Jump to content

Michael Jackson in hospital


longdistancewinner

Recommended Posts

Hmm, OK. I don't really think I disparaged anyone's intelligence with my post, but alright. :mellow:

BTW, I wonder why there seem to be so many more MJ fans today than a week ago, when he was regarded by many people as someone who was at best an oddball, and at worst a danger to children. It's because people are remembering the old version of him who was incredibly popular, that's my point.

"At best an odball"? Not to me, or millions of others.

Do people have to walk around wearing badges stating they are Michael Jackson fans? Is that how you calculate how many there are? I personally wouldn't know - oh, other than him just selling out a FIFTY DATE run at the 02 in London in hours with demand meaning he could sell out many more. Is that a clue?

I don't know if you were around at the previous incarnation of this forum but I was among many who stood up for him for years. He has always had millions of fans. Just because YOU don't particularly care for him, you can't change history.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"At best an odball"? Not to me, or millions of others.

Yeah, well I didn't say that EVERYONE had that opinion. I simply made a comment about a lot of people, most I know at least, who were fans back twenty five years ago but didn't exactly remain in the later years, and it wasn't because of any change in musical style.

And no, I'm not casting any personal aspersions on him in making that observation. Just saying that to an awful lot of people it was almost as if there were two different "Michaels"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, well I didn't say that EVERYONE had that opinion. I simply made a comment about a lot of people, most I know at least, who were fans back twenty five years ago but didn't exactly remain in the later years, and it wasn't because of any change in musical style.

Well then more fool them, judging a man on the accusations of people who were happy to accept 20 million + as "compensation" for "abusing" their beloved child and see him walk free to "abuse" others.

Who's the only "wicked" one in that scenario?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi S2Z,

With you on this one girl, why dont you post a complaint to the Mods and ask if Steve's post can be withdrawn on the same grounds as the Poem about John Bonham's death was a week or so ago, or is a case of double standards by the Mods again or is Steve so highly regarded or so powerful on this site he has become untouchable?

I would dearly like to know the outcome of any inquiry and i would also like to see a written apology from him, not likely though.

Kind Regards, Danny

In my George Carlin-esque ponderence and examination of this celebrity's untimely death (and society's reaction to it) I've apparently made a post or two some find

offensive. If this is the case, I do apologize, as that was not my intent.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well i'm sorry you feel that way i have my opinions and you have yours

Just fine if you had come in saying "I think he may have committed suicide", but you didn't , you said

Defo suicide the selfish prick could'nt handle the commitments he'd taken on...Nevermind the folk that had bought tickets for his o2 shows, What about his poor kids

....which makes your username incredibly appropriate.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've never understood why people feel the need to be tacky when a famous person dies. Whether you like the guy or not, he shaped popular music. Just about any form of popular music has been touched by Michael Jackson in one way or another. I'm not a big fan of MJ, but even I know how important he is/was. Popular music today would sound totally different had it not been for his contributions.

So, why not just leave the tacky comments to yourself? After all, it's not like any of you know the real facts about what went on in Michael Jackson's private life anyway.

My two cents. RIP Michael.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would have to agree that this is neither the time nor the place for MJ haters to play prosecution, judge and jury.

If that's what some here wish to do, do please (I said please) start a thread where you can play with your hammers and nails. We'll see who shows up. :rolleyes:

Eye thank yew. :beer:

In the meantime, remember when you were young...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbC8Jx2WLpk

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just fine if you had come in saying "I think he may have committed suicide", but you didn't , you said

....which makes your username incredibly appropriate.

Well his death at this time does look a little suspicious considering the huge commitment he was about to undertake............... Did he not attempt but fail to top himself when he was on trial a few years back ? Maybe he did.. Maybe not..... But if you had read all of my posts on this thread you would see why i made the selfish wotsit comment.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

CNN said the internet almost crashed when the news broke! 20 Million hits just on their site alone I guess. What could beat this I wonder? Maybe discoving life on another planet?

Crank up the hype machine! Look, the claim made by Google and reported by CNN is a gross exaggeration. While some news sites did experience temporary outages, the internet did not almost crash and for them to suggest otherwise is simply preposterous.

To answer your question, if Andrew Ridgeley and George Michael reform it would make this all look like chimp's...er...ahem, child's play.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Agreed. What were Michael's true colors?

In my George Carlin-esque ponderence and examination of this celebrity's untimely death (and society's reaction to it) I've apparently made a post or two some find

offensive. If this is the case, I do apologize, as that was not my intent.

Yeah right.

Tell me - what exactly WERE your intentions when you posted that (really old and not funny first time around) joke re the Elton song?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Tell me - what exactly WERE your intentions when you posted that (really old and not funny first time around) joke re the Elton song?

Humor & Death

You've got to be kidding

by Allen Klein

One of the articles in

Play & Humor (IC#13)

Spring 1986, Page 43

Copyright ©1986, 1997 by Context Institute

Allen Klein is the publisher of The Whole Mirth Catalog (available for $1) and a presenter on various aspects of humor - including this unusual topic of humor and death. A longer version of this article will appear in The American Journal Of Hospice Care (470 Boston Post Rd, Weston, MA 02193). Allen can be reached via 1034 Page St, San Francisco, CA 94117, or 415/431-1913.

ALL OF US ARE AWARE of the inevitability of life's final process, yet most of us have difficulty lightening up about it. We believe that death is "serious business" and therefore seldom see any place for humor in it. Humor, however, can:

  • provide relief for our anxieties about death,
  • help us cope with the death of others, and
  • ease the stress that often surrounds grief.

Let us begin by looking at the first point: easing our death-related anxieties with humor. When we joke about death, we take the mystery out of it and begin to get the upper hand on our fears. As George Mikes has pointed out, "Laughing at death gives us triple pleasure: 1) the pleasure of the joke itself; 2) the malicious joy of laughing at death's expense; and 3) the pleasure of taming Death and fraternizing with him."

Woody Allen provides an example of fraternization with death in his short play entitled Death Knocks. Here Death is no longer the grim reaper we have heard so much about but instead an awkward bumbling entity. We first encounter it clumsily climbing through the bedroom window exclaiming, "Jesus Christ, I nearly broke my neck." Because Death is brought to the human level, it is able to be defeated. After Death loses a gin game, it hastily exits and almost falls down the stairs. The main character thus triumphantly proclaims that Death is "such a schlep."

Because the central character in this play did not recognize the power of Death, it had no power over him. By joking about our own death, we too can make it, or anything that oppresses us for that matter, less frightening.

Our culture emphasizes the loss of everything when we die and the difference between life and death. In many other cultures life and death are not classified as opposing forces but simply as aspects of existence. Because of this viewpoint, they have been able to view death in a lighter manner.

A good example of not viewing death as tragic can be seen in the cremation ceremonies of the Balinese people. Death for the Balinese is not the end but is seen as a new beginning for the soul. Therefore, when the body dies and releases the spirit, it is time for great celebration. The procession which precedes the actual burning of the body, for example, has been described as a small Rose Bowl Parade with an Irish wake thrown in for spice.

The Balinese are not the only ones who deal with death less seriously than others. Mexicans, for example, set aside a specific day each year to mock death, and the Irish hold uproarious wakes to ease their loss. The Tiwi in Africa have the role of "joking partner" to prevent the bereaved from excessive mourning. The following Zen tale provides a model for treating death with both wisdom and humor.

Ikkyu, the Zen master, was very clever as a boy. His teacher had a precious teacup, a rare antique. Ikkyu happened to break this cup and was greatly perplexed. Hearing the footsteps of his teacher, he held the pieces of the cup behind him. When the master appeared, Ikkyu asked: "Why do people have to die?"

"This is natural," explained the older man. "Everything has to die and has just so long to live."

Ikkyu, producing the shattered cup, added: "It was time for your cup to die."

Historical perspective, different cultures, and the arts provide us with a safe place from which to view how other people and other times laugh at death. It is, of course, easier to joke about something when it is not so close to home. But what of the more immediate death of those around us? How can humor help in a situation that most people label as tragic?

To begin with, I am not saying that laughter need be the main focus in the dying process. Expression of less joyous emotions are also important. Nor is laughter always appropriate. What I am saying is, first, that death, in and of itself, is neither sad nor funny, and, second, that we often forget how beneficial laughter can be at this time.

When someone is seriously ill, we frequently allow their illness to crowd out everything else. We tend to forget that they are more than just their disease. Perhaps unknowingly, we separate ourselves from them. We become "the well" and they become "the sick." A few chuckles between the terminally ill and another brings those involved to equal territory. It is as if we are saying, "If we can laugh together then I am no different from you." Shared laughter between the patient and someone else emphasizes that, "You are not dead yet; we still have something in common." One of the places to look for humor in a situation where someone is dying is in the ambiguities that surround this process. There is often an avalanche of mixed emotions here which can create a fertile ground for comic moments. Here is one example:

A hospice patient, who was very near death, refused to eat any more food. She said she wanted to die. The following day, she announced her intention to die again, and again the day passed without her demise. This went on for several days. Then one day she arose from her bed and joined the rest of her family at the breakfast table. The amazed family members wanted to know how come she was joining them for breakfast after so many days of not eating. The frail elderly lady turned and answered, "So who wants to die on an empty stomach?"

Incidents like the one above happen frequently around intense death-related situations. What is important is that we do not close our consciousness to them and exclude laughter because we think death must be solemn. In addition to remembering not to neglect the possibility of laughter in the dying process, we might also pay closer attention to the wishes of the deceased. Most of the terminally ill people I interviewed felt that they did not want their loved ones to be sad after they had passed on. They wanted them to recall the happier moments they had spent together and to party when they were no longer around. Humor can help everyone who is involved in a death bear the unbearable. For the survivor, humor can be a source of strength. For the professional caregiver, who encounters numerous deaths, humor can be a socially acceptable way of releasing frustration and helplessness. For the patient, humor can be a way of coping with failing body functions, unfamiliar medical procedures, and confused emotions. For all concerned, humor can be a way of communicating about a taboo subject. We can continue to see humor as a foreign element in dealing with death and dying, or we can start to take advantage of humor's important coping, bonding, stress relieving, and communication qualities. The choice is up to us.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think some people here need to just admit that the only thing they really knew about MJ's personal life is what the tabloids chose to tell them. Owning a monkey & buying the elephant men aren't any more relevant than a penchant for peanut butter and banana sandwiches and Crowley transcripts. :rolleyes:

And by the way....I always had it figured that everyone would own a monkey if they could. I would. :huh:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think some people here need to just admit that the only thing they really knew about MJ's personal life is what the tabloids chose to tell them. Owning a monkey & buying the elephant men aren't any more relevant than a penchant for peanut butter and banana sandwiches and Crowley transcripts. :rolleyes:

And by the way....I always had it figured that everyone would own a monkey if they could. I would. :huh:

MMMMMonkey on my back back back back. :)

Not to mention that he openly admitted that the mask, oxygen chamber , elephant man stuff were all designed to keep him in the public eye. Those who met him have said they found him child-like in most aspects except business.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think some people here need to just admit that the only thing they really knew about MJ's personal life is what the tabloids chose to tell them. Owning a monkey & buying the elephant men aren't any more relevant than a penchant for peanut butter and banana sandwiches and Crowley transcripts. :rolleyes:

And by the way....I always had it figured that everyone would own a monkey if they could. I would. :huh:

I believe my original post was:

Wow! I hope this isn't true, regardless of my feelings about the man's extra curricular interests.

I surely hope all this "extra curricular" stuff hasn't been distilled from that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"Billie Jean ain't my lover"...

amusic_71.gif

This is how I want to remember Michael--that incredible moment in the Motown anniversary show where he sang Billie Jean and unveiled the moonwalk for the first time. :o:o It just totally blew us away. What a talent.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...