Michael Jackson is attacked because he is different in the way he thinks and perceives. And whether that difference manifests itself in the way he talks, the way he dresses, the way he acts in general, it is the cause for people’s rejection and cross-eyed reactions. The ultimate fault, however, does not lie in the fact that Michael is different or conducts himself in a way which does not fit in with societal norms. The problem lies in the fact that people are intolerant and fearful of things unlike them. If they would be open minded and remain accepting, and were not so thoroughly convinced that they’re way was the only way, then they wouldn’t think the way Michael’s acts is strange, weird or bizarre, they wouldn’t call him names or criticize him for it, they wouldn’t find fault with it. They would just take it as it is, take Michael for who he is, not label him or condemn him, they would be able to look passed that difference and see deep down that he is a good person, and then they would simply move on. So again, the fault lies not with Michael actually being different or acting different, it lies with people having a problem with what they cannot relate to. If Michael changes the way he wants to dress when stepping outside, if we chastise him and become angry at him for going out in public dressed in a manner which society would deem inappropriate, then we might as well also do the same whenever Michael speaks of his ideals, or criticize him for the way he thinks, since that too does not fit in with what is considered normalcy in our society. The very reason Michael is attacked by people is exemplified when we get angry at him for acting different. We say that he’s bringing the negative attention on himself by acting this way, but we fail to realize that the negative attention is not a result of how he is actually conducting himself, but from people’s prejudices. There would be no criticism of Michael or name calling of him if people could just step outside of their conformist views of how we are all supposed to act and look. You cannot blame Michael for other people’s prejudices and actions. I always say that Michael Jackson is an extremely good case study in human nature, not based on he himself, but on how people react to him. It is their reactions towards him which show what is truly wrong with this world, not what is wrong with Michael. There’s nothing wrong with Michael. He’s just dressing and acting and thinking like he does, as he likes, that’s who he is. The fact that he wants to go out like that shows automatically that he’s thinking differently then other people. What’s wrong is how people take him dressing like this adversely because it isn’t something they would do. In an ideal world, people wouldn't call Michael a freak for dressing or acting as he pleases. But we live in a prejudiced, cruel world, where if you fail to conform, you pay the price. So people do call him names because he doesn't fit in with them, and because they've been taught to think one way and one way only. The fault lies with the rest of the world, not Michael.
:mello: