The Exploitation of Michael Jackson Research Paper

The Exploitation of Michael Jackson - Research Paper Example This paper will be showing how Michael Jackson has been viewed by the media and even his own fans. It will detail how he was used by other people and how media has always seen his negative side instead of his good points. It will argue that indeed, he was used and abused all his life. Then, this study will conclude with the real Michael Jackson, how he really is in the eyes of those who really knew who the person is beyond the mask. II. The Life of Michael Jackson When Michael Jackson first started his musical career, he instantly became the face of the local and international music scene, especially known for his pure vocal skills. His emotional expression when delivering his songs that were far beyond his age and experienced awed his audiences. His voice was still angelic despite puberty, unlike others whose voices change after a certain point. In fact, he went on to sell millions of records with his Off the Wall and Thriller albums. Soon after he had achieved such world class reco gnition, his name and face started to become the focus of the media. The motive for the countless fictional stories against Michael Jackson is still a mystery to date. However, a lot of people theorize that it could be an issue of power struggles, racism or simply the fact that he was famous. There were a lot of speculation regarding his sexuality and rumors spreading that he was homosexual. Naturally a private and shy individual, Jackson rarely talk about his relationships and sexuality. But the fact that he neither acknowledged nor denied the rumors about him being homosexual was enough for the media to pick on him even more. Michael Jackson loved and respected his fans so much, even those who were gay. The real reason why he did not disclose his sexual orientation was because he did not want to alienate these said fans. There were also reports that gained worldwide focus about Michael Jackson sleeping in an oxygen chamber as opposed to a normal bed. This story started when Jackson was severely injured due to an accident in the taping of his Pepsi advertisement. His hair caught on fire after one of the explosions’ spark fell on his hair. At twenty-six years old, he was practically left bald because of second and third degree burns. This sad incident required multiple skin grafts and reconstructive surgery. This sparked his empathy for victims of burns, donating the hyperbaric chamber and $1.5 million that he received on the settlement to the Brotman Medical Center. He also started the Michael Jackson Burn Center. Since them, tabloid media released images of Jackson seen â€Å"hammering around† in the chamber and came up with the story that he liked sleeping in it beca use he did not want to grow old. The press also displayed so much interest on the multimillion dollar estate of Michael Jackson located in Santa Barbara County. In here, he built a ranch equipped with a live animal zoo, trains, theaters and amusement park rides. He enjoyed going to theme parks but his fame did not permit him to do outings. Since he feared being mobbed by paparazzi and fans, he built his own amusement park, which he called the Neverland Valley Ranch (from his favorite children’s tale, Peter Pan) and made it available to sick and disadvantaged children. He can strongly relate to Mr. Barry, losing his personal childhood because of recordings, concerts and TV shows. Whimsical articles announced the oddity of the Neverland Ranch but Michael Jackson defended it