January 1, 2004
Michael Jackson
In 1960 Dr. Maxwell Maltz, a reconstructive and cosmetic facial surgeon, published Psycho-Cybernetics. Maltz had noticed a fascinating thing in his surgical practice. A certain percentage of patients, even after radically reconstructive surgery, just couldn’t see the change in their appearance. After the operation they would despairately cry “but you didn’t change anything!”. No matter how dramatic the difference, no matter how obvious to others, some patients looked in the mirror and saw themselves exactly the same way they’d always seen themselves. This lead Maltz to study how the human mind works and publish his hugely popular book, catapulting him to great success as an author and motivational speaker for more than a decade.
I suspect Michael Jackson’s bizarre appearance is the result of this same phenomena Maltz noted. No matter how much they cut and inject and color him, when Michael Jackson looks in the mirror he still sees who he is. He simply cannot get away from himself.
This is a sick man. He’s not just odd or quirky. He doesn’t just march to a different drummer. He’s not just sensitive. He’s a nut case.
And I suspect a dangerous one. Don’t forget he paid megabucks several years back to make a pedophilia charge go away. Now I realize cases are settled out of court for all kinds of reasons. Just because he paid to avoid a trial doesn’t make him guilty. But you can’t help but ask why he would pay that much money if he were an innocent man. He was speaking the truth in his 60 Minutes interview when he said he could not comment on that suit. As part of the bargain neither side can. His lawyer made a lengthy, vague statement about how Michael didn’t want to be subjected to the cruelty a trial would attract so he settled.
Speaking of his lawyer, wouldn’t you assume that after this traumatic event which Jackson paid tons of cash to keep things out of the public eye, said to him “Michael, sleeping with boys will expose you to grave risk financially and/or legally. You should stop doing it.”? If you were his lawyer you would have told him that wouldn’t you? And probably a lot more than once, right?
And if you were Michael Jackson and not a pedophile who can’t stop sleeping with children wouldn’t you learn your lesson and stop exposing yourself to this risk and implement a policy of not sleeping in the same bed with other people’s kids? I’ve already got this policy. I bet you do too. Why would anyone continue with this practice when they’ve already been burned rather badly once? Unless they have a craving.
There’s a word head doctors have for people for whom the normal taboos of society mean nothing. They just don’t “connect” with the feelings of other people. Their own emotions are the only thing that’s important to them. They’re called psychopaths.
One way to identify such people is to listen to how much they talk about themselves. There’s a “me, me, me” pattern to their speech. They’ll angrily deny their actions at length, as Jackson did in his sing song little boy voice on 60 Minutes. And other people are supposed to believe them because they said so. Notice Jackson never once used facts or logic, only denial. We know not one material fact after Michael spoke than before. Could he be telling the truth? Yes. But how would we know?
Another way to spot them is they tend to come up with unlikely conspiracies. The prosecutor and those mean police singled out poor Michael Jackson, charged him and roughed him up because they hate him. Why do they hate him? His brother says it’s because he’s black. (pause to laugh) Michael doesn’t suggest a reason other than the general assertion that people who “don’t understand him” are in cahoots against him. Now maybe that’s true. But again, where’s the evidence? What are the chances?
The funniest thing about this whole deal is how seriously the news people report that someone has testified she never saw Michael Jackson molest any children. Well I didn’t see anybody shoot Lincoln. Does that mean it didn’t happen?
Michael Jackson is out of touch with reality. Another indication of this is his long financial attitude of “I can spend all I want forever”. He just can’t rake in the dough like he used to. But even the budget sheet holds no sway over him. And when the money’s gone don’t you think most of his friends will be too?
I expect a sad and pathetic end for Mr. Jackson and it may not be long in coming. If not after this incident (actually I doubt he will be found guilty, because of lack of evidence) then eventually another, he’ll be put behind bars. And his treatment may be more than enough to offend his gentle sensitivities. But his greatest punishment will be this: when he looks in the mirror he still sees himself. And that is cause for his greatest despair.
- Ed Powell