Notable

I can't relate to all the Michael Jackson hysteria.

I don't deny he was a talented man, might even agree that he's an American icon thanks to a career that spans five decades (although the final decade might be more notoriety than fame). Yet I find a lot of what makes people go ga-ga derivative. I never had much respect or understanding for the gasps, squeaks and squeals he felt were part of songwriting. He was an excellent dancer, but his real talent was in creating an amalgamation of Gene Kelly, James Brown and some steps he picked up off the streets.

There's just nothing there I can see that should make people hold vigil or battle for the lottery chance to be part of a memorial service.

It made me ponder who I would consider American icons that I would miss. I came across names like Robert Duvall, Dustin Hoffman, Paul Simon and Willie Nelson. They would all cause me pause and realization something was gone, but nothing like creating a need for the barrage of information now created by Jackson.

I did stop to consider my off the cuff list was all white. Maybe it's a cultural thing, I thought. But here's the sadness I fear. If there were an African American who should be lionized in death, it should be someone like Sidney Poitier who created new career opportunities for American blacks and lived his personal life and used his fame to improve the lot of his entire race. I fear thousands of those who will push their way into the Jackson memorial will not even know who Poitier is.

That train of thought creates an even greater fear. Has our culture reached a point where we don't celebrate even fame anymore, but only infamy? We constantly seem to need to tear down what we build up. Do we need something lascivious to go with success to make those we note human?