Michael Jackson dead?

[Missy-Q]

Missy, I am getting these statistics from what I learned as a International Relations major, humanitarian organizations master, and my internship with a few humanitarian organizations in Geneva. Besides that, theres loads of information on this topic on the internet.
United Nations source:
http://www.un.org/jsummit/html/media_info/press_kit/fact3_poverty.pdf

I understand what you're trying to say in the beginning, but its going to an extreme which is highly unrealistic. I said that the there are much more important issues which should be put on the news, and the death of Michael Jackson is definately not important enough to set everything else aside. People do not see the truth about what is going on in these regions precisely because the media and those in charge hide the reality from the public. Just because its not "new" doesnt mean that it doesnt deserve to be shown continuously on the news. There is also a difference between saying "boring" news such as "oh this many people died in Iraq" and actually showing what is going on in these areas of the world (dead children on the streets, starving families etc). The power of the population is so great that if such images had in reality appeared on TV, the pressure on world leaders to act would be immense. When was the last time you turned on BBC or CNN and saw something about Sudan? How about Darfur? There hasnt been a significant report on these issues on TV for months now, if not years.

My comment about mourning was more to prove a point and not to put into practice. The fact that so many people are mourning like this over a musician (and more importantly that the media had set aside all of the other much more important issues in the world) baffles me when I see the amount of violence, death, and suffering all over the world.

What major global impact did he have? He sold over 700 million CD's. What impact did he have with regards to improving the lives of people around the world? He created a song called "we are the world". Did that actually make things better in the world? It might have motivated a few people to act, but seriously anything more? Besides the fact that he was a great musician and had a great impact on the music industry, thats about it for me.

Edit: I would like to ask you what you think his major global impact was? What I wrote above about him is all that I can think of, because at the end of the day he is still a musician. He had not authority or power to change the worlds problems, and those to me are more news worthy than his death.

I'll have a go, although I'm not an authority on MJ.

he and Madonna I would call 'Mega-stars of music', due to over 4 decades of success, creating new styles and actually influencing the way people make music. He was a leader and I doubt anyone could successfully devalue the contribution he made in this area.
He impacted the world of Fashion: The glove, the awful leather jacket, the wet-look. He transformed the 80's after cutting his teeth as a child star in the 70's. His look is instantly recognisable, even to kids today.
MJ also had a huge impact on the world of dance. He revolutionised it, and as easy as it is to say 'Just a singer/dancer' lets look at this from a global perspective...


There are statistically more people that know who Micheal Jackson is, than know the following:

Who is Pope
Who is Prime-minister
Who is the Russian President
Where the Sudan is
Thats there is even anything happening in the Sudan


He had reportedly given over $30 Million to charity during his lifetime (Reuters).

And get this - He reached number one in every country his records have ever been released in. That said, if in every country that sold his records, they were the most popular records of that time, with that populous, I would say that, even without the other items above, justifies the statement 'Global Impact', especially if those people understood his lyrics, which were often aimed at tackling social issues.

As for the more distasteful stuff in his later years, He was one of the original child-stars, with no precedent to follow. He lived in the public eye his whole life, was abused by his own father, and as a result of all of this, he was socialy retarded and unable to communicate in a normal manner. Not an excuse, but a possible explanation nonetheless.

He also invented the crotch-grab.......... as a part of his dance for the 'Bad' video.

Conclusion - His Global Impact was 'Social', rather than 'Economical'

 

[Mario]

...he is still a musician. He had not authority or power to change the worlds problems, and those to me are more news worthy than his death.

Only that c*nt Bono has that. Man i hate him.

 

[just5]

only that c*nt bono has that. Man i hate him.

:d:d:d

 

[Missy-Q]

And if someone is getting bored of seeing people die and of hearing about the different conflicts around the world then they are under educated, insensitive, and ignorant. So I guess it kind of goes a long with my concern about the people who are preoccupied with a story like this.

I guess the moral of my story is that you should celebrate his life how ever long you want, but do not do so at the expense of issues which should be far more important.

Dangerous ground.
As a paintball website, you would expect to see 100% paintball discussion. That would be the norm. The fact that people have chosen to talk about MJ is just a sign of respect that he passed. Someone decided to post it up.

Someone could also decide to post a thread about the Sudan, or Palestine, but they didn't. Nor did I, and nor did you. Therefore to voice concern about an apathetic attitude towards these varied (and valid) crisies, is self-defamatory, as it's not like you did it, and no-one else was interested...

 

[just5]

Dangerous ground.
As a paintball website, you would expect to see 100% paintball discussion. That would be the norm. The fact that people have chosen to talk about MJ is just a sign of respect that he passed. Someone decided to post it up.

Someone could also decide to post a thread about the Sudan, or Palestine, but they didn't. Nor did I, and nor did you. Therefore to voice concern about an apathetic attitude towards these varied (and valid) crisies, is self-defamatory, as it's not like you did it, and no-one else was interested...

My comment was about the media going out of business because people are bored of seeing the same news all the time. And my comment about people being insensitive, ignorant, and under educated was not directed at this forum but at peoples mentality in general. To provide an example, I am positive that news of a new season of Friends would get more hits on the internet than news of 100 people who had been killed in Darfur. Even though I am taking it to the extreme, I hope that I come close to proving my point. To me this is a concern and it is not directed directly at this thread. Im not saying threads like this cant be created. It is the fact that threads on other topics arent, and that there is very little on the news about these very real and much more devastating/important issues that I am worried about.

 

[obladeo]

RIP

I had two good tickets to see the chap pitty.

The doc that gave him the pain killers is on th erun atm i heard on the radio

 

[Dark Warrior]

Just5

Did you say the same of John Lennon or Lady Diana Spencer

 

[just5]

Just5

Did you say the same of John Lennon or Lady Diana Spencer

Lady Diana had devoted much of her life to the humanitarian cause therefore no. John Lennon I was not alive when he was killed. I also know too little about his life to make a judgement.

I think that I am being misunderstood. I am not saying that Michael Jackson should not be in the news. Let people mourn his death but not at the expense of tragedies of a much greater magnitude. I am saying that he is in the news but other issues which are much more important in my opinion are sidelined or are not in the news at all.

 

[just5]

I believe that news should be used in order to increase awareness of the different events which are occuring in the world. It can be the death of a popstar, the birth of 8 children by a homeless lady, or war. To me issues are prioritized with regards to their importance. The fact that a a woman gave birth to 8 children by herself in a barn is less important than the elections in Iran. The elections in Iran are less important than if a nuclear war broke out. I believe that the death of Michael Jackson is less important than the Israeli Palestinian conflict yet I have seen 0 news about the events in Palestine. Not only because it has been dominated by the death of Michael Jackson, but also because many feel that it is not NEWS WORTHY because it has been going on for so long and because its so "far away" from the western world. Those who dont believe that it is not news worthy are largely influenced by the demand of the people and what the people demand is what concerns me.

 

[Oppy]

RIP MJ - Couldnt give a toss about the other depressing news around the world, that's there everyday...

This is todays news, a sad day for many people/fans and his family. Not a massive fan but appreciative of some bloody good tunes and amazing dancing over the last 2+ Decades. Remember that many of todays acts would be ****e without his influences.

Agree with MissyQ btw.

So, like him or loathe him - fact of the matter is he was a global superstar and his music and style will be sadly missed by millions who grew up with his music on the radio as we got ready for school, or staying up at midnight to see the Thriller video release... Tell me how many times that has happened in the last 20 years since!