Brothers, sisters, and others,

After watching the continued character assassination of Michael Jackson, it came to me that the machinations of white supremacy are so bizarre, they are simply just funny. The disturbing way in which Primetime host Barbara Walters always seemed to have something hurtful to say about Michael Jackson, before almost every commercial break was itself saddening. Now, before the Over Emotionals come running out of the woodworks to defend this decadent system (as Morpheus advised some of us would do), I am not dismissing all of MJ's behavior. But then, I am not a psychologist, and will not pretend to be. Michael (like scores of Afrikan people in America) certainly suffers from having a ravaged self esteem. He admits it throughout the broadcast. Let's give him credit for that at least. How many of us, in our attempt to ignore the same issues, spend our lives trying to make ourselves more and more of what we're not??? In this instance, Michael is not alone.

By his own admission, Michael's self image was summarily emaciated, primarily by his father but by other family members as well. Why??? He was verbally attacked for having a big nose. There's no wonder, then, why he would spend so much time and money trying to re-create his nose into that European, aquiline type nose. Again, he's not alone, as for centuries millions of Afrikan people (around the world) have been taught to think less of themselves because of their phenotypical features. Why, to this very day, bleaching creams "that take away those HORRIBLE blemishes" are purchased by Afrikan people at alarming rates (and if you think those products are strictly about removing those blemishes, then as my mentor, Dr. John Henrik Clarke, would say, that wasn't water you've been drinking).

In this sense, Michael is only a manifestation of over 500 years of out-right assault on the minds of Afrikan people. But, then, this is hardly ever considered because 1) it's easier to join in on the character assassination of someone (especially if they are Afrikan); and 2) too many of us are not critical thinkers (unless, of course, it comes to who will win the latest Survivor outing/season or who really has a chance to "make it" on American Idol). Anyone who may find it difficult to accept this need only study the works of Afrikan psychologist Kenneth B. Clark, Pan Afrikan theorectician Amos N. Wilson and noted Afrikan psychiatrist Frances Cress Welsing. Self hatred is (and has been) so rampant in our community that there are those of us who will sacrifice life and limb to become "more beautiful". I think that Michael's desire to make himself over (into something he is not) needs to be seen in this light.

Also, the attacks on Michael Jackson (personal and otherwise) have seemed to escalate in the last few years (really in the last few months). Granted, Michael and his eccentric behavior has always been a cash cow for The National Enquirer, Star, ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, CNN, et al. ad infinitum. But it seems (and i could be incorrect) that the more scathing, vitriolic trash about him surfaced after he commented about racism in the music industry. There are no such things as coincidences.

Again, i must add that i do not condone putting a child over a balcony banister so fans "could see"; nor do I embrace the notion of an almost middle aged man sleeping in the same bed as small children (especially when they are not your own). But where was the same coverage when others have done far worse??? (e.g. imagine the coverage Jim Jones would have got if all 3000 of his followers were European and non-Afrikan). To put the nail in the coffin of those of us who were not ready to roll out of the house with a sawed off shot gun looking for Mike (that damn pedophile), they (ABC) give the journalist (Martin Bashir) another 25 minutes to offer HIS interpretation of the time he spent with Michael. Let us remember a key word here---JOURNALIST. He's not a psychiatrist, nor is he a psychologist; he's not an expert on anything except JOURNALISM (and we'll give him the benefit of the doubt by giving him that).

Yes, Mike has some issues and some serious growing up to do. But there is more to this story than that. Another angle that should be considered is that there seems to people out there that are hell-bent on destroying him (and after the destruction of so many of Afrikans of some kind of stature [from Michael Jordan, W.E.B. DuBois and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to Marian Wright Edelman, Maya Angelou and Betty Shabazz], it beginning to look like MORE THAN a pattern).

Just some thoughts.

SOULONE