Michael Jackson's Death Perhaps more Relevant than the Others -- what?

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» left by Ben Jones ^(6,792)
Ben Jones (120 days 3 hours ago.)

Hi Teresa,

 

I'm afraid I didn't read that statement in the same way that you did. It didn't appear to me that the author was saying that Michael was more important or his passing more tragic than either of the other two more that Michael had had more impact upon the "advertising world" which I would tend to agree with.

 

It was an odd statement though and certainly not relevant to the human equation. However, as with all celebrities, their passing is marked by the blood in the water; how much impact they had on the entertainment world, how news worthy their demise and of course how many fans around the world will be in morning.

 

It's a horrible feeding frenzy really. I just hope his children can have a more normal life from here on in.

 

Have a great day,

Ben.

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» left by Teresa (120 days 3 hours ago.)

Hi Ben, thank you for your input. I am sure that is what the author meant, but it just rubbed me the wrong way. I just thought it was a strange place to make that kind of statement.

 

Maybe I did over-react, but I think my point is still true. and similar to what you said - so many people idolize entertainers and can tend to over look their humanity.  And I agree with you, I do hope his children have an opportunity for a normal life. It will all come out in the next few weeks or months depending on how fights for what.

 

I also feel sad and torn that Farrah's son may not get to go to his mother's funeral because he is serving time in jail.

 

It is apparent that I am not thinking in terms of their celebrity status which is why that statement made me angry.

 

Thanks again Ben, for helping me to look at it from its intended perspective.  Blessings to you! Teresa

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» left by Ben Jones ^(6,792)
Ben Jones (119 days 17 hours ago.)

Hi Teresa,

 

It's always cathartic to vent through this type of medium, and much better than staying grumpy throughout the day. I must admit that I often react in the same sort of way when I read an article or see something on television that I find morally challenging or confronting in some way. I should probably take your example and vent more when it happens.

 

Oh and the other thing is, I didn't read the entire article you quoted from so perhaps that snippet doesn't fully portray the feel and tone of the piece.

 

Either way, a good article, thanks for sharing.

 

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» left by Teresa Ortiz ^(11,694)
Teresa Ortiz (119 days 17 hours ago.)

Thanks Ben, you should vent, it does help. Especially when it challenges something that is important to you. It also helps to have someone who might respond with another perspective that can bring some balance to your thinking.....just like you did for me :-)

 

Blessings to you and your family. Teresa

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» left by Ken McCreless from Event Horizon (119 days 21 hours ago.)

I do see the loved ones facing the death of their own, Sis. Everyday. Many now have to try to mourn while struggling to pay for a funeral. At least the three celebs' families won't have that problem.

 

Great article, very deep and meaningful.

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» left by Teresa Ortiz ^(11,694)
Teresa Ortiz (119 days 17 hours ago.)

Hi Bro, these are the people I had on my mind when I wrote this. It's not that I am not saddened by the death of these celebrities. Goodness, Charlie's Angels was my favorite show as a kid and Michael Jackson was def. a fav since dance music is my fav. However, first they are people with everyday issues and family members who would love nothing more than to mourn in private.

 

It is good that they will not have to worry about funeral expenses.

 

Blessings to you.

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» left by Lorrie Davids ^(7,673)
Lorrie Davids (119 days 17 hours ago.)

Teresa, I understand what you mean. And I am praying for the families as well. My hope is they do thoroughly investigate the cause of death. In 2007 Michael was diagnosed with lupus. Lupus affects the major organs and can cause the heart to fail. A simple ANA test can help with the cause of death. I will never forget the first time I saw the Thriller video! Michael was a great entertainer.

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» left by Teresa Ortiz ^(11,694)
Teresa Ortiz (119 days 16 hours ago.)

Hi Lorrie, thanks for reading and including the information about his health. I too pray they find a direct cause.

 

An amazing entertainer for sure! In our dance class we used alot of his music, and yest, we did a routine to thriller :-)

 

My heart breaks for his upbringing on a personal level. So many demons plagued him as an individual, but I do believe it when those closest to him say he had a heart of a child. After all, he never really got to be one.

 

I pray for grace that Farrah's son will be able to attend his mom's funeral.

 

It seems the only death of these three that was closet to natural, was Ed McMahons, he lived a long life.

 

It is big news like this that reminds us all that every day is a gift. Are we really ready to meet our maker?

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» left by Connor Davidson ^(4,825)
Connor Davidson (119 days 17 hours ago.)

Great article. Well done.

 

Wow this guy is big. There is me flicking through articles on the readers club first I see Ben's article on Micheal then yours in a row.

 

Sadly, I have never been a fan of Micheal Jacksons and was not supprised that he died so young. Though I still find it tragic.

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» left by Teresa Ortiz ^(11,694)
Teresa Ortiz (119 days 16 hours ago.)

Hi Connor, thank you for the comment.  There is no doubt he was big and influential in the music industry.

 

Yes, 50 is way too young to die. so is 62. Everyday is truly a gift.

 

Blessings to you! Teresa

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» left by Laura Trahan ^(38,913)
Laura Trahan (119 days 16 hours ago.)

Couldn't agree more T! I was upset yesterday that so much attention was given to MJ and Farrah was kind of forgotten! I didn't even know about Ed McMahon until I saw it on SearchWarp. Funny what people think is important!

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» left by Teresa Ortiz ^(11,694)
Teresa Ortiz (119 days 16 hours ago.)

Yes, MJ death is tragic, and I don't mean to take away from this.  But Farrah Fawcett was a real trooper. She left her legacy in humilty by inviting others in to know what to expect, know how to get support from family, and to never give up, when dealing with cancer. 

 

She was a woman of character and I believe she made a bigger impact on humanity than she did as an actress in the entertainment field.  to me this is what matters.

 

And I do see now that the author that led me to this rant was speaking in terms of just that.

 

Blessings to you! Hugs, T

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» left by Suzy ⁽⁹³²⁾
Suzy (119 days 14 hours ago.)

Hi Teresa ~ I haven’t been at SW long but I saw you riled up like this one other time and it was a comment over religion or an article you wrote about it. You have touched on some very valid points about deaths of loved ones and we do so go out of this world with what we came in with and that is NOTHING. Just because someone is a celebrity doesn’t make them any more important in our master’s eyes. We tend to not remember this when a celebrity has shared so much of his/her talent/life with the world ~ to gain that type of fame does mean something to common folks where many make a living in drudgery ~ never knowing what it could or would be like to follow a dream and/or just wake up with enthusiasm each morning being able to do your work with passion ~ these are the types of people who will always land back on their feet during loss ~ I can guarantee it. On a positive note about Michael, I do believe he was about to do just that after having lost his reputation, character, fortune and fame. That is to be admired.

 

My heart too goes out to his family and friends and once again, we know for certain that he has landed on top in a much more POWERFUL and MEANINGFUL way but not any more so than others. Blessings to you and thank you for a most passionate write! Suz

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» left by Teresa Ortiz ^(11,694)
Teresa Ortiz (119 days 13 hours ago.)

Hi Suzi, 

 

You noticed huh?  I don't remember what other article you are referring to. I do pretty good about remaining silent on a lot of things, but sometimes I just need to speak up.

 

It is true, in the end, when each of us face our maker, He will only be concerned with one thing, as the bible says, God will ask, "What did you do with my Son" That is the measure of a life and the only important thing when we take our last breath.

 

Obviously we give credit where credit is due here on earth, I do hope that it is not coming across that these were not amazingly talented people.  Blessings to you! Teresa

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» left by Ronyae ^(4,733)
Ronyae (119 days 13 hours ago.)

Teresa, I didn't have any plans on profiling the deaths as well. But once I was swarmed by the mass ... I felt I should take my memories and feelings in a different direction.

 

You've done well with your article! Thanks for sharing it with us. R.I.P. Michael J. Jackson2009.

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» left by Teresa Ortiz ^(11,694)
Teresa Ortiz (119 days 12 hours ago.)

Hi Ronyae. 

 

Thank you for the comment. Not only Michael Jackson, but Farrah Fawcett and Ed McMahon too!  Only God knows.

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» left by Anonymous (119 days 9 hours ago.)

You didn't mention Sky Saxon, guitarist for the 60s garage band "The Seeds." Why not? Because, in the greater social sphere, he was not as relevant. So irrelevant to the greater population that you probably never even heard of Sky Saxon while he was alive. Not only is the general media entitled to make judgment calls about relevance, they must. How many protesters died in Iran? How many do we know by name? Finally, what stock we put in the various news services says something about our ability to discern editorial from facts.

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» left by Teresa Ortiz ^(11,694)
Teresa Ortiz (119 days 8 hours ago.)

Hi Annon, thanks for your input.  No, I have not heard of him. But that does not mean his life is not as relevant as anyone else's. He may have been "unknown" in many arenas, however,  'Known" and "Relevant" are not the same thing and this is exactly my point here.

 

The other reason I did not mention him, even I had heard of him is because he was not one of the three that died in the last 48 hours and he was not compared to Michael Jackson as Farrah Fawcett and Ed McMahon were. Still,  I did give place to the many "unknowns" who have died in the last 48 hours. 

 

Obviously the article that spured mine was an editorial, most people who read and write understand the difference between factual reporting and editorial reporting. However, editorial writing can affect ones thoughts and personal opinions.

 

Blessings to you. Teresa

 

 

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» left by Anonymous (118 days 21 hours ago.)

"The other reason I did not mention him, even I had heard of him is because he was not one of the three that died in the last 48 hours and he was not compared to Michael Jackson as Farrah Fawcett and Ed McMahon were. Still,  I did give place to the many "unknowns" who have died in the last 48 hours."

One of the three that died? You're reinforcing my point. Sky Saxon died on the same day as Farrah and Michael, you're implying he was not relevant (and nobody expects you to know a little-known song writer, his life not being relevant to your own).

Relevancy, by its very definition means the importance of the subject's "relationship" within a particular social context. So, to weigh relevancy is obviously, necessarily fair and expected. If it were not so, the national media would be a continuous obituary stream, because everybody must have the same relevancy. One such pinnacle of relevancy might be Time Magazine's "Man" or "Woman of the Year."

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» left by Teresa Ortiz ^(11,694)
Teresa Ortiz (118 days 17 hours ago.)

Hi Anon,

 

I already acknowledged the context in which the author of the article meant by relevancy in terms of entertainment.  Your point and my point are two different issues.

 

Please forgive my assumption, thank you for teaching me a valuable lesson. May God comfort and strengthen those mourning the loss of Sky. I should have caught that - silly me.  Blessings to you! Teresa

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» left by Mark Ste. Marie ⁽²²⁶⁾
Mark Ste. Marie (119 days 8 hours ago.)

Teresa, other than it's rather sad and disgusting lionizing an individual who had such obvious flaws (my opinion), and I feel for his family, I only have two words for you: RIGHT ON!!!

 

Mark

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» left by Teresa Ortiz ^(11,694)
Teresa Ortiz (119 days 8 hours ago.)

Hi Mark,

 

Thank you for the input, I agree with you 100%. And thanks for the "right on"  :-)

 

I have been praying and thinking about Farrah's son of and on all day. I know he must pay the price for his choices, but I can't help but hope a little mercy will grant him the ability to go to his mom's funeral. And not because it is Farrah Fawcett, but because it's his mom.

 

Blessings to you! Teresa

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» left by sue thom from nj (118 days 21 hours ago.)

hi t,

 

i thought of the families first, i didn't know about ed mcmahon until you told me, and farrah fawcett was a very troubled woman. i saw her totally out of it on david letterman one night, and i thought maybe it was me, but it was all over the news the next day. this doesn't diminish their deaths, but michael jackson? he deserves to be signaled out in my opinion, as i believe he is the best entertainer since elvis.

ed mcmahon talked and laughed for a living, and farrah sometimes acted well, but what michael jackson achieved, against all odds, still amazes me, and i know what a troubled life he had, maybe now he'll be able to rest in peace,

my best to you,

sue

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» left by Teresa Ortiz (118 days 17 hours ago.)

Hi Sue,

 

Thanks for the comment. I am not saying he didn't achieve amazing things. I was a fan,  in my opinion Michael was more troubled than Farrah was.

 

I guess I was just trying to say that just because he achieved more, didn't mean he was life was more relevant than another. And after Ben pointed out some things in his comment, I did say I recognized that in terms of the entertainment world, yes, big difference.

 

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Only God knows. Big hugs, t

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» left by Michael Ramzy ⁽⁶⁵⁰⁾
Michael Ramzy (118 days 19 hours ago.)

I remember when Mother Teresa died, and that same week Princess Diana died. The amount of coverage on Diana was almost what we are seeing now with Mr. Jackson, and Mother Teresa was put into the back pages. Strange where our priorities take us. Good job. 

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» left by Teresa Ortiz ^(11,694)
Teresa Ortiz (118 days 17 hours ago.)

Hi Michael,  I remember that as well.  You make a good point, it boils down to what society deems success.

 

The news media will always be this way, but it doesn't make it right and it doesn't change the facts that each life is equally important - what they do with that life will make a difference one way or the other.

 

Blessings to you! Teresa

 

 

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» left by Dianne Lehmann from Dewey, AZ (118 days 10 hours ago.)

Hi Teresa.

 

Wow! Your article sure got a lot of comments. It's all very interesting.

 

Personally, I'm with you, but the media are not. They make a big deal about reporting a celebrity's death and totally ignore the thousand other people who died at the same time. One might be tempted to say, but the celebrity touched so many more lives than the "common" person ever could. But consider friends and friends of cousins and friends of aunts and friends of sisters, etc. and you've added up quite a few people who are affected by the loss of one particular person.

 

Well, this is one of my hot buttons and you wrote a great article to it.

 

Hugs,

Dianne

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» left by Teresa Ortiz ^(11,694)
Teresa Ortiz (118 days 10 hours ago.)

Hi Dianne,

 

I know, I am surprised. Thank you for your input, you said it well, maybe you should have written this piece instead :-)

 

I think would got me was the use of the word relevant.  There is no questioning Michael Jackson's accomplishements, I am a fan, but this was not my point. 

 

I appreciate you and you are relevant to me :-)  Big hugs, Teresa

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» left by Dr Clarence Rucker, Jr from MI (118 days 8 hours ago.)

Death is death and each have a story line. "What you do for others?" I am not too musically inclined, however, music is the rhythm of the soul...With the "beat of a jerking movement" as it was in Motown and the 'Moon Walk' laid out by Hank Ballard and the Midnighters (back when their was James Brown and the Famous Flames), he kept the inside (the heart) of the world's souls moving. Thanks Teresa

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» left by Teresa Ortiz ^(11,694)
Teresa Ortiz (118 days 8 hours ago.)

Very good points.  Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Blessings! Teresa

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» left by youssef from montreal (118 days 7 hours ago.)

I never heard one song from him, I don't know who is Farah Fawsett, but for sure micheal killed himself, so why I have to suffer for his mistake?

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» left by Teresa Ortiz ^(11,694)
Teresa Ortiz (118 days 1 hour ago.)

Hello there,  Thank you for your comment.  I am soory, but I am not sure what you mean by you are suffering because of his death, if you don't know his music.

 

May you be blessed! Teresa

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» left by Dr Clarence Rucker, Jr from MI (117 days 5 hours ago.)

It appears if you do not know, it would be to your advantage to not comment. Negative or positive. "If you do not know him, how do you know he killed himself?" People die many ways, as yourself, you just died with your comment. Those are what you call "Rhetorical Florishes."

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» left by James Bond ⁽²²⁷⁾
James Bond (102 days 11 hours ago.)

Great article Teresa, I think the line that irritated you was uncalled for as well. I didn't write about any of the passings that day either although out of the 3 Michael was the one I was most familiar with. I do find it troubling that people feel free to comment on how troubled he was, and how many demons he had. He was never convicted of harming any child and I personally doubt he did. What he did to his appearance leads me to believe he was hurting as we all do in some way shape or form. His money I feel made it possible for him expose some of his hurt in away that most of us can't. Again thanks for sharing.

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» left by Teresa Ortiz ^(11,694)
Teresa Ortiz (101 days 19 hours ago.)

Hi James, thanks for reading and commenting.  I agree, he was hurting and I believe he was a little boy trapped in a grown up world. He never had a chance to be a kid and that is unhealty and not as God intended for anyone.

 

Blessings to you! Teresa

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» left by Jim Anderson ⁽⁷⁶²⁾
Jim Anderson (30 days 16 hours ago.)

Great Article, Teresa. I was intrigued about this as well. One subject I am very interested in is apologetics. This topic relates to apologetics because it shows how obessed we are in our culture with celebrity. Many people live purposeless lives because they don't believe in anything that they can't touch. They don't recognize the intangible aspects of life. So they fail to find meaning in life. To fill the void of significance in their life, they live vicariously through celebrities. I'd call this celebrity worship. The obsession with the lives of celebrities is driven by this search for meaning. I recommend a great book that sheds a lot of light on this titled, "Kingdom Triangle" by J.P. Moreland. It is very thought provoking.

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» left by Teresa Ortiz ^(11,694)
Teresa Ortiz (30 days 15 hours ago.)

Hi Jim, thanks for reading. I agree with you. I haven't heard of that book, I will check it out. One of my favorites is apologetics as well. You might enjoy some of my biblical articles here on searchwarp. My most recent is "the subsititionary death of Jesus: Answers to biblical questions part 4". Check it out when you have a chance :-) I look forward to reading more of your work. I love the info you are offering to help others. You are right. The bible is filled with information and lessons about money. Especially the book of Proverbs. Maybe you could share some of those insights :-) Thanks again for reading and for joining my fan club. Blessings to you! T

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» left by Jim Anderson ⁽⁷⁶²⁾
Jim Anderson (30 days 15 hours ago.)

Teresa,

  

As I get time, I am reading your articles. They look very interesting. I have some of the biblically oriented stuff coming up. I'm just getting warmed up. So stay tuned!

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» left by Teresa Ortiz ^(11,694)
Teresa Ortiz (30 days 15 hours ago.)

woo - hoo, I will be watching for them :-) Thanks again for reading.

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