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I grew up in the Michael Jackson era and, while I knew he wasn't the 'inventor' of the moonwalk, a friend sent me a video that showed me the real roots of many of the King of Pop's dance moves and I thought you just had to see it.
In the video, you see the likes of Sammy Davis, Jr., Bill Bailey and Cab Calloway, all doing Michael's signature move decades before he performed it at the Apollo Theater in New York.
I know what you're saying. Yes, we all know Michael Jackson didn't invent the moonwalk. But, in looking at the video even more, you see more -- Sammy Davis, Jr. with his hat slanted down over his face as Michael did at the beginning of his Apollo performance -- another video showing someone (again I don't know who; we just see his feet) up on his toes like MJ.
Toward the middle of the video is another clip -- a man in a suit with a hat and cane dancing up a staircase. It's eerily reminiscent of Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal" video.
And, finally, at the very end, you see a clip (I don't know who the people are) that is exactly the pose Michael Jackson has used a million times -- feet spread apart, hand in the air.
I thought the video was incredible. It reminds us that while Michael Jackson was an incredibly talented musician and dancer, there are dozens of others who you may or may not have seen who paved the way.
Okay, I need to rant.
I was just watching the news, and I caught part of a report on Michael Jackson. As we all know, Jackson died the other day. He was an entertainer who performed for decades. He made millions, he spent millions, and he did a lot of things that make him a villian to many people. I understand that his death would affect a lot of people, and I respect those people who mourn his death, but that isn't the point of my rant.
Why is it that when ONE man dies, the whole of America loses their minds with grief. When a man dies whose only contribution to the country was to ENTERTAIN people, the Amercian people find the need to flock to a memorial in Hollywood , and even Congress sees the need to hold a "moment of silence" for his passing?
Am I missing something here? ONE man dies, and all of a sudden he's a freaking martyr because he entertained us for a few decades? What about all those SOLDIERS who have died to give us freedom? All those Soldiers who, knowing that they would be asked to fight in a war, still raised their hands and swore to defend the Constitution and the United States of America . Where is their moment of silence? Where are the people flocking to their graves or memorials and mourning over them because they made the ultimate sacrifice? Why is it when a Soldier dies, there are more people saying "good riddence," and "thank God for IEDs?" When did this country become so calloused to the sacrifice of GOOD MEN and WOMEN, that they can arbitrarily blow off their deaths, and instead, throw themselves into mourning for a "Pop Icon?"
I think that if they are going to hold a moment of silence IN CONGRESS for Michael Jackson, they need to hold a moment of silence for every service member killed in Iraq and Afghanistan .. They need to PUBLICLY recognize every life that has been lost so that the American people can live their callous little lives in the luxury and freedom that WE, those that are living and those that have gone on, have provided for them. But, wait, that would take too much time, because there have been so many willing to make that sacrifice. After all, we will never make millions of dollars. We will never star in movies, or write hit songs that the world will listen too. We only shed our blood, sweat and tears so that people can enjoy what they have.
Sorry if I have offended, but I needed to say it. Remember these five words the next time you think of someone who is serving in the military;
"So that others may live..."
Isaac
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{ts '2009-10-14 10:08:43'}
