Have you been a vocal fan post-2009?
Do you buy any Michael merchandise/music post-2009?
Where you at Michael's 2005 trial every single moment of every single day?
Did you attend any of Michael's concerts? (Bonus points if you're American and went to the Dangerous and/or History World Tour)
BONUS QUESTION:
Were you there at the birth of Michael Joseph Jackson?
All done? If you've answered No to any of those questions, Congratulations, you are a Fake Fan!! Your pre-2009 merchandise is in the mail...
In all seriousness, this has happened to me and I'm sure many in the MJ Community: after singing Cry 447565674324234 times, embracing each other at Forest Lawn, and celebrating his life a la Can You Feel A Brand New Day-ish, something happened. The dust settled, the ground started rumbling, and the words "fake fan" start popping up everywhere. I assumed a "fake fan" was someone who wasn't a fan at all and manipulated mourning fans for monetary gain and/or attention. But I was clearly told in person and online that I was a fake fan because I wasn't there from the beginning (and I assume the beginning they mean conception). With that, I would like to say this:
Seriously, if you're one of those people, walk off a short pier. Go play in traffic. Fuck off. Sayonara.
We're talking about Michael fucking Jackson here, right? The same guy who pulled up his pants, Moonwalked across stage, broke the damn bar and threw it into orbit, united people with his music and message..has a VIP priority list of fans? Oh yes, I'm sure he's creating the list right now of number of fans who've been to his concerts the most, or spent time at the courthouse, or who've followed him across the globe. I'm in bad shape when it's my time to go because I'm no where on that list......
I have no problem if you're a die hard fan who've been around since 1969 or even 2009. The bottom line is that Michael never judged his fans. Can you imagine if you had a chance to meet Michael Jackson? Your heart races as he walks into the room, you have a speech prepared and he looks you right in the eye and says, "Show me your Fan Papers as proof you're a fan." Then he starts grilling you with questions because heck, he wants to make sure you're a real fan. Last time that I checked, Michael wasn't a dick like that, even though I'm sure he got sick and tired of fans screaming at his hotel room at 3:00 am when all he wanted to do was go to sleep.
While swimming through the fake fan-ness, I began to wonder why this was happening in the first place. Michael Jackson is meant to be enjoyed by all, regardless of race, gender, social status, etc. And he loved all, from the terminally ill child that he invited to his concert, to celebrities and dignitaries alike. I've seen people who would normally have nothing in common, bond together over Billie Jean or Jam and wonder who else could have that power? If Michael could give us the gift of unity, why are we throwing it back in his face by turning on the one community that is supposed to represent him?
I don't expect all of us start singing Kumbaya and suddenly agree on everything. Ain't gonna happen. And I wouldn't want it to happen because I love the diversity of the MJ community. I like how I can have a healthy (and non life threatening) discussion about which album is the best or what he was saying in Shout. And if we want the media and the world to show the respect Michael Jackson deserved, it should start at home.
No comments:
Post a Comment