is celebrating the moonwalk and the Thriller video clip, I’m celebrating Jackson the every-human, admiring the universality of his reach, and celebrating his message of a common hope and joy.
Benjamin Holzman majored in political science at university and has a keen interest in American politics. During the last presidential campaign he worked as a volunteer for Barack Obama.