Michael Jackson – His Children Suffer for His Fame
by In life as in his death Michael Jackson has had to endure the slings and arrows of the assassins of fame. Now his children are thrust into the burning rays of the spotlight as the world watches in awe and horror while these young offspring suffer from the humiliation, unwanted attention and constant surveillance of a media starved for anything lingering from the once King of Pop.
As the world mourns the sudden demise of one of its most talented and under-appreciated entertainers ever to grace the spotlight, the children of Michael Jackson must come to grips with the death of their beloved parent while navigating in seas of attention no child should have to go through. It is a sad state of affairs that our society has come to this end where people are more interested in what ever little insignificant thing is happening in a celebrity’s life rather than the tragedies or life changing events that occur on our planet that actually will make a difference.
For the unwitting children of superstar Michael Jackson, the barrage of media attention continues to affect their lives during a time when grieving and mourning should be the only thing that should be their concern. Adults have a greater sense of self and maturity level to be able to deal with this kind of pressure. Children are still developing in both body and mind which makes the process of death to a loved one increasingly difficult as young ones don’t have an evolved understanding of mortality. Most children, up until their late teens, have a “center of the universe” mind set and have no concept of death which makes the sudden demise of a parent, a person who seems to also share in their immortality, all the more tragic. This shock wave to their psyche takes time to console and the adjustment to a life without such an important part of their young lives is a very fragile time.
The media does tremendous damage to these kids by creating an atmosphere of constant surveillance that is certain to generate unbelievable stress and pressure. To subject these children to the kind of over exposure in a time of their lives, both in age and situation, is unconscionable. We have laws that protect the average citizen from stalkers and special circumstances are applied when it involves children. Why is it that these laws are not applied to the media when they stalk and harass celebrities and more importantly, the children of celebrities?
It is enough that the Jackson family put together a funeral service for the public to help honor their most famous son and sibling. The exposure of Michael Jackson’s life, his legacy and his family was laid bare as he was to be laid to rest. There needs to be some restraint on the hyenas of tabloid news to allows famous families to grieve without having to duck and dodge an onslaught of press just to go to the store or have an evening out. The right of the public to know is only concerned when the information acquired will actually affect their daily lives. What an actor, musician or entertainer does during the course of their lives does not make one iota of difference in the average persons life and should not be used as an excuse to brow beat and invade Michael Jackson children’s privacy.
Liked it
