15
Mar
2012
Long live the genius, the legacy of Michael Joseph Jackson.
A summary of the words spoken by eminent professors,thinkers, social critics and historians Dr. Michael Eric Dyson & Dr. Cornel West on the Tavis Smiley show, on PBS, 6-30-09.
“Any great artist is wrestling with their sadness and loneliness, their fears, anxieties and insecurities, and they’re transfiguring those into complicated forms of expressions that effect our hearts minds and souls and reminds us of who we are as human beings, the fragility of our human status and the inevitability of death…
…Michael Jackson was a great artist who also happened to be the greatest entertainer, not just of this generation but of the 20th century… He was able to express himself in such a way that he allowed us to have a sense of what it feels like to be alive – at the deepest level, he’s a human being, who made sense of the world at the highest level of excellence, and people will talk about him in the same they talk about all the great artists.” ~ Dr. Cornell West.
“He was a child prodigy; he was a wunderkind; he was a chocolate genius who was capable of, as a child, evoking emotions that were far behind his age… So here was a man who was denied his childhood… and then when he became an adult, tried to salvage, with disastrous consequences, to a certain degree, his own childhood…Michael Jackson gave us, out of the depths of his suffering, a transcendental possibility of looking at black identity through the prism of black art, and therefore the universal application of our humanity has been untouching.” ~ Dr. Michael Eric Dyson
“I think those who chose to find joy in serving others; those who choose to find their voice to pursue their vocation and to act on their vision, oftentimes have to sacrifice much; it’s almost like a crucifixion in terms of the cross you have to bare, and we reap the fruits of the resurrection in terms of the power the emanates from his sacrifice. He sacrificed his childhood because he loved us so, and he didn’t just entertain us; he sustained us. In that regard, it’s part and parcel of the calling of the great artist. I don’t know of a great artist who did not have to sacrifice, and thereby have to wrestle with depths of his loneliness and sadness.” ~ Dr. Cornell West
“There’s no question that the transcendent art that he created was a means, an instrument, a vehicle for others to experience what he didn’t… What he did was he allowed us through his voice and his instrument, to see a glimpse of the heaven that he, himself was denied… We celebrate that genius; we thank him for the sacrifice and we love his soul, wherever he resides now, in a heavenly place that he gave to us before he left here.” ~ Dr. Michael Eric Dyson
“This goes hand and hand with any of us who are determined to find joy in serving others. Long live the genius, the legacy of Michael Joseph Jackson. There’s no one like him, there will never by anyone like him. We shall keep track of his art and his music, even as we pray for his humanity, and most importantly, the living, those who love him: ourselves and his blessed family.” ~ Dr. Cornell West
4 Responses to “Long live the genius, the legacy of Michael Joseph Jackson.”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
aw shit, i was watching the video and listening to Michael & the other people talk and looking at videos of Michael, and it made me start daydreaming about all the good times so i had to resort to reading the text you wrote. It was a great article and everything you put down is very true and very relevant. i really dont have much words, because i suck at it, but i tell you what, it sure did spark alot of emotion inside of me, oh how much i miss Michael…. *sigh*
The quotes are from the video, very profound and moving, I agree!!!! :yes: :yes: :yes:
Sabine,
I must be losing my mind..I would have sworn I left a comment here the other day when I saw this… I totally agree with you…Very profound and moving…. Very beautifully done!
nancy
I added a link at the bottom where you can go and read the whole entire transcript. :smile: