Colligan column: Jackson coverage shows how Americans create their culture

Michael Jackson recorded the best selling album of all time, working with producer Quincy Jones on songs that moved R&B music to the American mainstream. He pioneered music video, becoming the first black performer to gain heavy play on MTV. From his signature Moonwalk dance to the single white glove that became a fashion icon, Jackson produced a body of work that justified his placement among the defining entertainers in history.

His death on Thursday at the age of 50 prompted a widespread outpouring of emotion, as fans joined his peers and even heads of state in expressing their grief. And while that sorrow may be both natural and instinctive, it highlights the worrisome cult of celebrity that continues to thrive in the United States.

Little time passed before coverage of Michael Jackson's death mirrored the latter years of his life, morphing slowly from the sad to the absurd. Crowds gathering at Hollywood's Walk of Fame to sit in vigil did so at the star of a 75-year-old, British-born, Los Angeles-area radio commentator — named Michael Jackson — because the entertainer's star was off limits for a movie premier.

What followed was the public mourning ritual played out time and again, with fans holding candles and signs, playing music and dancing, as television cameras captured the proceedings for posterity. And like previous incarnations, it was tawdry, with people, cell phones to their ear, waving behind television reporters broadcasting on-site.

Those in attendance were quick to separate art from artist, dismissing Jackson's well publicized personal issues — speculation that drove tabloid sales and raised serious questions about his mental health. In the rush to memorialize him, they wished to overlook the fact that Jackson faced criminal allegations — dark and serious accusations — about his behavior with children.

Ta-Nehisi Coates, writing for The Atlantic Web site on Friday, said, “Sometimes awful people do beautiful things. One doesn't cancel the other. And mourning the loss of human life, does not excuse the sins of that life.”

It is important to remember that three children have lost their father, that siblings have lost a brother, that parents have lost a son and that many have lost a talented friend. But it is also important to note that attention paid to Jackson obscures coverage of other pressing issues.

Consider that on Thursday night, each major network broadcast an impromptu retrospective of Jackson's career in prime time. That was one day before the U.S. House voted to approve landmark environmental legislation that deserved thorough explanation and a full debate.

Recognize as well, that people on the streets of Tehran, unnamed and faceless, appear each day in shaky, grainy videos as they fight for freedom in Iran. Less than one hour passed between the time of Jackson's death and when the Iran election ceased to be a top topic on Twitter, the microblogging site that became a focal point for valuable information during that country's revolt.

Those who decry mention of Jackson's shortcomings following his death would do well to recognize that their devoted focus to the cult of celebrity helps create the very industry that destroys their idols.

It has been said that instead of royalty, the United States has celebrities — figureheads without power but who wield tremendous influence. Entire industries now exist only to pay homage to these men and women — from US Weekly, to E television to online gossip site TMZ, where news of Jackson's death first emerged on Thursday.

About Jackson, Andrew Sullivan wrote Thursday that, “I grieve for him; but I also grieve for the culture that created and destroyed him. That culture is ours and it is a lethal and brutal one: with fame and celebrity as its core values, with money as its sole motive, it chewed this child up and spat him out.”

Jackson's social justice anthem “Man in the Mirror” includes the challenge, “If you wanna make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and make a change.”

Americans can build a society that aspires to great heights or plunges to unbelievable depths. We make the culture of our choosing.

Brian Colligan is editorial page editor of The Daily Reflector. Contact him at (252) 329-9507 or at bcolligan@coxnc.com.