Lin Boxiao of the Peking Globalist responds to our first topic question: where were you when Michael Jackson died?

BY LIN BOXIAO

It’s been quite a few months since Michael died, and the clamor on the Internet seems to have calmed down a little. When I try to view the whole thing in an impersonal way, getting rid of the influence of media, I find that we, as Chinese, are of great differentiation towards Michael. Michael Jackson means different things to each of us. Our impressions are complicatedly mixed with the misleading articles by the powerful media.

To some of the Chinese, like my grandma, Michael doesn’t exist. Their thoughts freeze in an era of autarchy and blocking out. To some, Michael is a debauchee, a man who changes the color of his skin and commits catamite, which is unbearable to people who think much of morality. To Michael’s fans, most of who know him through tape and radio in 1980s, Michael is the so-called “king of pop”.

Not long after he died, a few news analysts “discovered” that Michael was also a notable philanthropist and humanitarian who donated and raised millions of dollars through support of 39 charities and his own Heal the World Foundation. They praised him and critiqued the media on their lies and disguises. There were more things to be “discovered”: Michael changed his skin because of Vitiligo. The catamite accuse was fake.

I don’t remember my reaction upon hearing this news. The clamors soon went out and the news was soon submerged under the information flood. We know it, but we forget it. China is the same as America. Facing the ceaseless information to deal with everyday, we tend to forget and become numb.

Lin Boxiao is a journalist and editor for 7th issue of the Peking Globalist. He is in his second year at the School of Economics and is originally from Beijing.