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"A Play for Power"
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Hero Worship
Thousands of folks poured into Los Angeles today for a star-packed, high-profile memorial to the freaky-lookin', high steppin', crotch-grabbing "King of Pop". About fifty theaters across the country, from Los Angeles to Topeka, to Washington, D.C., were planning to broadcast the memorial live. All told, about 450 million TV viewers worldwide were expected to watch the ceremony unfold even as Britain called Jackson, the American version of Princess Diana.
Pop singers mixed with R&B veterans, sports stars and the Hollywood elite. Some 18,000 fans and friends crowded into the Staples Center sports arena. Police had estimated that more than 250,000 people would cram onto the sidewalks outside - but later that number was reduced to about 1,000. Steve Howard, a resident of Glendale, California, who "won" a ticket to the event, said "This is certainly a momentous occasion that is probably as big, if not bigger, than when Elvis (Presley) passed away."
Big as Elvis? Aw, c'mon!
Although in my opinion, the hoopla at the time of Elvis' death didn't come close to what we're witnessing today, then as now it seemed to me to be ridiculous. And remember, I grew-up on Elvis. I banged an old Silvertone guitar until the strings broke singing his songs ... songs like "Heartbreak Hotel", "Love Me Tender", "Loving You" and "All Shook Up". (By the way, did anyone ever figure out the lyrics to "All Shook Up?" Was it "itching like a man on a ‘fuzzy' tree" or "itching like a man on a ‘monkey' tree"? As I recall that was the big question during my sophomore year in high school.)
Sure, I wore "pink and black" ... turned my shirt collar up in the back too. Even learned to curl my upper lip. And I'll never forget the time my daddy marched my butt back to the barber shop to have the barber "fix" the Elvis-style haircut I wore home. Still, it wasn't hero worship. Nope, I was simply fishing with Elvis bait ... a sure way to get the gals!
Folks, I'm a real cynic when it comes to hero worship. A pragmatic, hard-nose, disbelieving cynic, and as the song says, "It don't matter if you're black or white."
Now I recognize that society has always had its heroes, a term Webster defines as, "1 a : a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability, b : an illustrious warrior, c : a man admired for his achievements and noble qualities, d : one that shows great courage". I buy into all of that. What I don't buy into is idol worship, "Presley", "Jackson", "American" or otherwise. There's only been one person in all of history worthy of my worship but that's a story for another day.
This morning I received an e-mail. Its title was "Misplaced Honor". It read:
"Ed McMahon died this week. He was a great entertainer, but prior to his stage accomplishments he was a distinguished Marine Corps fighter pilot in WWII earning six Air Medals. He was discharged in 1946 and volunteered to fly again in the Korean War. He joined the California Air National Guard and was later promoted to the rank of Brigadier General.
"Farrah Fawcett died this week after a long career in Hollywood as an actress. After she was diagnosed with cancer, she became an activist for cancer treatment and devoted her last remaining years encouraging people to seek treatment. She documented her plight on film and used it to encourage others to stay positive and upbeat despite their diagnosis and suffering.
"Karl Malden died this week after a long career in Hollywood as an actor. He also served in the US Air Force during WWII and on the US Postal Service committee to review and recommend commemorative stamps. In 2005, the US House of Representatives authorized the US Postal Service to rename a Los Angeles post office the ‘Karl Malden Postal Station'.
"Michael Jackson died this week. He was perhaps one of the greatest singers of modern time. He will also be remembered for his eccentric lifestyle that included sleeping with a chimpanzee, living in a carnival-like atmosphere at Neverland, his fascination with Peter Pan, and his numerous masks and costumes. He also admitted to finding pleasure sleeping with young boys and paying out millions of dollars in settlements to the families of these boys despite being acquitted by a court on one allegation of sexual molestation.
"QUESTION 1) - Which of the above did the House of Representatives declare a moment of silence for today?
(Hint - It wasn't the first three.)"QUESTION 2) - Which of the above families received a personal note of condolence from President Obama?
(Hint - It wasn't the first three here, either.)
Need I say more?
In a YouTube video, a New York congressman, Rep. Peter King, has said that Michael Jackson was a "pervert" and called on society to stop "glorifying" the late entertainer.
King said Jackson - whom he called a "low-life" - is being glorified in the days after his death while society ignores the efforts, of teachers, police officers, firefighters and veterans. In the two-minute video, King claims the "day in and day out" coverage of Jackson's death is "too politically correct." He adds ... "He was a pervert, a child molester; he was a pedophile. And to be giving this much coverage to him, day in and day out, what does it say about us as a country? I just think we're too politically correct."
Now maybe King goes too far. After all, the "Thriller" was acquitted of all charges brought against him by the legal system even though he did pay out millions to settle a civil suit brought by the parents of one of his accusers. However, bottom line, would you let your child or grandchild be in the same room as Michael Jackson? Is he - er, was he - someone you'd want them to emulate? See, that's my test for heroes!
A wise, old Willy Nelson sings,
"My heroes have always been cowboys.
And they still are, it seems.
Sadly, in search of, but one step in back of,
Themselves and their slow-movin' dreams.
Sadly, in search of, but one step in back of,
Themselves and their slow-movin' dreams."
Folks, if I was going to have a hero, I'd probably choose a cowboy. Some dude that grabbed his saddle horn and took off after the bad guys instead of grabbing his crotch and taking off after the kids. Someone that believed as I believe and shared the same values. Someone like you see wearing a cowboy hat at the beginning of this article.
In their pop song "Whatever Happened to Randolph Scott?" The Statler brothers sang about heroes too, and their message just about sums it up for me:
"Whatever happened to Johnny Mack Brown
And Alan "Rocky" Lane
Whatever happened to Lash LaRue
I'd love to see them again.
Whatever happened to Smiley Burnett
Tim Holt and Gene Autry.
Whatever happened to all of these
Has happened to the best of me."
"Rest In Peace", Michael. When you moonwalk up to St. Peter, you may have a lot of explaining to do.