Let him go

I was never a fan of his music -- it's just not my style, for one thing.

Also, I was majorly underexposed to a number of parts of popular culture as a child, including Jackson. I didn't even know he used to have darker skin than mine until I saw two side-by-side photos of a younger and an older Michael Jackson during a bit on Late Night with Conan O'Brien in the late '90s.

So, the massive media coverage following his death, tributes, etc., have really had very little effect on me.

But, as little as I am moved by watching fans remember Jackson or hearing people sing praises to his name, I would much rather this continue indefinitely than for it to devolve into what I know it will, probably just shortly after Jackson's funeral: the freak show.

In under a week after the man's death, we had already heard rumors that Jackson's two oldest children may not be his, reports of his drug abuse were getting more and more prevalent, stories about his lack of confidence and his fear of disappointing fans had begun to degrade his status as "King of Pop," and it's only going to get worse.

I have heard at least two radio talk show hosts complain about the level of coverage Jackson's death is receiving, and I agree that there are more important things happening in the world that probably deserve much more attention than they are getting at this time, but I understand that they are unlikely to get that attention anytime soon.

But let me tell you: this is nothing. This is all the fans getting it out of their system while Internet trolls try to rain on their parade. This is mass media outlets giving a "final send-off" to a previously perennial source of content.

But they all know it's nowhere near over.

The toxicology results will take four to six weeks to come back from the lab, but we know the hero-worship can't last that long. After all, one thing we love more than just about anything else is closely examining the misfortunes of others, and Michael Jackson had them in droves.

The first story I read about Jackson's death was a story written by a member of the associated press, and even that person couldn't keep himself from calling Jackson "freakish" within the first half of the story.

The rest of the coverage by national media outlets to which I have been exposed has been remarkably favorable to the memory of Jackson, highlighting his career rather than his personal life, legal battles and "eccentricities."

I guess where I'm heading with all this is that I would love it if we could just leave it at that. Everyone has shortcomings, and Jackson's were certainly no less than your average Joe's. But the man is dead now, and little good, if any, will come from rehashing any less-than-fond memories of him at this time.

I must admit that when I was younger, I did my part to mock Jackson throughout allegations of his sexual abuse of young boys, but I don't have any real desire to know about the truth of those allegations.

I must also admit that I derive a great deal of pleasure from stories that show the "dark side" of a person, the stories that show the conflict within us all, the stories that show just how far down humanity is capable of going. I love to learn more about the reality of life, about the decisions people make, about just how weird things can get. I feel like it helps me better understand myself.

But I, for one, feel that any benefit to my worldview such a dissection of Jackson's life would offer would be negligible compared to the damage such extended media coverage would do to all involved.

Nobody needs another Anna Nicole Smith, another Daniellynn Smith.

As with that debacle, this story will not end as long as we continue to pay attention to it.

For the good of America's trust in its news services, let him go.

For the good of every situation that has been "pushed down the page" to make room for coverage of the response to Jackson's death, let him go.

For the good of your own mind, let him go.