The Panther

Is there a Michael Jackson in each of us?

During this month we celebrate the 25th anniversary of Michael Jackson's album, "Thriller." Most of the readers of the Panther may not be old enough to remember this monumental album but I would venture to guess that worldwide, those who are 30 years of age and older are very familiar with the album. The anniversary of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" not only brought back memories of Jackson but it also brought back memories of the essay that I wrote about him.

Several years ago I wrote a metaphorical essay about Jackson which I will, in part, reproduce here. The essay served as a mechanism for examining the concept of racial /ethnic identity. I believed that Jackson's public lifestyle gave us the opportunity to enter into a dialogue about racial identity and the possible extremes of racial mis-identification.

Most people allow themselves to be seen through many lenses. Thus I make this caveat, I know Michael only through his public lens. It is conceivable that Jackson's public self is quite different from his private self. Still, what we know of him provides an opportunity to examine our ethnic identity.

The physical transformations of Michael have been remarkable. Not withstanding a rare skin disease, Michael's skin color is considerably lighter now than it was 30 years ago. Further, it is my understanding that considerable cosmetic surgery has been done on Michael's nose, his face and his lips. Michael's current physical features seem to betray his African roots. It became clear to me that the exaggerated physical transformation that Michael undertook was not necessarily unique to him but may be part of a transformative pattern that many people of African descent engage in.

In my nearly 25 years as a psychologist I have observed the behaviors of many African Americans who seem to be consumed by constant but self-defeating attempts to change their physical and psychological selves so that they can fit into an image that seems closer to an assimilated American ideal. What seems to be at the core of this transformation is a struggle with racial identity.

Michael's transformation provides an extreme metaphor illustrating to the African American community both the process and consequences of being disconnected from one's ethnicity, culture and race. Michael's re-imaging clearly moves him physically away from the modal (average) features of his African forefathers. The apparent decision of Michael to move away from what is African is clearly his choice to make, and certainly we all have that right, but the issue at hand is: why the extreme transformation? My belief is that individuals who experience a distorted state of identity engage in an exaggerated striving to achieve a constructed Western/ American image of self. It is this incongruence between real self and idealized western self that contributes to disorders in ethnic identity.

The individual's exaggerated attempt to transform his physical appearance seems to demonstrate a disproportionate concern about pleasing and relying on Western/American standards of worth for validation. The individual seems to be caught in a struggle to fulfill the western role rather than their own individual role as a person of African descent. In many regards the Western/American identity is not their own but instead that of an identity constructed by society. Extremes of this are illustrated by Michael Jackson.

For many African Americans the expected rewards for engaging in exaggerated western norms do not always produce the anticipated social gains. Worse yet when the expectations do not materialize the individual may believe himself to be unworthy and may eventually become alienated from both the black community and the larger society.

Michael Jackson's actions speak eerily to us as it begs the question "Is there a Michael Jackson in each of us?

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