The Jackson Verdict

Eric Zorn has an opinion so I don't have to:

And sadness for Jackson, whose strange and allegedly brutal childhood in the national spotlight rendered him a deeply weird and obviously deeply troubled
adult.

Even though he was found not guilty today, Jackson's desperate pathology remains indisputable and tragic. In the future, for his own sake and theirs, Jackson should keep away from children, even if his affections for them are as pure and innocent as he has long maintained.

If this experience hasn't taught him a lesson about boundaries and proper adult behavior, nothing can.

There is no moral to this story, no take-away lesson or cautionary tale for us to apply to our everyday lives. In part this is because this verdict marks neither an end nor a new beginning.

And in part this is because it all took place in a world as unfamiliar and grotesque to us as another planet in a science-fiction film.

That's about right. The part (the only part) of this story I find interesting is Jackson himself and how really pathetic he has become despite having the huge mirror of the media right in front of him at all times.

I was never a fan of his music even when he was an unstoppable force 20 years ago. But I see those old music videos today and they look very different to me now. I can see his talent and feel pained knowing what he will become. It's scary because any of us, no matter how rich or famous, can be undercut by time and the failings of our own minds.

Jackson may or may not have victimized others but he has surely destroyed much of himself. I can't imagine the rest of his life isn't going to be hard to watch as he continues to decline physically and financially.