Moonwalker: The Difference Between Achievement and Artifice
by Matt Patterson
This month marks the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11 and Neil Armstrong’s giant leap for mankind.
Mr. Armstrong is still alive, and, as far as I know, in good health. But alas, one day, like all of us, Armstrong will shuffle off this mortal coil. When he does, his passing will no doubt be news – it will lead on all of the broadcast and cable news programs, and decorate the front pages of the daily papers. He might even for a brief moment replace The Chosen One’s smiling visage on the covers of the etiolated news weeklies which grow thinner in size and substance with each passing week.
But will millions tune in to watch the funeral proceedings from across the globe? Will thousands descend into the streets in tears, inconsolable at the loss? Will there be a sports arena filled with famous and non famous mourners, gathered to celebrate his life? Will models and preachers and sports stars proclaim his heroism?
Doubtful, I should say.
The outpouring over Michael Jackson’s passing has made plain a seething and hideous fact: We have become a desperately sick people, incapable of distinguishing between achievement and artifice, between histrionics and heroics, between glitter and gold.
I look up at the moon sometimes and am thunderstruck: There are footprints up there. And an American flag. Mankind put its first tentative toe in the frigid cosmic waters 40 years ago – that is Neil Armstrong’s legacy.
Michael Jackson’s legacy? A handful of albums filled with entirely shallow, unoriginal music – and a dance move called the moonwalk.
As millions mourn for Jackson, I mourn for our enfeebled and rapidly fraying republic.
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177 Comments
Yeah, but the moon landings were fake. . . of course, so was Michael Jackson.
While I agree that walking on the moon is just one of the best man's accomplishement, I do NOT agree with you for comparing that to Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson was an artist. He was also the best entertainer ever, wheiter you agree or not. He contributed to the music scene like nobody else. He also contributed to A LOT of charities, …
I'm not a liberal, I hate Oblahblah and I have a lot of convervatism in me. However, I'm SO TIRED of seeing people (mostly from the right) not recognizing Michael Jackson for what he really was (and not for what he wasn't) and what he really did (and not for what he didn't do). It's so funny to see some of you agreeing with a media that is so biased. The media DESTROYED MJ. The media LOVES Oblahblah. Just get some common sense and you'll see that the media was no different 16 years ago than it is today.
Go ahead and jump down my throat–I do not think Michael Jackson was a truly great artist and I don't care who knows it.
I still cannot believe what you wrote this:
"… Michael Jackson’s legacy? A handful of albums filled with entirely shallow, unoriginal music – and a dance move called the moonwalk."
Where do you get those info from? It looks like you're comparing MJ to most artists of today. I grew up on MJ (just like you grew up on Johnny Cash). I'm sure you NEVER listened to MJ's songs. He was way more than just a dance called the moonwalk. Look at all the today's artits. They ALL copy MJ.
Here's some info for you: (copied from http://www.allmichaeljackson.com/charities.html)
He was listed in the 2000 edition of the Guiness Book Of World Records for breaking the world record for the "Most Charities Supported By a Pop Star". It states that Michael Jackson has supported 39 charity organizations either with monetary donations through sponsorships of their projects or by participating in their silent auction.
I do agree that the media aren't stopping talking about him, and I do think they should stop because they're still creating fake rumors about him.
How sad that the right is reduced to this — you've got to make up things that haven't happened (or in this case, haven't not happened) in order to get outraged. Maybe this is a sign it's a time to stop trying so hard to work yourselves into a frenzy about everything and go out and enjoy the summer. Honestly, there will be plenty of things to be mad about later, and you'll have much more energy for your next tizzies…
*snort* Gee thanks, Andrew – you're gonne get me kicked out of Da Liberry for hooting out loud!
LO(quietlytomyself)! Sorry about that.
We warned you! One more of these outbursts and it's off to dance camp for you!
The comparison is tenuous and the analogy is a given.. Ya we all realize we're shallow, thanks..
That's something that bothers me. There was a time when scientists, engineers, and inventors were held up as role models. Thomas Edison, the Wright Brothers, Jonas Salk, and Neil Armstrong were household names.
Now, singers, actors, and un-sportsmanlike sports stars are held up as role models. In TV and movies, smart kids are portrayed as nerds and geeks, while jocks are portrayed as cool.
No wonder the USA is loosing it's scientific edge.
I often bore my friends with the following theory. During the 1970's we were all set to make that next jump in space exploration (following the moon landings) with a permanent lunar base and successively longer missions that would eventually put a man (or woman) on Mars. By today we should have been mounting deep space missions to the outer planets of the solar system. However "Star Wars" got in the way. When CGI and other marvels of modern filmaking came along we found that we didn't need the reality of actually going into space. The make-believe was just so much better, so much more immediate and so much more entertaining than real exploration. This takes place in cramped and prosaic space vehicles that don't shoot lasers and don't blow up planets. I'm probably wrong about this but it seems that our national interest in real space travel died when George Lucas founded Industrial Light and Magic.
This is the difference between being an objective observer and being a blind follower:
Compare "I do not think Michael Jackson was a truly great artist and I don't care who knows it " to
"He was also the best entertainer ever, wheiter you agree or not."
Notice that the objective observer acknowledges his position as an opinion ("I do not think that…") and asserts that he is unperturbed by the opposition of others ("I don't care who knows it.")
The slavish acolyte, however, asserts his opinion as unassailable fact ("He was…") and is not at all unperturbed by the opposition; indeed, he is instead outraged by it and assigns it no reality. The objective opinion stands alone as opinion, but the brainwashed assertion stands against all other opinion and masquerades as fact.
Unless the artistry of Michael Jackson is being elevated to a theological argument, the use of the phrase "whether you agree or not" with an evaluative term ("best") should be avoided in the service of rational discourse.
But to know where I'm coming from, I laughed out loud when Queen Latifah said, "Michael was beautiful," because we had happened upon the Martin Bashir special the night before, and when the channel changed and the visage of Michael appeared on screen, my 7-year old literally screamed in terror. Not beautiful–scary and freakish.
Don't you understand? We're not allowed to criticize Michael Jackson. That makes us racist. I'm just glad he didn't follow through with his threat a few years back of making a biography of Edgar Allan Poe with himself as star. Does anybody else remember that?
Fake? Fake? But Mythbusters said it could have been real!! all hail Adam!! So it was real!!
Matt, great article…..
Do you think CONGRESS will try to pass a day of rememberance for Armstrong?
I would like to one news cast that still doesn't have a piece on Jackson… this morning on ABC they are going over the EXCLUSIVE interview with Joe Jackson and his wife… it is pathetic that a once SUPERIOR news station wallowing with JASCKSON interviews a week or so after the death of there son and the MESSIAH of POP music….
PLEASE I WANT TO THROW UP ALREADY!!!
You know the real difference between Neil Armstrong and Michael Jackson?
Well, Neil Armstong walked on the moon.
And Michael Jackson…
Mythbusters said Michael Jackson was real?
An Artist…..yes…..very talented….absolutely…….but while you aren't a liberal yet see mostly people from the right as not recognizing what one is or what isn't….realize that the media has a job to do and that's to entertain and sell advertising….so whether MJ was a talented artist and philanthropist……or a very strange man (hey….the media didn't make him build Neverland nor limit his choice of preferred sleeping companions to children)……they are reporting on a very juicy story……and the point of the article is that this i what the public cares about….and its sad. Certainly that the man died for whatever reason is sad but that comments are out there about a "national holiday"…….GIVE ME A BREAK! You want to tell me Jackie Robinson….sure…..Rosa Parks…..yes……Bill Cosby…..yes……Martin Luther King…..absolutely….these are/were American Heros…..people that parents can point to for chlidren to say "You can accomplish great things…..big & small"…..
I guess my real question to you is do you want your kids to grow up like MJ? Do you want him (and this is all encompassing – the good and the bad) to be a role model for them?
Brainwashed? So if it's ok for you to tell me that I'm brainwashed, I can also say the exact same thing about you watching Martin Bashir special. It has been proven that Martin Bashir's "famous" interview was biased and people like you drunk his KoolAid. It amazes me that a lot of people don't know that there was a counter-documentary about Martin Bashir's biased interview. My views on MJ might have come off as biased, but so did Matt Patterson's post. I don't ask you to love his music, but it makes me sad to see people destroying him when he is the only artist in the Guiness book of records for having given the most to charities.
It's so important for us to respect the rules. I'm not an Obama fan, because we need to know his past which he's hiding from everybody. We know he's not qualified because he's not a natural born citizen. Those are facts and we must know the truth. Why don't you people do the same with everybody else? Why are you hating on someone who has been proven innocent?
During the overdone and overblown coverage of a derivative and imitative pedophile, many good men died in Afghanistan and our president (if in fact that's what The Zero is) pushed massive and ruinous legislation through a compliant and forelock tugging Congress! Just keep throwing bread to the peasants Marie!
Or to put the point of this article in another way:
Christopher Columbus = "Achievement"
Leonardo Da Vinci = "Artiface"
point of article = *tripe*
Hey stupid, rather than breaking your idiocy down to show how much of an embarassment to yourself you are, I'll just say this: you are never going to walk on the moon, and you can't dance.
So you have no business talking about Armstrong or Jackson.
Dimwit
Gayle, great post…. it is true, OBAMA, has no care or respect in my opinion for our troops….he was trapzing around apologizing for our transgressions over the past 30 years or so..
Actually, the space program was pretty much dead after Apollo. Once we got to the moon, people got bored with space. The economic downturn, Watergate, Vietnam, and the oil embargo didn't help either. NASA became a shuttle, space station, and satellite operation, and real exploration was left to rot. It's as if Columbus, after returning from the Americas, had played with toy boats in a lake.
Tsk Tsk. Censoring is a no no….
Welcome to my world, please try not to move the furniture . . .
Space travel isn't the easiest thing in the world… going to the Moon is one thing, taking even the next step (Mars) is an entirely different ballgame…
There is a permanent and expanding space station at the moment, and the reason for the lack of a lunar base has nothing to do with interest, rather the disproportionate cost vs. scientific value.
We are nowhere near manned missions to the edge of the solar systems because of several technological hurdles, first and foremost of which is the energy problem, and believe me: even if interest in space travel has subsided, us Earthlings have been working hard on discovering a means of efficient energy.
And Bill Gates. And Steve Jobs. Both of them were pretty significan inventors.
I think it's a bit odd to compare the two. If Armstrong had died at the same time as Jackson, and the media had focused on Jackson, I could understand the outrage, but Armstrong is still very much alive. The two have no relation to one another. You're comparing apples to oranges. The whole article reads like it's just an excuse to criticize Jackson's work–which is perfectly fine. It would just be more interesting if you wrote an article saying why his music and dancing is unoriginal and overrated rather than this rather strained attempt at social commentary. No offense.
Here's the thing: Jackson's been mourned not just in the USA but all over the world–who's the last American public figure to receive such attention? I'll bet I'm not the only person to read this and think, "Neil Armstrong is still alive?" I bet more people have seen the MTV logo animation of the moon landing than watched the real one. You may not like his music but you can't call Jackson's music unoriginal, or scoff at his musical legacy. (It would be like sneering that SInatra was just an adulterous saloon singer who sang the same songs for 50 years–the facts just don't bear out such a simplification) Jackson greatly influenced the music industry, and sold gazillions of albums while remaining a force in pop culture for decades (albeit a freakish one at the end). Armstrong did an amazing thing, but he did it a loooong time ago. He is certainly a hero but historical figures/acts don't become part of people's daily lives in the way that music does–you can't sing along to the moon landing, play it in the car, or seduce someone to it. (Well, maybe a few people can)
MJ is a hero for what he has done as a humanitarian. In order to understand MJ, you need to understand his childhood (not that I expect people to do some research). I know it's hard to undertsand that he liked to be surrounded by children which in today' society will automaticaly makes him a pedophile. However there was no proof that he was one. He had all the right to have his own Neverland and he had the right to keep all his money for himself. He never did that, and as a matter of fact he has shared his earnings with those who needed the most.
To answer your question, I wouldn't want my kids to grow up like MJ because I wouldn't want them to be harassed by the tabloids. However, I would love my kids to grow up and know how MJ really was and I want them to know that it's ok to share their wealth, as long as you still have the freedom to do it like you want to.
Yeah, Diet pepsi out the nose when laughing is not a good way to endear yourself to he boss
I agree with you ~ Sinatra WAS an adulterous singer who sang the same songs for 50 years, plus he wore a bad toupee.
Except that Leonardo Da Vinci was an inventor, not an entertainer.
The One Who Shall Be Unnamed has a commercial for his volunteerism program and he says, "Volunteers walked on the moon!" Volunteers? You mean highly-trained, salaried, careered individuals? I guess in O's world, Neil Armstrong walked down to the volunteer office and said, "I'm here! Can you use me for anything?" while Buzz Aldrin was ordered to the moon to fulfill his court ordered community service requirements.
"Man! This'll eat up a lot of my hours!"
"Just remember: I signed up first so I go on the moon first. Volunteer union rules, bud."
"Whatever. Any hours I have left, I can pick up trash along the interstate or paint over grafitti!"
Are you serious? The point of comparison is MOON WALK. It's a play on words. The article is a musing on cultural priorities, based on the convenient linguistic similarity between "walking on the moon" and "moon walking." It's clever. Apparently too clever for the room.
The main reason for no return to the moon is technological – at present it costs $20,000 to put 1 pound of material into orbit, let alone putting it on the moon! The arguments here stating that it is due to an "American decline,' or 'a failure of American will' miss the mark completely. It is when costs are reduced by several orders of magnitude that the true developement of space will begin. Read these non-fiction works for some ideas as to how this will take place – The Orion Project (for cheaper space booster systems) and Mining The Moon (what to do when we get there – mine platinum, palladium, and Helium-3)
Thanks for your enlightening view…. speaking of embarassing yourself…. WOW, you did a great job!
I am still looking up "etoilated" at dictionary.com…
"Armstrong did an amazing thing, but he did it a loooong time ago. He is certainly a hero but historical figures/acts don't become part of people's daily lives in the way that music does.."
This may be the saddest commentary on America I've ever seen. America may not survive this generation–and maybe we no longer deserve to.
Michael Jackson, by his own admission, slept with young, non-related boys. He had a huge, eventually fatal drug addiction. He was, not to put too fine a point on it, a junkie who slept with little boys. I don't know if he actually performed any sexual acts with those boys, but that is beside the point. Seducing a child into an adult's bed–whether or not sex occurs–is an abusive act.
Would any of you Michael Jackson defenders let your pre-teen son climb into bed with a junkie named Michael Smith or Michael Jones? If not, why not? Did Michael Jackson's musical ability make any of the rest of his life less ghastly? He was a pathetic creature, driven by childhood trauma into a life of self-loathing and self-mutilation. He rejected his race, his gender and even his age. Which part of this is to be celebrated?
u dude – he gave 20 million to silence his 'pedephile nature' he had a turmoiled family life, and was self indulgent. He was a 'pop' star did not WRITE his own music and contirbuted a 'dance' step.
Do you know who created the 'shuffle or swing dancing?' they were cultural moments too where the whole country was 'doing it'
I recognize mr jackson for the pediphile drug addict who was self indulgent. I recognize his career spanned years and decades. I recognize he has done nothing in 15 years with his money (on a regular basis)
and I recognize that you are ignorant – what 'charities' SPECIFICALLY are you referring too. Name FIVE! go on…
Madonna, Buddy Holly Chuck Berry and Johnny Cash contributed MORE to music than Michael Jackson – And if by your OWN ADMISSION – HE WAS AN 'ENTERTAINER' than he was not an 'artist'.
Your one of those people he slept with aren't you – that's sad – you miss a guy who said on television 'there is nothing wrong with a grown man sleeping with boys!!!!'
but please – keep talking and showin your 'unbiased' opinion.
thank you and seek out a mental professional.
He didn't chose to be famous, but he became famous because of his talent. While you say he "just" invented it, that's not entirely true. I don't want to start listing all the things he said, but if you have some interest to know the truth, I'd recommend you to watch his Oprah's interview (and God knows how much I hate Oprah), Martin Bashir's interview (same thing about Bashir) and Take Two: The MJ interview you weren't meant to see. You're still missing the point that he should be recognized mostly for his contribution to numerous charities. Do a search for "Michael Jackson charities" and you'll see by yourself. When Ronald Reagan received MJ at the White House, it was for awarding him for his is support of charities that helped people overcome alcohol and drug abuse, not for his music career.
As for the President's citizenship, it has been proven that the natural born citizen clause requires BOTH parents to be US Citizen at the time of the child's birth. This is some interesting info for you: http://naturalborncitizen.wordpress.com/
Thank you,
Z.
I got the joke. I just thought the social commentary was strained. The cultural priorities don't matter, since Neil Armstrong is not dead and Jackson's funeral did not overshadow his. If the cultural priorities had been about Jackson and the war, or Jackson and Cap-and-Trade, fine. Then he could have criticized the media for focusing on a triviality rather than the important political issues facing our country. Jackson and the moon landing have no relation to one another other than the name of Jackson's stupid little dance.
History is broccoli. Pop culture is french fries. Broccoli is good for you, but french fries taste much better. Why are people continually surprised at the fact that people eat more french fries than broccoli?
He was also an artist, like MJ. LDV didn't "invent" the Mona Lisa, he painted it.
So fine tho… if I revise my analog, then the point of the article seems to be: Michaelangelo = "Artiface"
in other words… more bunk.
p.s. MJ "invented" the moon walk! Ha! He also has patents on some dance moves he invented. I don't mean to imply that these kinds of inventions are as serious as the helicopters and morter shells and cannons that Da Vinci invented.
Should we really pass a day of remembrance for Armstrong? Afterall, while Armstrong risked his life for the achievement of his country and mankind… what Armstrong acomplished was inherently a team effort. The article misses a big point here. MJ was a entertainment genius. There was no team.
If Neil Armstrong had never been born… we still would have put a man on the moon, just a different one.
I do NOT mean to demean the accomplishment of Armstrong and his team. We should have such a day. Even an annual national holiday seems appropriate. But I'd rather call it "NASA Day" or "Apollo Day" and not "Armstrong Day".
Although… I guess we have Columbus day. Eh, maybe "Armstrong Day" is right. what do y'all think?
That's a really good point.
Michael Jackson may have been a gifted performer but he was in no way a hero. Did he ever risk anything other then opening up his check book or doing a benefit show, yeah a lot of risk. A forty year old guy who likes to have sleep overs with kids? Something is wrong there.
The only thing lower is making sexual jokes about someone's daughter.
Elvis was the best entertainer ever, whether you agree or not. (Notice how I excluded all other opinions contrary to my own with the statement "whether you agree or not". This is a tactic liberals use to squash all debate, discussion or disagreement, i.e. Al Gore's statement "the science is in").
You can't land on the moon. It's made out of green cheese. But then so was Jackson's nose. Never mind.
I agree with what you said.. I was pointing fun at what some senators wanted to do…. If Armstrong did not do it, there was another man in his place that would have done the task!
What's great about America is that with hard work, you can be anything you want whether becoming the first astronaut to walk on the moon or become a musical ICON. Both are worthy achievements that should be RESPECTED and not DIMINISHED.
I don't know which was worse, the MJ coverage or the people complaining about the coverage.The Michael Jackson coverage is/was overkill. What did you expect from the MSM which has been in the toilet for awhile and is untrustworthy. (I get my news from the internet and hardly watch newscasts.) The great thing about freedom and being an American is you can CHOOSE TO TURN OFF YOUR TV IF YOU DON'T LIKE WHAT'S ON. There are plenty of other ways (radio/Internet) to get other news topics to your liking than to rely on the MSM.
"If he was born in Hawaii, he's a US citizen.� If he was born in Kenya and you only need one American parent, he's a US citizen."
As the law was in 1961, Anne Dunham, being under 21, was a minor and not a "US citizen" sufficiently to pass it on. (This has been a major issue for the offspring of GIs overseas, many of whom were under 21 at the time).
I invented the moonwalk
I've said it many times. In the eighties, Prince was better.
Played his own instruments, wrote 100% of his songs, and produced his own music as well.
Plus live he didn't lip sync. Michael frequently lip synced
NOOOOO!
he even lipsynced the "hee hee" parts? NOOOOOO!!!!!
Stole my thunder,pandax
concur
jumped on his bed full of kidz?
Zeeshopper, why don't you just give it a rest already? No one is taking away your slavish obsession to Jackson, so just go and be his #1FAN! and let others have their opinion as well.
Was one of the charities "_oy Touchers Anonymous"?
14 year old daughter, the dirty old liberal pervert.
Then MJ's rascist as well, seeing as how he did just about everything possible to NOT look black. Try telling Jesse Jackson or Jamie Foxx that, though.
The LEFT picked the BIGGEST LEMON EVER off the POTUS tree…Moderate Democrats are RUNNING AWAY!!! buh bye AZZHOLE, buh bye….
And I should care what you or any other freak on this board thinks because….?
Wow, just when I think these posts can't get anymore stupid, you prove me wrong.
You're missing the point. Or ignoring it. It's about how much our culture has decayed. In just 40 years, we've gone from revering a man who represented the height of mankind's achievements by walking on the moon, to worshipping one who was famous for grabbing his crotch. But this should be good news to you, for it suggests that you've finally won the culture war.
He didn't lip sync everything, but during the big dance bits he wasn't singing, ala Madonna
You didn't seriously just put Da Vinci on the same level as Michael Jackson. Da Vinci painted, sculpted, and invented things. Michael Jackson sang and danced.
I'd suggest for you to go back to school, but these days it's not like you'll actually learn anything else there.
CgntvDssdnt = *lost cause*
How's that tolerance working out for you?
in all fairness it it probably really hard to sing and dance.
I figure most song/dance stars do it. You are just not supposed to point it out.
You obviously do care, otherwise you wouldn't post here. And angrily, I might add.
You're pathetic, gimmejavaNOW. Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins did the near-impossible and came back safely. I am disgusted by anyone who would show such disrespect to these heroes.
A. because you keep posting here
B. you are not signed in and don't get reply notices, and came back to the thread to see if anyone posted a reply
Come on admit it, you know you care.
Old guy rant:
Song and dance men and women of old could do it all!!
Oh yes I did. And I seriously did. And when I was in school, in philosphy course specifically, I was tought to make examples explicitly clear as possible by framing them using extremes.
So just earlier I thought to myself: The article missess a point which is that one guy (Armstrong) is a pioneer, and not metaphorically, but literally. And Michael Jackson is an entertainer / artist. So who are two other examples, and EXTREME examples of a pioneer and an artist? Columbus and Da Vinci!!
Now, Da Vinci example was flawed because he wasn't just an artist, he was also an inventor. So I revised my point by comparing Michael Jackson to his namesake, Michaelangelo.
Are they on the same level? No. But separate out the frontier pioneers versus the artists from this collection: Michaelangelo, Armstong, Michael Jackson, Columbus. You see my point?
Which legacy is bigger, Jackson's or Armstong's? It is an easy question. Which media event would be bigger…Michael Jackson, the astronaut, flying into space and performing the moonwalk on the moon in a NASA spacesuit…OR…Neil Armstrong, draped in leather, singing "Beat It" on stage while thrusting his pelvis? Answer this question and you will know which legacy is bigger.
Just a suggestion but you might want to work a little bit on making your points clear, then.
I don't know if anyone will agree with your take, but I appreciate the clarification.
there is no doubt that achievement is remembered. It just seems that artistic achievements are appreciated more. Is it a shame? maybe.
I will say that I can practice painting or moonwalking. I can't practice getting myself to the moon.
Funny thing…Instapundit reports that they're taking the ISS out of orbit after 2016.
http://www.popsci.com/military-aviation-amp-space...
It is work, and I do try.
It doesn't help that I did contribute a clarification earlier that was cited for review by administration, which is discouraging.
It is work, and I do try.
It doesn't help that I did contribute a clarification earlier that was inexplicably cited for review by administration, which is discouraging.
yeah yeah uphill both ways.
But I will say i get tired just watching those performances. Of course I too am becomming an old guy.
I hate that…it's usually the posts I really like that end up getting \”reviewed\” and then timed-out/deleted.
I hate that…it's usually the posts I really like that end up getting \”reviewed\” and then timed-out/deleted.
I hate that…it's usually the posts I really like that end up getting \”reviewed\” and then timed-out/deleted.
In the snow!!
Just like to add one thing: For a gen-xer like me, the photography used to underscore the article's point is a bit ironic.
Its an iconic photo to be sure…but when i see it I basically think of MTV. And who do you think MTV considers a bigger hero – the guy in the photo or MJ?! LOL.
Just like to add one thing: For a gen-xer like me, the photograph used to underscore the article's point is a bit ironic.
Its an iconic photo to be sure…but when i see it I basically think of MTV. And who do you think MTV considers a bigger hero – the guy in the photo or MJ?! LOL.
Neil Armstrong, American Hero
Michael Jackson, American Wierdo.
Nuff said.
did they do the moon man logo because of MJ?
Bojangles and Shirley Temple on the steps! Whoah!
I'm sure you are right but sometimes I get nostalgic for that sense of shared national accomplishment the moon landings seemed to bring. It was a a serious and grown-up endeavor led by men who were very smart, very tough and phenomenally brave. I live in Ohio and there is talk of closing the Armstrong Sace Museum in Wapokeneta due to low revenues and low interest. Going into space was a centuries-old dream and it died with a whimper. Meanwhile the Jackson family will undoubtedly keep the "legacy" of Michael Jackson (whatever that is) alive for the rst of my lifetime.
Mmm. Fried broccoli. Why has no one invented this yet?
That'll go when the government stops sending Michael Jackson coverage directly into my brain. They've even found a way to defeat tinfoil now. Gotta go now. The helicopters of color are coming.
That'll go when the government stops sending Michael Jackson coverage directly into my brain. They've even found a way to defeat the tinfoil. Gotta go now. The helicopters of color are coming.
I suppose I'm still remembering Carl Sagan's "Cosmos" in 1980. In one of the episodes Sagan (in that hypnotically vampire-like voice) described different vehicles for inter-planetary travel that "we can build now." One of them was some sort of ramjet like spaceship that would gather solar particles, accelerate them, and use the energy as thrusters. I was a young man and very naive. The good Dr. Sagan always seemed a bit of a snake-oil salesman (albeit a nice one) and a little fuzzy on practical matters.
Michael Jordan is dead??? Where have I been?
Seriously, you're spot on with the "checkbook philanthropy" that MJ showed. And with the amount of debt he was in, it appears that he was giving away money that didn't exist – perhaps he got it at Neverland Ranch OR, from Oblahblah and the gubmint.
My uncle always gives me, "and that's a fact". Really? The best is letting him roll on and contradict himself five minutes into one of his rants (which he always does).
God I love family reunions!!!
Go clean your room
I'm not showing disrespect, I just don't think you can compare a specific historical act to music, something most would consider a daily staple. Music is a visceral and immediate experience that touches the soul in a fundamentally different way than anything else. We don't relive historical events with the regularity that music is a part of our lives. And let's face it–you have a huge amount of people alive in America today for whom the moon landings are deep in the mists of history. Personally, I felt McCain lost traction in the election because, despite his heroism, to kids in their 20's he may as well have fought in the Civil War as Vietnam for their knowledge of it and its relevance to their daily lives.
"but you can't call Jackson's music unoriginal"
Yes , I can.
It was unoriginal. There's no such thing as "original" in music. It's all derivative.
I can, if you like, cite similar riffs, chord progressions, and melodies, too his songs.
I mean, maybe it's original to you because you were born in 1995
Boys wanted to be like Neil Armstrong.
Michael Jackson wanted to be like boys.
The gist of the article is dead-on. This has nothing to do with left, right or center, and it screams of the Left's desperation that you would try to make it so.
Michael Jackson had a great deal of talent, yes — but neither his talent, nor his giving in any way compare to Neil Armstrong's achievement.
THAT is the point of the article: We laud and celebrate precisely the wrong people, and spend our time disgustingly fawning over the wrong people and things, at the expense in ignorance of the masses.
I suppose the Japanese did when they invented tempura. Damn! I've ruined my own pithy metaphor!
As I noted in a previous reply, I find it telling that it is the Left that brings this into the political arena. That's what I would term "desperation".
This is not a political issue, and we have plenty left over for the next round.
How about this? Why don't we simply create a national holiday called "Entertainers Day?" Over the past thirty years our national obsession with entertainment and the canonization of entertainers has eclipsed our respect for military valor and pioneering exploration. "Entertainers Day" could be an all-purpose event that would allow the demented fans of everyone from Thespis to Michael Jackson to honor their favorites int heir own peculiar way. This will also avoid the future necessity of reviving this whole horrendous need for national breast-beating when The Rolling Stones, Sir Paul McCartney, George Clooney, Bono, Oprah Winfrey, those guys in Coldplay, Tom Cruise, Madonna, the cast of "Friends" and Steven Spielberg each finally shuffles off this mortal coil.
Yeah, and Bill Gates gave infinitely more to charity — I guess that makes him a jim-dandy kinda guy, despite his Rockefeller-like hatred of competition, hunh?
On the question of POTUS and his citizenship, if they're afraid of a technicality at that level, they're idiots, since no one could or would make a valid legal claim that a 19-year old American's child is not an American. Despite what conspiracy whack-jobs may want, that argument would never stand in any rational court of law.
OTOH, if the fabled "birth" certificate shows that BHO had been adopted by his American mother, and that his birth mother was in fact a foreign national, say a British national (something very likely in Kenya, being a former British colony), then all bets are off, and there's a case there bigger than Nixon, which brings me too…
…The fact that it has been ruled in court since FDR's time that a natural-born American Citizen is a citizen unto death, period – you can renounce your citizenship all you like, you can be incarcerated for crimes up to and including treason, you can serve under a foreign flag — but if you are born an American Citizen, the USGovt, Inc. considers you a Citizen until you are dead.
To reiterate: If you are a native-born citizen, you cannot renounce your citizenship in any way that the USGovt, Inc will recognize, and neither can you be stripped of your status as a citizen, even if you are found guilty of treason.
Why? Simple: How else are they going to tax you?
Naturalized citizens are a different story, as they can be stripped of their citizenship and deported at any time.
You must be one of those liberals who can't accept the truth, such as you can't accept that Obama is not a natural born citizen, isnt'it?
MJ was part of the American culture. Al Gore is part of those people who are destroying this country.
Why does it kill some people to admit Jackson was unique and might have been good at his craft? I was born in the 60's, my friend, and I will staunchly aver that Jackson's music was original and trendsetting. If you're going to picky, then, fine, no-one's an original artist, except the first caveman who banged on a rock with a stick, because we've all evolved musically from him (or her). So I guess by those standards, no, Mozart, Willie Nelson and Miles Davis aren't originals either because they're just riffing on established musical traditions and brought nothing new to the table.
I have not seen this mentioned so I will post a pointer to it.
http://wechoosethemoon.org/
It is a tribute too the 40 anniversary to the Apollo 11 Moon landing.
.
Oh dude.
Neil Armstrong walking on the moon *is* a bigger and more incredible accomplishment than "Thriller ." However, Michael was more popular, more talented and more beloved. It doesn't matter that he wasn't an astronaut or braved new frontiers or risked his life for science. Jackson was a showman that captured the imagination of a generation and while his mourning is bordering on excess, his fanbase never was one for subtlety anyway.
When Jimmy Page and his orangatan arms finally kicks the bucket, you're not going to think about how much more accomplished Madame Curie or Columbus were, are you?
BTW, this sort of bemoaning his popularity reminds me of the science nerd, with all of his scholarships and awards, being jealous of the high school jock because all the women flocked to him.
Switch to beer!
Damn Buck, I insulted Joe and his Mom and he waon't be automatically notified? Aw, crud!
Damn Buck, I insulted Joe and his Mom and he won't be automatically notified? Aw, crud!
There are wacky buzzwords that trip the censors…it's really a pain in the arse…it really disrupts the flow of things. I commiserate with you on that.
[...] Moonwalker: The Difference Between Achievement and Artifice Big Hollywood – Venice Beach,CA,USA Thomas Edison, the Wright Brothers, Jonas Salk, and Neil Armstrong were household names. Now, singers, actors, and un-sportsmanlike sports stars are held up … [...]
Neil Armstrong will be in history books as long as there are history books. Michael Jackson will soon be just another late celebrity, noted mostly for his nuttiness.
I am seriously unhappy with the auto-moderator software on this site.
Hold on. So you love our space program. And you think its brought us these incredible advancements and benefits. Ok, maybe it just made us feel good we could beat the Russians. I won't even go into who paid for the damn thing (see taxpayers). Maybe Armstrong personally made the rocket. Or he was a great friend for conservatives. Maybe?
But what's the deal with slamming Michael Jackson? I don't love him, but I think for a long period of time, he was an incredible entertainer. A handful of albums? Were you born 5 years ago? Unoriginal? Who was he copying? Tell me some bum hacked into Big Hollywood, and is posting as a contributor. Tell me this is not the pinnacle of conservative thinking – that Michael Jackson, whose fall from grace is well documented, was really a nobody to begin with. So Michael Jackson never achieved anything?
Let Michael Jackson RIP – it's like trying to compare apples to oranges. Between M. Jackson and M. Armstrong; Armstrong was an "American hero" who all Americans (in '69) watched on television "walk on the moon". A great accomplishment for America. Michael Jackson was a great entertainer 20 years ago, who we remember growing up with and enjoying the Jackson 5 and then Michael (solo artist); his music and dance moves. But you really cannot compare the achievement. Armstrong is a true American Hero. I do believe we (America) idolizes Hollywood way too much and should acknowledge people who really do absolutely great things with their lives.
He "rejected his race"? Hmm, why do I think that's the real crime for you. He didn't know his place. He got uppity. He thought he was as good as those white folks.
Scratch just a little around here and you hit the mother lode of bigotry.
Unfortunately, this IS the pinnacle of conservative thinking. Check out the rest of posts — you'll see.
Well, they did both have some legal issues regarding beautiful boys…
Good point. Imagine, Neil Armstrong being used to promote the total crap that is NOW MTV.
To be more precise, MJ had 5-10 good years as an adult. The rest of his so- called fame was tied to his possible pedophilia and his wierd life style.
No need to dump on him but he was one strange puppy.
The first astronaut back on the moon will undoubtedly attempt a moonwalk. It will be cliche, but the world will love it.
So yeah, Jackson is a bigger pop culture deal (when it comes to screaming throngs).
1000 years from now? The fact that we landed on the moon will be remembered and the talented dancer won't be.
I must say Mr. Vice President, that is probably your biggest contribution to mankind.
Well, that and your carbon footprint.
This is a awful troll. Not even original and makes even less sense than Janeane Garafalo teaching the history of the revolution to the mental muppets on MSLSD. Surely you can come up with better than making up things that have not about to not happen yet?! Whatever that means…….
Plenty more to be made at I'll say wait till next quarters unemployment numbers.
There are lovers of opinion
and there are those who love Truth
Plato said that in his better moments when he wasn't advocating a Dictatorial Run State government.
You're trying to be ironic aren't you?
Helium 3 is the only substance worth the expenditure og bringing it back down to Earth and that only if the fusion process can be engineered to produce more energy than put in. That being said I encourage the effort to get there before the Chinese. Once up there it is less costly to send material back down than the trip up. In the 21st century the Man in the Moon will control the Earth.
"But on the other hand he had a wonderful singing voice"
Jack Nicholson as the Joker in the first Batman remake ?!
Yes as a matter of fact we will.
But don't worry Einsiein said it is all Relative but then again he believed in predetermination.
C'mon Abba was better, admit it!
Well at least the posts don't disappear so I'll live with it.
That was a time when we actually taught science to children. No it is self esteem. It is like science but without all that difficult logic and math stuff!
Test ignore post
esteem
"Your mother and I are a little bit concerned about your behavior Joe"…"You're grounded and NO MORE INTERNET!"…"By the way, don't bother your mother, she's tired, I was a little bit too 'hard on the Beaver' last night"…
That didn't stop Wallace and Grommit.
A-men!
Michael Jackson was a talented little boy who grew up to be a complete freak.
Neil Armstrong blasted into space with Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin, landed on the moon, planted the American flag and ~returned to Earth!~ with less technology than the laptop I'm writing on right now.
I believe, as the years play out, that Michael Jackson will fade from memory, but Neil Armstrong will still stand tall as a true leader.
You can't patent a dance move.
Where is the bigotry? Michael Jackson was an exceptionally handsome black man who turned himself into a horrible, funhouse version of a white woman. That is not "uppity", that is tragic. Let me ask you a question: Which other famous African-Americans would you celebrate if they attempted to change their race in similar fashion? Do you consider it a positive, healthy thing to deny your heritage? Would you recommend that other people indulge in years of self-torture to erase reality? I don't celebrate men who have themselves castrated either. Does that make me a sexist?
You apparently think that it is a good and laudable thing for people to be ashamed of their race. I think it is awful that Michael Jackson was driven by personal demons to mutilate himself and I'M the bigot? An interesting definition you have there.
Oh, and here are the words of another terrible racist, Quincy Jones: "He obviously didn't want to be black." (Details Magazine, July, 2009). I am sure you will similarly accuse him of bigotry.
Still SO happy that Michael Jacks-some is dead. What a treat not to hear his flipping squeeky voice again and to not have to see his freakishly ugly face or hear about his dumb-ass antics like holding his kid over the side of a balcony. That entrie family is f-'ed-up and he was the worst. Good riddance! What a bunch of pigs.
Now – soon – ahhhhhhhh…all his lame-ass defenders and fans and apologists will no longer have a platform from which to shout their imbecilities into eternity via the internet.
Michael who?
I misremember, was it that he was "REAL" or that he was "KEEPING IT REAL".
I get those confused?
Euwww, LH! I don't want to think of cheese of any type and MJ's nose. Somehow that just doesn't sit right with me, ya know?
I did like this article, though. I read an article in Reader's Digest about the anniversary of the moonlanding, and it just reminds you again how incredible this event was. So many things that shouldn't have gone right, did. It is almost a test of incredulity to even believe they did complete this amazing event. Awesome!
And let's not forget that all three of the original moon visitors are alive. They are all getting up there in age, but are still with us. Buzz Aldrin was recently involved in making a music video, strange that it sounds.
I was never a fan of MJ or his music, but he was one of the great musicians of his time, As for Armstrong, well when you really look at how they did it and with what they did it with, you just sit there with you jaw open. There is more computer power in a wrist watch that what was on Apollo 11. I was watching the whole thing on TV back then. While MJ got a lot of press this past week, the soap opera that was his life will continue for the next 25 or so years, sad but a fact of life. When Major Audie Murphy died, he didn't get 30 sec on the evening news. No matter he is remembered. And So it will be with Neil, when that time comes. I am betting that the Memory of Neil and the Moon Landing will be long remembered and talked of long after MJ is forgotten. thou, they will do to him what has become of Elvis, an on going industry the fan's will want that and well when you have that kind of income to be had you just know old Joe is trying to figuire out a way, and Jessie and the Rev Al are looking for there piece of the action.
Trouble is, when you eat more french fries – many more french fries – than broccoli, eventually you stand the risk of gaining weight, becoming obese, and developing heart disease, type II diabetes, and/or colon cancer, among other things. I think that's what is happening to American society right now (metaphorically speaking). By consuming nothing but the "junk food" of pop culture, American society (especially the young) is turning sick and stupid.
…years later, the science nerd is pulling in big bucks and driving a Lexus after taking his start-up public while the washed-up jock is selling insurance back in his home town after blowing out his knee and losing his college athletic scholarship…
Michael Jackson's giant bronze casket was probably worth more than Major Audie Murphy's home. Still, Major Murphy became the most decorated soldier of the Second World War – not bad for a poor farm kid who was turned down by Marine Corps and Navy recruiters. Too bad his war wound disqualified him from attending West Point – it would have been interesting to have followed his career.
I think i would prefer Band Camp.
I wanna use them someday as the background music during an intense action scene.
yeah, but your boss invented the crotch grab.
*wipes a tear of happiness from my eye* You're right! he does care.
he loves us.. he really loves us…
Nothing can stop Grommit. Wallace is another matter though.
As usual, history will be the final arbiter. Who was the most popular musical artist in 1776?
You are never going to be a movie star. So don't make comments about movies. And you will never be a television star. So don't talk about television. And you will never be a surgeon. So don't complain about health care costs. And you will never win an Olympic gold medal. So don't comment about sports. And you will never be a famous journalist, so….
So do you want the more accomplished, hard-working, nose-to-the-grindstone surgeon working on you today? Or the really popular one?
@Matt Patterson
I think you'll enjoy this ad celebrating the Apollo 11 moon landing:
https://www.catholicvote.org/index.php?/site/dona...
Exactly what I meant…take a walk through the mall and you'll see that's true. (about the french fries) The problem is turning people's habits around. When you figure out how, let me know & we'll make millions!
well, technically, no. But you can patent special shoes that enable the dance move in question. That's exactly what he did:
<a href=”http://www.google.com/patents?vid=USPAT5255452” target=”_blank”>http://www.google.com/patents?vid=USPAT5255452
there you have it folks. Michael Jackson pretty much *was* the reincarnation of Leonardo Da Vinci. LMFAO.
I get a kick out of it….. I have to say that you do care.. or else you would NEVER post in here!!! muahahhahhahaha
[...] Moonwalker: The Difference Between Achievement and Artifice by Matt Patterson [...]
That's a little surreal but OK
What song
[...] Matt Patterson at Big Hollywood: Mr. Armstrong is still alive, and, as far as I know, in good health. But alas, one day, like all of us, Armstrong will shuffle off this mortal coil. When he does, his passing will no doubt be news – it will lead on all of the broadcast and cable news programs, and decorate the front pages of the daily papers. He might even for a brief moment replace The Chosen One’s smiling visage on the covers of the etiolated news weeklies which grow thinner in size and substance with each passing week. [...]
surreal and oh so wrong. makes it perfect.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-mVcS4TYhM
How about this one Dark Wolf
Try a matrix style martial arts fight choreographed to it. The spinning flying kick lands after the line makes me dizzy is sung
PERFECT!
[...] future lists. For now, Sinatra answers the time-tested question better than anyone. … Moonwalker: The Difference Between Achievement and ArtificeTry telling Jesse Jackson or Jamie Foxx that, though. The LEFT picked the BIGGEST LEMON EVER off the [...]
I watched the first moon landing as a small child and was and am still in awe of that accomplishment and the hope that it gives all people. I also love Michael Jacksons music which btw was some of the most original pop music ever written. I loved to watch him on stage, the intensity and skill demonstrated in his performances was unmatched. I am inspired by his hope for the world and the time and money he donated to charitable causes.
I have been touched deeply by the moon landing and Michael Jackson. Not mutually exsclusive. Art and science. Appreciate them both.
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