| It's a modern-day tragedy. A young man is born with | | | | He was accused of many bad deeds and acquitted |
| incredible talent and promise, and then achieves | | | | of some of the charges he was brought up on. One |
| unimaginable success early in his life. A glorious future | | | | legal suit was settled out of court for possibly millions |
| is predicted, but instead his life is a series of ever | | | | of dollars. There's no way to know whether he was |
| more strange behaviors and events, culminating in his | | | | guilty of anything more than ill-advised choices. |
| untimely death. Michael Jackson is called "The Prince | | | | Whatever behaviors he actually engaged in, any and |
| of Pop," but he ought to be known as the tragic | | | | all of his compulsions could be seen as the result of |
| hero of our times. | | | | early and on-going childhood trauma. |
| Who was he, really? Michael Jackson has been, | | | | Some people said he had issues with race and he |
| paradoxically, both the most public and the most | | | | vehemently denied these, claiming that he was proud |
| private figure of the last half-century; a man whom | | | | of his heritage. It was confusing, then, when he |
| everyone in the world knows about but few, if any, | | | | adopted three white children. He claimed that his |
| truly know. He guarded his privacy ferociously; | | | | older two children were his own but the genetics of |
| sometimes going to extreme and even bizarre | | | | this would be so unlikely as to be virtually impossible. |
| lengths to hide his and his children's' appearance. He | | | | He was married briefly on two occasions and both |
| was there and not there, and now, he is truly gone. | | | | women were white, as well. All this might be a |
| His tragic story began over 50 years ago. According | | | | coincidence, but it one wonders if he hated his father |
| to many accounts, he was severely beaten and | | | | so much that he tried to obliterate everything about |
| verbally abused as a young child, being taunted by his | | | | himself that might be similar this abusive and rejecting |
| father about the size of his nose and the color of his | | | | paternal role model. |
| skin. At a very young age he and his brothers | | | | Sometimes MJ did wonderful things, like "We are the |
| became world-famous, but he stood out as the star. | | | | World." Sometimes he did horrible things, like dangling |
| Fame is never a wholly positive thing for a young | | | | his baby over the balcony in front of a group of |
| person: it thrusts a false, public persona onto an | | | | reporters. Sometimes he did inexplicable things, like |
| unformed personality, and confuses the young | | | | trying to buy the remains of John Merrick, the |
| person about their true identity. | | | | "Elephant Man," who was afflicted with a disfiguring |
| The combination of early childhood trauma and very | | | | condition called neurofibromatosis. It's chilling to think |
| early fame is akin to nitro plus glycerin: highly | | | | of him wanting to posses the bones of a man who |
| explosive. MJ never had a chance to discover who he | | | | was seen as a physical freak and who tragically died |
| was the way an ordinary young person would. He | | | | quite young. |
| was the Teenage Heartthrob; the Musical Sensation, | | | | MJ bought a ranch and called it "Neverland." He |
| the Shining Star. These personae laid on top of | | | | appeared obsessed with symbols of eternal childhood. |
| significant abuse are like a magnificent mansion | | | | People with early and sever trauma often have |
| perched on a fragile foundation. Inevitably, it all must | | | | difficulty growing up and seeing themselves as |
| come crashing down. | | | | fully-fledged adults. They tend to remain childlike in |
| There were early signs that things weren't right. He | | | | their appearance and attitude and naive about the |
| didn't date like a normal boy but had hard-to-define | | | | workings of the real world. They hold on to their |
| relationships with other famous people. Some were | | | | past, hoping to create the happy, loving childhood |
| much younger and some, much older. With most | | | | they never had. Was this what Michael Jackson was |
| people we could say, "This partner suits them," or | | | | doing with his petting zoo and his carousel? Was this |
| "This partner is all wrong for them," but with MJ, no | | | | why he, like Peter Pan, surrounded himself with his |
| partner seemed to suit him. In fact, his sexuality was | | | | own band of "lost boys?" |
| as confusing as his choice of companions. | | | | Most recently, he seemed to have stabilized, |
| Then there was the plastic surgery. Pictures taken | | | | somewhat. He was allowing his children to be seen in |
| after his first nose job showed a good-looking young | | | | public without their masks and shrouds. He had |
| man but the second one left him looking a bit too | | | | settled comfortably into his role as a doting father |
| pretty. Up until this time, he appeared as a normal, if | | | | and his legal troubles were behind him. He was |
| thin, young man, but after the second surgery he | | | | embarking on a major concert series and was |
| became more and more androgynous-looking. | | | | diligently rehearsing for the shows. His death came as |
| Multiple surgeries later, it was obvious that there was | | | | an enormous shock to many people, but perhaps not |
| a serious problem. His face seemed mutilated. | | | | to everyone. After all, there was still a fabulous |
| According to some reports, the tip of his nose had | | | | mansion teetering precariously on a flimsy foundation. |
| been destroyed by too many operations and he had | | | | Recently, it was discovered that MJ had such a |
| to wear a prosthesis. It was almost a relief when he | | | | severe sleep disorder that he had been using general |
| came out in the mask he often wore. | | | | anesthesia in order to sleep. The physician who was |
| His eyes fared no better. They seemed to bulge | | | | administering this anesthesia outside of the |
| from under his overly-prominent brow; rimmed in | | | | appropriate hospital environment has a lot to answer |
| heavy black liner and bearing unnaturally long lashes. | | | | for. |
| His bright red, feminine lips were stretched and pulled | | | | Apparently, the temptation to behave unethically was |
| like those of a middle-aged woman who'd had | | | | far too great for the plastic surgeons, family |
| one-too-many bad face-lift. This handsome young | | | | physicians and many of the other health care |
| man had turned into someone frighteningly deformed. | | | | professionals involved with MJ. They put their desire |
| Most confusing was the color of his skin. Growing up, | | | | for personal gain, whether in the form of money, |
| he had the typical features of an attractive, | | | | power or access to the star ahead of what was |
| African-American male. As the years passed | | | | good for him. Perhaps it was that they were so in |
| however, he grew pale and lost all evidence of his | | | | awe of his greatness that they simply couldn't refuse |
| African ancestry. There was a cruel joke going | | | | his inappropriate and dangerous requests, even when |
| around implying that he'd started out as a Black man | | | | they should have |
| and had turned into a White woman. No-one | | | | He was in a number of dysfunctional, symbiotic |
| unfamiliar with him could have ever visually connected | | | | relationships with people who were supposed to be |
| the young Michael Jackson with the man he later | | | | looking out for him, but who instead, were exploiting |
| became. | | | | or pandering to him. Paradoxically, the fact that he |
| Well past the point at which he became grotesque, | | | | had as much money and power as he did made it |
| his face still continued to change. Perhaps he was | | | | possible for anyone around him to become an enabler |
| having work done in vain attempts to repair damage | | | | in his self-destructive behavior. |
| caused by previous surgeries, or perhaps he had a | | | | It could be that like so many survivors of childhood |
| condition known as "Body Dysmorphic Disorder," | | | | abuse who grapple with deep ambivalence and denial |
| whereby someone falsely believes that one or more | | | | about their past, MJ rejected the help that was |
| of their body parts is unacceptable and needs to be | | | | offered to him. Unlike most people, however, he had |
| changed. From one public appearance to the next he | | | | the ability to thoroughly insulate himself from exactly |
| looked different, altered. No-one knew what to | | | | those individuals who might insist on his distancing |
| expect. His face was a work in progress, never to | | | | himself from the toxic enablers in his presence and |
| be completed, and perhaps this was the most fitting | | | | on getting some real help for his problems. |
| metaphor for his identity. | | | | We may never know why he did all the wonderful, |
| Despite his ever-changing face, he was instantly | | | | horrible and inexplicable things he did, and here lies the |
| recognizable. The lanky frame, the military-inspired | | | | greatest tragedy. Obviously, many people loved him, |
| jackets and skinny pants. The aviator glasses and | | | | but it seems that no-one was able to address his |
| long hair. At one point, the single glove. And yet, his | | | | emotional wounds or help him obtain the therapy |
| personal identity seemed so unstable. He engaged in | | | | necessary for dealing with his early trauma. If only |
| a number of compulsive behaviors. Aside from the | | | | there had been someone in his life who knew the |
| continual altering of his appearance, there was his | | | | truth about his past and had the courage and wisdom |
| excessive spending, a disturbed pattern of eating, | | | | to take a stand; perhaps his life could have been |
| multiple substance abuse and a pattern of | | | | saved. |
| surrounding himself with young boys. | | | | |