We’ve spoken of Michael Jackson on this site recently, and while we may never know the full truth behind the allegations, it’s likely that we won’t be mentioning any of that when we talk about him to our kids.
Let’s face it: Michael Jackson’s legacy, even before his fall from grace, was already the stuff of legend. Already a superstar as the youngest of the Jackson 5, his prodigious talent simply grew and blossomed until there was really nowhere left for him to go but down. Beside the lingering cloud of doubt and ill feeling cast upon his character in the latter years of his life, we will continue to hear his music on the radio and on television and in the movies, and someday our kids may want to know who he was.
There is always a moment when we want to divulge the full torrent of knowledge on any subject to our children’s curious ears, but that (hopefully) passes when we remember that sometimes youth is a little too fragile to contain the burden of certain advanced concepts. In this particular case, there is an additional element of childhood anxiety that could result as well.
At this point in time, it will be safer to stick to the subject of Michael’s music, which is really what should be focused on regardless. Despite the crippling allegations, despite the horrific plastic surgery, it’s the man’s music that has touched people the most, and he had created some of the most enduring songs ever to hit the airwaves. And you know what? I still loved those songs, even in the midst of all the controversy. Decades later, those songs still strike a chord with me, and probably always will. Whether or not you personally may feel he deserves it, let that be Jackson’s true legacy. It’s only the saints that make it out of this life without some kind of mark on their history, and very few of us belong in that category. Let’s remember that, and pass that on to our children.
