Since the news media seems to be unable to tear itself away from the Michael Jackson story, we learn about every fascinating detail about his life, and his death. Including the details of standard autopsy procedures, as though they were new or bizarre. The latest, of course, is that Michael Jackson’s body is being buried without his brain.
But this is not unusual in an autopsy where the cause of death isn’t certain and the brain is suspected to carry some clues. The brain needs to harden, in order to perform the later slicing needed in the autopsy procedure:
It involves removing the brain from the skull and leaving it to soak in a diluted mixture of formaldehyde and water called formalin. This soaking process usually takes four weeks and the brain genuinely does harden.
Vaughan over at Mind Hacks has the gory details of a brain autopsy.
I sincerely wish the media attention would die down on this story already. Michael Jackson was a talented performer and singer, but he wasn’t Einstein or Michelangelo. I enjoyed his music, but I was sorry to see the tragic turn his life took later in his career.
Josh Visser over at CTV.ca News has an insightful article into Michael Jackson and the “false narrative phenomenon” — how the singer’s death completely changed the story people tell about his life and what they think of him:
But here’s the rub: Three weeks ago, Jackson was seen by most people as a joke at best; or another rich celebrity who got away with horrible crimes, at worst.[...]
But in death, all that changed. The media in particular, and society at large, seemed to develop a mass amnesia — the last 18 years of lacklustre musical output, the criminal allegations and civil judgments, and the just plain weirdness was forgotten.
Why do we paint these stories that only emphasize and focus on the positive in a person’s life, and discounting the negative? Visser has a suggestion:
We do it for our gone-too-young celebrities and politicians, but we also do it for the regular people in our lives — choosing to remember only the good — rather than an accurate portrait of a person.
Indeed, news organizations know they are going to get more traction with their stories about how great a person and entertainer Michael Jackson was, glossing over the later problems in his life, than to paint a more balanced picture of a seemingly troubled individual who had apparent difficulties adjusting to his life and celebrity.
I would also point readers to Maureen Orth’s five investigative journalism articles in Vanity Fair that detailed Michael Jackson’s celebrity life and the difficulties he faced.
In death, we seem to always focus on the positive, perhaps simply out of respect for the deceased. That seems reasonable. But I think a celebrity should be different, especially because they can act as role models for others. I’m certain the same happened when Elvis died, but his death also serves as a warning about the excesses of such celebrity lives. We need to hear about the bad, along with the good, so that we understand the humanity of the person who has left this world.
Because Michael Jackson, in the end, wasn’t just a celebrity or performer — he was a complex and seemingly troubled human being. Understanding that he wasn’t simply a great singer or dancer helps us understand how we are all imperfect… How we lead lives trying to understand how we fit into this world.
And how, sometimes, we fail to do so.
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Links to This Article
From Psych Central's Alicia Sparks:
L.A. Coroner’s Office Holding Michael Jackson’s Brain For Tests | Celebrity Psychings (7/8/2009)
Michael Jackson’s Brain and the False Narrative « Written by Cush – A Critical Thinking Journal (7/15/2009)
17 Comments to
“Michael Jackson’s Brain and the False Narrative”
I completely see where you are coming from, but I think when ANYONE dies, no one ever focuses on the negative. I think that’s normal in any situation celebrity or not. Focusing on the positive is showing respect for that person and celebrating that person’s life and what he or she accomplished not on his or her troubles.
I feel like celebrities are held to a higher standard because they are in the spotlight and are EXPECTED to be perfect and yeah they serve as role models, but they are people too and no one is perfect. I could call my self a role model by mentoring a child, but I am not perfect, I have problems I deal with and things I have done that I am not proud of and because of my background have had trouble adjusting to life, but does that make me any less of a role model? After I die are people going to paint a balanced picture by stating all the wrongs and troubles in my life. No. Celebrities are humans and have problems and like the rest of us. I don’t think those problems need to be broadcasted after that person dies and I don’t think those problems make him or her any less of a role model.
For an interesting analysis of Michael Jackson’s sexuality and a possible explanation for his multiple plastic surgeries, I just came across this excellent article by Michael Bailey, a professor at Northwestern University:
John Grohol - I read the article you claimed as excellent - but it is based on lies and assumptions not facts. One of them is that Debbie and Michael had sex…. Even Debbie said they never had sex together. You call that excellent?????? I suppose you mean excellent in spreading lies in the tabloid style. How disgusting.
and have you ever heard of childhood abuse parents perpetrate? It looks to me both you and MJ have issues stemming from it. Are you a pedophile BTW?
“he wasn’t Einstein or Michelangelo”
That remark was unfair comparison.
Yes Michael Jackson was no Einstein…but then Einstein was no Michael Jackson. Personnally to me Michael Jackson was more important! It’s all relative who you ask. Einstein added to the world’s knowledge, Michael added to the world emotions and uniting thru his song. And trust me nothing is more powerful than emotion. By the way Einstein,van gogh, mozart, howard hughes, davinci…also all classified as geniuses, also all seen as “weird” at certain points in their lives by the masses.
Also, it is only the media who downplayed to his “weiredness”, that was not necessarily the general public view. I know no-one personally who actually ever tought Michael was guilty of the alleged crimes against him. OJ on the other hand is obvoius guilty. Maybe you, Mr John Grohol, believe whatever the media say, but the public is not stupid and does’nt believe everything the media says!…
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There’s not one soul on this Earth that can say they are without sin. I believe Michael really suffered as many stars do because of the paparazzi and fans.
I think in general most people prefer not to speak ill of the dead. Also when pople do say bad things about other people they don’t always mean it, sometimes they’re just jumping on the band wagon and get caught off guard when the person dies or has some misfortune, so they have to make up for the bad stuff they said and/or thought by saying nice things about them.
i will not deny mj was an unusual man. however i welcomed the change of hearing about the positives he has brought into the world. for the last 18 years i have heard nothing but the negative and the bizzare. why do i need to hear it for the 100th time in his death? its about time he got respected as an entertainer. i’m quite baffled how the world forgot for 18 years.
I so agree with the author. Who and what are we serving by overlooking MJ’s troubled psyche and life? It’s reality. Perhaps there is much we could learn from it to help ourselves, instead of burying our own psychosis and living a false lie. If we, as a society emphasized and valued the inner being more, then perhaps more people would seek the help they need to become happier, more peaceful and fully functioning beings. Deepak Chopra refused to give MJ drugs when asked and instead encouraged him to let him help him with his issues. He ran. I can name off many in my own life who are burying their emotional wounds with food, alcohol, etc. instead of healing themselves. MJ’s life and death could serve as an example of the cost of doing this, if we chose to view it that way. But sadly, we will just carry on the lie. Choosing, as the author said, to pretend he was nothing more than a great celebrity and performer.
He is the God of my heart!!
I made some PowerPoint templates for him and made s slideshow to commemorate the great king of Pop.
http://www.slideboom.com/presentations/80626/the-legend-of-micheal-jaskon
http://www.sameshow.com/template-download/powerpoint-to-flash-ppttemp13.html#164
Please remember the wonderful moments he shared with us.
I don’t just remember the good things about a person after he/she dies. So, not everyone does it!
Especially with those I loved, like my father and my best friend, I loved them for who they were with all the good and the bad.
Without those annoying things about them, the memory wouldn’t be true, and it is those ‘not so great things’ that make me smile the most when I think about them.
…AND if he was such a negative force - why did he do so much good in people’s lives ( evident by the mass following ) seriously…people look at the fruition of people life and not the rumors to judge them - and even further - write silly arguments based on the judgments.
So when are you writing the article on the psychology of how sensationalism sells and how that affected the media’s approach to all things Michael Jackson?
I still say…let he who is without sin cast the first stone. Stones are the most prevalent weapon used against people today. When it’s all said and done and paparrazzi, tabloids and media go home at night to lay down, they only see dollar signs. How much money they can make off of the stories they come up with to tell. The motive is impure and it’s leading…well, you know where. No one is perfect (naturally that is) but spiritually, we can all strive to perfection. Doing what we know to do right and not doing what we know is wrong. Now who is practicing this in their everyday lives? People throw stones for various reasons but whatever the reason, the motive is wrong. Everyone hands should be free of stones! I don’t care if you didn’t do what people claim Michael did or just his “bizarre” behavior, you still can’t throw any stones! I have never done, neither have I ever thought about doing some of the things that people claim Michael did but does that make me any more a saint? NO! Because I’ve done other things that I’m not proud of in my life (that I’ve had to ask God his forgiveness) and I’m sure some of you have too. People who throw stones at others are called “self-righteous” people and your self-righteousness is as filthy rags in God’s sight! Let God judge Michael, His judgement will be accurate. Okay? enough said…
It’s interesting that you mentioned Michelangelo. Michael studied Michelangelo and once said that if he could meet anyone it would be him. He said he understood him and what he was trying to say with his art. If you’ve ever read Michael’s poetry or personal reflections you would know that he was a genius. He was more than an entertainer, he was a philosopher in many ways. In a touching speech Michael gave at Oxford University in 2001 he acknowledged the fact that he wasn’t as formally educated as Einstein, but that Einstein probably couldn’t moonwalk(MJ showing his humorous side).
Everyone is “weird”, some people are better at hiding it than others. “Weird” people aren’t born,they are made- products of their society. What does that say about us? Perhaps we are the screwed up ones and Michael was not.
All I know is, he was the only human being I can think of who could unite the world with his message of peace and love. He trancended race, religion, nationality, etc. That’s pretty amazing! His gifts went beyond entertainment he was a healer of the world. I don’t like to compare anyone to Christ, but there are a lot of similarities.
This is to the guy that posted under the name, “lies.”
This is also to Victor, who suggests that by studying a genius, one can claim parallels justifiably.
The article recommended was a blog written as an opinion of Michael Jackson’s POSSIBLE issues. It’s a fucking blog. Get over yourself.
Presented in it, though is a very vital bit of information.
Jacko was robbed of his childhood. Okay. He’s not the only one. What makes his case so overblown is his celebrity and, I speculate, HIS EXTREME LACK OF SELF RESILIENCE.
Countless normal people (and mind you, Michael Jackson’s normalcy is definitely debatable) have undergone horrific tragedies and have come out strong– if not, scarred but, well, still normal.
Jacko just couldn’t get over himself. Which makes him, in many ways, a vain bastard.
Victor.
Media is our only means of mass communication. It’s the hub of information. Now, that encompasses both credible and not so reliable publications, lumped together in the stream. Lets say we take into account information from CNN of the BBC or any other credible source. That constitutes as grounds for argument or opinion.
When you rant off and get that hard-on thinking you’re a rebel because you don’t believe “the media,” understand that you’re basing your righteousness on your own opinion and a bunch of other people who masturbate their right to a lame opinion.
And Michael Jackson is no fucking Einstein. He is no fucking Michelangelo. Einstein explained why you simply “are” in the universe. He created an imperfect, yet really fucking close theory to why everything is.
Michael Jackson, by accident, made you feel good and possibly got you laid in the 80’s.
No comparison.
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Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 8 Jul 2009
