The Constitution of the United States was framed before there was any conception of the light bulb, radio, internet, or Black Entertainment Television (BET), MTV or CNN, to name just a few stunning examples. There was no fantasy and no dream that could have previewed that the First Amendment right to freedom of expression would one day come under siege, not by a censoring government, but by commerce itself.
(PRWEB) October 14, 2004 -- The Constitution of the United States was framed before there was any conception of the light bulb, radio, internet, or Black Entertainment Television (BET), MTV or CNN, to name just a few stunning examples. There was no fantasy and no dream that could have previewed that the First Amendment right to freedom of expression would one day come under siege, not by a censoring government, but by commerce itself. A recently released video, 'Just Lose It," by rap artist Marshall Mathers, otherwise known as Eminem, represents the worst in the continuing squandering of the gift of our right to free speech. Just because one is free to say it, or show it, does not mean that one should, or that one should resort to the shock value of personal attacks for the sake of gaining wealth.
Mathers' video crosses every line in disrespecting an artist who has set the standard for the pop music industry itself, including Mathers' own career. In the video, a parody of Michael Jackson is shown with his hair on fire, dousing his flaming head in a public toilet, and then being drenched with a stream of Mathers' vomit. The scene where the Jackson character is seen sitting on a bed upon which little boys are bouncing, may be grounds for a defamation law suit by Jackson, as may a statement made by Mathers concerning "Michael and little boys." Mathers refers to the video as a "spoof." Jackson has a different perception, issuing a statement, "I have respected Eminem as an artist, but this is too much. I am shocked and very angry. A spoof is one thing, this is demeaning and disrespectful."
The disrespect of Mathers' video is for Jackson himself, and for the history of music videos and music TV channels in general. Jackson's legacy is one of the courage to persist in the face of racism in media and culture, and it is this legacy that has allowed Mathers to succeed as a rap artist whose black-genre videos are shown on all music channels. Jackson was the first black man seen on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. His music videos integrated the music television channels and provided a path for others to follow. Following a crash course in history, an apology is in order from Mathers.
Black Entertainment Television has pulled the Mathers' video -- they lost "Just Lose It," - - either in a surge of integrity, or in response to a massive expression of outrage from the Michael Jackson message board, MJJForum. The following is a statement, in its entirety, by MJJForum Fan Community president, Patricia Brown:
"Mathers affront to the most successful black artist in history is outrageous and uncalled for; outrageous in its dehumanization of a fellow human being who has risen to the top of his profession; and uncalled for because Mr. Jackson has never expressed malice toward Mathers in any way. Mathers, who in previous videos and recordings has condoned crimes against women, intolerance of sexual diversity, and domestic violence, has now chosen to single Mr. Jackson out from the other 1980s music icons he claims to spoof" to be publicly and personally humiliated in a way that is nothing short of racial denigration. Being himself an artist who has reached his own level of success by exploiting a musical genre that finds its origins within the African American culture, I find it particularly loathsome that Mathers chooses to so vilely ridicule Mr. Jackson, a fellow artist who has broken through the glass ceiling of discrimination, and has opened doors for other artists of his race to achieve success."
Michael Jackson is currently fighting charges of child-molestation. "Just Lose it" is the nadir of a media onslaught that has obstructed justice throughout the case against Jackson. The assumption of "Just Lose It" is that Jackson is guilty of molesting children, but yet, it would be impossible for Mathers, or for any of the viewing public, to come to that conclusion, given the almost entirely one-sided reporting of the case. In the intrinsic conflict between news as vital information, and news as commercial product, greed is winning. There is an abundance of information to be had that indicates that the case against Jackson is exactly as attorney Mark Geragos described it, an "intersection between greed and revenge." Media have not reported evidence that the mother of the accuser likely coached her son in an extortion attempt, or that she may have consulted with an attorney about Jackson, months before she met him. It has not been reported that she has a history of celebrity-seeking for financial gain, and a history of using civil litigation as a job skill. That Tom Sneddon, the DA in the case, has had a ten year vendetta against Jackson should be obvious. Jackson's attorneys have moved to set aside the indictment of the grand jury and recuse the entire Santa Barbara District attorneys' office, citing gross misconduct. Yet the case, and the media abuse of Jackson continue.
Shock television, as in Fear Factor and related programming, are escalating to the point of the ultimate reality show, the public killing of a human being. Mathers' video is more than malicious; it is potentially lethal. It is doubtful if Jackson would survive in prison. In a moment of journalistic empathy, Geraldo Rivera said:
"How would you feel if you were in the fight for your life, facing years behind bars for a charge you deny and an artist almost as prominent as you are, puts out a video confirming to the world including prospective members of your jury what the prosecutors have been obscenely alleging about you and children is true."
The founders of this nation designed our government as an elegant and self-adjusting system that prevents any one branch from attaining too much power. A not-so-silent partner is the media, the conduit through which information and ideas flow. The First Amendment is a power that can take down an administration, uncover corporate corruption, and protect the rights of every citizen - - but its power is being perverted. The corporate deregulations of recent years have allowed the media giants to devour the independent voices. The media reporting of the Jackson case has been biased to the point of obstruction of justice, as he is tried and convicted in the court of public opinion on one-sided evidence. In an unnecessary insult, Mathers' video is not a spoof; it is simply vicious.
For more investigative research about the Michael Jackson case, go to www.MJRedemption.com
Author K. C. Arceneaux, Ph.D., is a Pushcart nominee and winner of a Tara Fellowship from the Heekin Group. First North American Serial Rights, Copyright October 12, 2004.
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