27th
Some sociologists may argue that our collective reluctance to demonize or abandon MJ at the height of his troubles was rooted in our inability to confront issues like child abuse, and gender identity. But our loyalty stems from something else. First, his talent. Second, the arc of his biography struck a chord: his persistent struggle for respect and redemption — the comeback attempts, the efforts to surmount his recurring financial crises — mirrored the battles that many of us endure daily, albeit in a smaller scale. Even the question of his pigmentation became a metaphor for the black experience in America: he was not comfortable in his own skin, just as black men have not been made to feel comfortable in ours for most of this country’s history. (via The Problematic Idol: Michael Jackson and the Black Experience - TIME)
