Comments on: Separating Icons From Heroes

Schieffer Says An Artist's Work And His Life Can Be Held Mutually Exclusive

[ldrachiele]

I am visiting this site for the first time because I wish to applaud Bob Schiefer's commentary on Face the Nation involving the hype surrounding the death of Michael Jackson. His remarks were so well articulated and so appropriate. This is not to say that I did not appreciate Michael Jackson's talent.

[cru-sader]

To ArmandB:

There are 3 items that would be part of a resonable reaction to your 'witch-hunt':

1- People who believe Michael is a child-molester(even though he was acquitted in a court of law);
2- those who believe he was innocent in the first place(he is not that type of person);
3- and those who whould believe that since he was acquitted in a court of law,
he should not be accused of such a thing anymore.

I choose to believe #2, and for reason #3 I believe I'm right.
So where do you get off thinking he's still guilty?! Where's the proof(not some concocted proof)?
He was innocent until proven guilty must not mean much to you.
It's people like you who give this country's respect(ie. lack of respect) for the law, the lack
of seriousness it should have, in the world. shame.

[ubrew12]

When Michael Jackson was investigated in 2004, they invaded his ranch with more law enforcement personnel than had EVER been used in any murder, serial killer, or pedophile investigation in U.S. history (that's true to this day). Also, when Jackson was told to fly back to CA from Las Vegas to be placed under arrest, they bugged his jet with no warrant or explanation, and tried to sell the conversations recorded there to FOX news, among others. No one bought, cuz nothing was found of importance.

My point is this: they HAD Jackson. And wouldn't you and they have expected to find the normal pedophilia websites and magazines that they generally collect in these cases? Instead, they found some nudie-magazines, of the sort many men order, including some weird ones, I guess, of over-weight women (maybe that explains his second wife? LOL) My point is: on the subject of pedophilia, I see A LOT of heat, but no light. WHERE IS THE PROOF???

We've got a huge amount of innuendo, but hey, talk is cheap. The people that wanted to paint Jackson as a child-molestor continually think they can substitute quantity over quality. It reminds me of the alien sitings: just because a thousand people saw alien sitings doesn't make them real. WHERE IS THE PROOF? If Jackson had been found to be surfing even ONE pedophile website, it would be SOOO much easier to conclude he was a perv. But the fact that NO ONE HAS COME FORWARD WITH THAT EVIDENCE, given the microscope his life has been placed under, tells me that this cowboy is all hat and no cattle. Its time for Jackson's detractors to PUT UP OR SHUT UP. And I really don't care how it falls, one way or the other. I just want people who have been making claims for years now to step up to the plate or be prepared to be called a liar or worse.

[drrikdolson]

Decyberdiva?s comments (see above) represent another sad example of the kind of enabling and excuse-making that led to Mr. Jackson?s unfortunate and early demise. In record time it seems Mr. Jackson?s death takes on a bitter racial tone, and with the likes of Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson bizarrely in the mix, you can rest assured the mainstream media will not escape their race-baiting rebuke.

As is customary today, we do not blame the performer himself but instead blame his doctors, his handlers, his record producers, his record company, scores of others, and failing that, a ?racist American media? bent on destroying Mr. Jackson and teaching him a lesson. Shall we blame his errant fascination with sleeping with young boys on his autoimmune disease? Was it because of his vitiligo that he so dramatically altered his face to the likeness of Elizabeth Taylor and appeared almost ghost ?white??

Michael Jackson?s problems were because of Michael Jackson. No longer were there any constraints to and limits on his darkest passions, and he was free to explore them with utter abandon. With that kind of fame, power and wealth he could do whatever he wanted, forever cocooned from responsibility with his clever team of attorneys who helped drain him of his billion-dollar fortune. He was drug-addicted and was warned by family and friends to seek help. In the end, though, Mr. Jackson refused to believe he had a problem, just as he refused to believe there was anything wrong with his proudly-professed interest in young boys. These facts, and many others like them, were not created and widely circulated by a malicious media but were created by a man who was taught from an early age to buy his way out of scandals and embarrassments, all in hopes of protecting his precious legacy as a legendary performer, which by all accounts (including my own) he was.

Michael Jackson will forever be remembered as a gifted artist and performer. But, in the same breath, there will be the many whispers of doubt in a man whose mighty musical career was beset by scandal and shame, and all of it by Michael Jackson?s own famously sequined hand.

[kaandy]

Dear Mr. Shieffer:
Thank you for expressing your opion on MJ today. He had a powerful impact on the music industry during the '80s, but was disapointing to watch the person he became over the past 2 decades. It is difficult to understand the circus the rest of the news media is making over this sad event.
My husband and I really enjoy your show, and appreciate your insight on many issues. Keep up the good work.

[ubrew12]

I seems clear from your post, ArmandB, that Jackson's legacy will never be cleared up without an investigation into the extent to which he 'preyed on children'. Without such an investigation, Jackson will always be assumed, but people like you, to have been a pedophile. Yet, the accuser at his trial was certainly lying (his entire family had a history of preying on celebrity's in that way), many credible boys, like Michauley Culkin, say nothing untoward happened while they were with Jackson. I can find only one instance in which he might have done something inappropriate. We should remember that most of the children he invited to his ranch were suffering from cancer.

I think he was certifiably WEIRD! But a pedophile? If you ask me, the jury is very much OUT on that. For the good of the country, we need to investigate these charges, and find out the degree to which they are true. Jackson seemed to think of himself as Peter Pan. Perhaps he REALLY was that innocent (porn magazines notwithstanding).

[julieann29]

Dear Mr. Schieffer,
Thank you for sharing your perspective on Michael Jackson. I am in agreement. I watched part of a tribute to his musical legacy, and it made me sad to watch how he transformed himself from a nice looking young man into what he became at the end. He obviously had issues beyond just physical illness. This is another example of how fame and fortune do not buy true happiness. We should remember that just because someone is wonderfully talented in some way, that does not necessarily make them someone we should want to be like.

[billyerds]

Dear Bob,

You claim that true American heroes reflect American values. One of those values is being innocent until proven guilty. You didn't come out and say it but comparing Michael Jackson to a murderer, victim of mental illness and a drug abuser shows your very obvious innuendo. I question your dedication to American values when you make these insensitive statements. I am now going to use my right to choose and stop watching your show. Perhaps you're just not a hero either...

[carmenlhb]

Thanks billyerds! I totally agree! Wish I would I have read your post before I constructed my own, it would have saved my blood pressure from rising!! CBS has lost a longtime viewer of Face the Nation after Mr. Scheifer's insensitive comments.

[rushlimpdrug]

Amen to your comment. Shame on bob, or does he know what shame is?

[carreg25]

Dear Bob,
Thank you so much for the opinions you expressed this morning on your show. I was beginning to think I was the only one in the universe who felt this worship of Jackson by the news media was getting out of hand. I am glad to see that there is one person left in the media with a good head on his shoulders. Keep up the good work. I really enjoy your show.

[drjawn]

Dear Bob,
I just want to thank you for being perhaps the only national talking head to express the views you did on Mr. Jackson, views which were desperately necessary to be voiced. I do not feel illnesses are an excuse for weirdness, nor can anyone disgrace his memory more than he has already done. If some of his weirdness can be blamed on his huge popularity, then it seems those who complain about your remarks are to blame as well. If anyone listened to and understood your remarks, they clearly knew you had hit the nail squarley on the head. Thanks again for allowing me to feel there is some sanity left.

[rushlimpdrug]

You are all kidding right? I mean no one ever spoke of Michael
Jackson as a hero.
This was one stupid piece of writing.
For "bob" to assume we do not know the difference is for him to
show his arrogance.
You are talking to an educated group of people as if we don't know
the difference between oranges and apples.

Grow up Bob, we know the difference of going to a concert and going
to a monument.

Explain it to your kids, but not to the readers, or viewers.

[ArmandB]

and which one of these ailments made him prey on children? Sorry, I don't respect give accolades or honor to criminals, no matter how rich or famous they are and no matter what color they are either.

[number81]

Thank Goodness for Bob Schieffer. Somebody finally had the
courage to "tell it like it is." MJ was a great talent, but would you
like your son/daughter to follow in his footsteps? Is he a role model?

[canubeeleve]

Bob I cannot believe that you would disgrace the memory of Michael Jackson this way. Grieiving family members do not need to hear that their loved one was weird, etc at this time. While you have the right to express your opinion in, you have shown some respect for the dead.

[bigsurf1]

Bob, i think you should consider taking the summer off. The entire world knows what a controversial character Michael Jackson was. You would have been better off not commenting at all.

[Henri_Rochard]

My local department store is having a Michael Jackson Clothing Sale.

Boys pants are half off.

[joanle13]

And your icons were saints?? Elvis was a 'freak' and a drug addict, as was Chuck Berry and most of the others of your time. Why can't an entertainer be thought of as just that, instead of having to meet some goody-two shoes "HERO" criteria? Give me a break. The memorial was heartbreaking and fitting for a person who has been through so much in this life, under scrutiny and famous from the time he was 5 years old. Have you no compassion? You have definitely shown your age. "That's the way it was, and we liked it"!

[keys525]

Thank you Bob Schieffer for expressing my sentiments in editorial today.

[skeptical71]

I completely agree with Mr. Schieffer also.
Additionally I would like to say I have worked with lupus patients and have not yet met one who could sustain the energyJackson had nor could any one of them have survived the drug abuse.I question whether he actually had this disease.

[deeschumann]

Bob, I usually agree with your comments and more often than not reflect my point of view. BUT, I was concerned and surprised that you seemed to stand on the side of those that have focused on the rumors that have served to degrade Jackson. These comments are based on rumors and opinions which are not based on fact, understanding or compassion.

My eyes were opened by the interview of Dr.Arnie Klein by Larry King. I watched the original and the repeat program which aired last night (7/11). I would encourage you and your audience to check out the interview. He reaffirmed what Deepak Chopra had previously said that Michael did, in fact, suffer from vitiligo and lupus, both autoimmune diseases. It helped me understand that much of his behavior that seemed odd and curious was neccessary because of these health problems (umbrella etc.). This is not to say he wasn't eccentric; he was Michael Jackson and a unique individual as many of us are, but few if none of us get any press coverage.

I encourage you, Bob, and all folks to take a look at Larry Kings' interview (CNN/Larry King) of Dr. Arnie Klein. He was Jackson's dermatologist, knew him personally for years and it was his nurse, Debbie Rowe, who married and gave birth to his first two children. I felt a bit ashamed of the judgements I had held about the Micheal Jackson, most based on the odd behavior that actually was driven by his medical problems. I only wish that he had informed us himself. Maybe our view of Michael would have been based on objective fact and understanding. I believe Michael did himself and us an injustice by fueling our negative perceptions of him. He did much for others, but he may have done more by establishing an organization and becoming a spokesperson for the many others who suffer from lupus, vitiligo and other autoimmune diseases. Like me, I suspect that most of you do not have any idea of the challenges posed by these autoimmune diseases.

No, Michael Jackson was not perfect and neither are any of us, but I now have a greater understanding of the real health problems he lived with and now have a more positive view of the man.

[decyberdiva]

The real tragedy here is that someone with a chronic illness, namely Michael Jackson, who suffered from both vitiligo and Lupus -- both auto-immune diseases that affect the skin and other organs (including the heart) -- can be so dismissively labeled as "weird." Ailments that impact African Americans pretty much exclusively do not deserve to be summarily dismissed with such labels as weird or freakish or bizarre simply because the mainstream population doesn't understand them. As a performer, it makes perfect sense that Jackson might wear surgical masks to protect himself. When you suffer from a disease where your body attacks itself, one that's marked by fatigue, swelling of the heart, skin lesions and chronic pain, it makes sense to do so. When you so publicly suffer from a disease like vitiligo, that strips away the pigment of your skin, being a recluse again makes sense. So many people who suffer from skin ailments hide away from the spolight, something Jackson could ill afford to do. Should we make fun of people who suffer from osteoporosis, a disease that rarely strikes African Americans? No, we'd be appalled as we should be when lack of understanding about any disease prompt public ridicule on the scale of that Jackson has faced. Yes, he deserves our respect, our accolades and our honor. And we collectively should be ashamed of ourselves for making a mockery of anyone's personal illness.

[ArmandB]

and which one of these ailments made him prey on children? Sorry, I don't respect give accolades or honor to criminals, no matter how rich or famous they are and no matter what color they are either.

[ubrew12]

I seems clear from your post, ArmandB, that Jackson's legacy will never be cleared up without an investigation into the extent to which he 'preyed on children'. Without such an investigation, Jackson will always be assumed, but people like you, to have been a pedophile. Yet, the accuser at his trial was certainly lying (his entire family had a history of preying on celebrity's in that way), many credible boys, like Michauley Culkin, say nothing untoward happened while they were with Jackson. I can find only one instance in which he might have done something inappropriate. We should remember that most of the children he invited to his ranch were suffering from cancer.

I think he was certifiably WEIRD! But a pedophile? If you ask me, the jury is very much OUT on that. For the good of the country, we need to investigate these charges, and find out the degree to which they are true. Jackson seemed to think of himself as Peter Pan. Perhaps he REALLY was that innocent (porn magazines notwithstanding).

[drrikdolson]

Decyberdiva?s comments (see above) represent another sad example of the kind of enabling and excuse-making that led to Mr. Jackson?s unfortunate and early demise. In record time it seems Mr. Jackson?s death takes on a bitter racial tone, and with the likes of Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson bizarrely in the mix, you can rest assured the mainstream media will not escape their race-baiting rebuke.

As is customary today, we do not blame the performer himself but instead blame his doctors, his handlers, his record producers, his record company, scores of others, and failing that, a ?racist American media? bent on destroying Mr. Jackson and teaching him a lesson. Shall we blame his errant fascination with sleeping with young boys on his autoimmune disease? Was it because of his vitiligo that he so dramatically altered his face to the likeness of Elizabeth Taylor and appeared almost ghost ?white??

Michael Jackson?s problems were because of Michael Jackson. No longer were there any constraints to and limits on his darkest passions, and he was free to explore them with utter abandon. With that kind of fame, power and wealth he could do whatever he wanted, forever cocooned from responsibility with his clever team of attorneys who helped drain him of his billion-dollar fortune. He was drug-addicted and was warned by family and friends to seek help. In the end, though, Mr. Jackson refused to believe he had a problem, just as he refused to believe there was anything wrong with his proudly-professed interest in young boys. These facts, and many others like them, were not created and widely circulated by a malicious media but were created by a man who was taught from an early age to buy his way out of scandals and embarrassments, all in hopes of protecting his precious legacy as a legendary performer, which by all accounts (including my own) he was.

Michael Jackson will forever be remembered as a gifted artist and performer. But, in the same breath, there will be the many whispers of doubt in a man whose mighty musical career was beset by scandal and shame, and all of it by Michael Jackson?s own famously sequined hand.

[ubrew12]

When Michael Jackson was investigated in 2004, they invaded his ranch with more law enforcement personnel than had EVER been used in any murder, serial killer, or pedophile investigation in U.S. history (that's true to this day). Also, when Jackson was told to fly back to CA from Las Vegas to be placed under arrest, they bugged his jet with no warrant or explanation, and tried to sell the conversations recorded there to FOX news, among others. No one bought, cuz nothing was found of importance.

My point is this: they HAD Jackson. And wouldn't you and they have expected to find the normal pedophilia websites and magazines that they generally collect in these cases? Instead, they found some nudie-magazines, of the sort many men order, including some weird ones, I guess, of over-weight women (maybe that explains his second wife? LOL) My point is: on the subject of pedophilia, I see A LOT of heat, but no light. WHERE IS THE PROOF???

We've got a huge amount of innuendo, but hey, talk is cheap. The people that wanted to paint Jackson as a child-molestor continually think they can substitute quantity over quality. It reminds me of the alien sitings: just because a thousand people saw alien sitings doesn't make them real. WHERE IS THE PROOF? If Jackson had been found to be surfing even ONE pedophile website, it would be SOOO much easier to conclude he was a perv. But the fact that NO ONE HAS COME FORWARD WITH THAT EVIDENCE, given the microscope his life has been placed under, tells me that this cowboy is all hat and no cattle. Its time for Jackson's detractors to PUT UP OR SHUT UP. And I really don't care how it falls, one way or the other. I just want people who have been making claims for years now to step up to the plate or be prepared to be called a liar or worse.

[deeschumann]

I made my comments while you were making yours. Take a look at my post:

by deeschumann July 12, 2009 9:12 AM PDT. I think we are in agreement. What do you think?

[deeschumann]

deeschumann July 12, 2009 9:12 AM PDT
Bob, I usually agree with your comments and more often than not reflect my point of view. BUT, I was concerned and surprised that you seemed to stand on the side of those that have focused on the rumors that have served to degrade Jackson. These comments are based on rumors and opinions which are not based on fact, understanding or compassion.

My eyes were opened by the interview of Dr.Arnie Klein by Larry King. I watched the original and the repeat program which aired last night (7/11). I would encourage you and your audience to check out the interview. He reaffirmed what Deepak Chopra had previously said that Michael did, in fact, suffer from vitiligo and lupus, both autoimmune diseases. It helped me understand that much of his behavior that seemed odd and curious was neccessary because of these health problems (umbrella etc.). This is not to say he wasn't eccentric; he was Michael Jackson and a unique individual as many of us are, but few if none of us get any press coverage.

I encourage you, Bob, and all folks to take a look at Larry Kings' interview (CNN/Larry King) of Dr. Arnie Klein. He was Jackson's dermatologist, knew him personally for years and it was his nurse, Debbie Rowe, who married and gave birth to his first two children. I felt a bit ashamed of the judgements I had held about the Micheal Jackson, most based on the odd behavior that actually was driven by his medical problems. I only wish that he had informed us himself. Maybe our view of Michael would have been based on objective fact and understanding. I believe Michael did himself and us an injustice by fueling our negative perceptions of him. He did much for others, but he may have done more by establishing an organization and becoming a spokesperson for the many others who suffer from lupus, vitiligo and other autoimmune diseases. Like me, I suspect that most of you do not have any idea of the challenges posed by these autoimmune diseases.

No, Michael Jackson was not perfect and neither are any of us, but I now have a greater understanding of the real health problems he lived with and now have a more positive view of the man.

I would add that those who ruminate on "preying on children" that Mr.Jackson was aquitted. It amazes me that those of us who believe in our justice system have such difficulty accepting court decisions that disagree with our personal subjective opinions. The only people that have the right to challenge the decisions of our courts are those who were present for all of the testimony or have read the complete records of the case as presented in court. Otherwise it is totally impossible for any of us to disagree with that decision based on merit.

[mcmil12]

First, neither Lupus nor Vitiligo are predominantly African American diseases. Second, you're losing the point of the article - it is absolutely the truth in this country.

There are many black entertainers who have accomplished much and been rightfully recognised for their talents. I adored Michael when I was younger. He DID take his own path and you can't blame a racist media for his decisions.