Maybe it is the African in me, but I just do not think that one man's death should take over the news media, no matter who that one man is. Unfortunately for me, this is 2009, and in 2009 the death of a celebrity seems to be the most important news of the week.
I do not mean to be insensitive, but Michael Jackson is a man who lived 50 long years and most of it was spent in the spotlight. A guy who lived his dreams and got to see and do things that most of us can only imagine. I think that it is fair to say that Michael Jackson will live forever through his music, moves and fame, but what about the children who die from preventable things every single day?
Did you know that Michael Jackson was just one of over 300,000 people who died on June 25, 2009? And of those, 25,000 were children.
All men are created equal, right? No one person is more important than another, so why is no one talking about the 300,000 other people who died today?
I am sorry, but the death of a pop icon does not sadden me. What really saddens me are the children who die everyday around the world from poverty, hunger, easily avoidable diseases and illnesses. In spite of the scale of this ongoing tragedy, it rarely gets prime time or headline coverage in the news. I just cannot for the life of me understand how one man's death can make people worldwide shed a collective tear, but the death of 25,000 children is just another day.
I suppose if you were a big fan it would make sense to be a bit sad that he past away, but what I hear is many people saying, "holy shit, is he really dead? Why Michael, why him?" Strangely, those are the same people who mocked him for years and years and made his name into a punch line.
Okay, so the more I write on this subject, the more I am answering my own question. Michael Jackson was a musician.
In fact, he was a superb musician. He was an international icon and although I might not be a huge fan, there are a lot of people out there who grew up listening to him. I can respect him for that.
People care that he died for the same reasons that they cared about the deaths of people such as Elvis and Selena. Just like Elvis, Jackson laid the ground for an entirely new component in the musical spectrum. No matter what he did in his personal life, Michael Jackson was tremendously gifted and any loss of talent is tragic. Music plays a major part in our lives and Michael Jackson provided a soundtrack to several moments of people's lives. I can respect that as well. What I do not like is that his death has taken over the news.
Did I mention that Michael Jackson was just one of over 300,000 people who died on June 25, 2009? And did I mention that of those, 25,000 were children?
Unfortunately, it seems that the world just does not care. It might be rational to expect that death and tragedy on this scale should be prime time headline news. Yet, these issues only surface when there are global meetings or concerts about them. And even then, the celebrities that host these concerts are the focus of the media's attention.
We have the ability right now to stop children from dying. Maybe we cannot cure cancer or sustain a human being on Mars, but today right at this very moment we can end the deaths of 25,000 children by simply feeding them and taking an interest in their health.
But instead, promises and pledges from the wealthy, powerful countries and the corruption of the poorer ones, who evidently receive plenty of care, make the headlines. The broken promises, the bad quality and low quantity of aid do not.
All I am saying is that at some point, we might want to think of the children. In fact, at some point, we might want to think of all of the people that died, not just celebrities. Until that day comes, to all who died today, yesterday and tomorrow I hope you rest in peace.
Sofi Seck is Photo Editor at The Current.
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