Michael Jackson Core Post

Kobena Mercer’s Monster Metaphors Notes on Michael Jackson’s thriller was probably the piece of text that I have most enjoyed reading in this class. As a kid, I grew up listening and watching Michael Jackson along side my family and friends. I remember in elementary school we were asked to do a project and the topic was “who is your hero?” On my first draft, I wrote that Michael Jackson was my hero. I showed my parents and they responded with a  “ Hmm maybe you should pick someone else.” I didn’t know it at the time but that moment was shortly after all the accusations against MJ came out. Two years later, my friends and I performed “Thriller” at our school’s talent show. I remember watching the music video over and over again trying to learn all of the dance moves and just being so amazed by the fun and magic of it all.

I think that a lot of kids including myself were drawn and fascinated by MJ because he himself seemed just like a kid with his free spirit and fun dance moves. This is what I though about when Mercer talks about the many ambiguities of MJ, specifically when he writes “Neither child nor man”. He was obviously a grown man yet he made music that anyone including children could enjoy and appreciate.

            The whole ambiguities aspect of this piece really intrigued me because I am so familiar with the topic of stars having contradictions. Yet with MJ, it’s hard to find contradictions because his image contains so many ambiguities.  As Mercer explained, he is neither man nor child, masculine or feminine, black or white. He is a combination of ambiguities that make it hard to define him as just one thing.