Post by respect77 on Sept 20, 2023 15:26:48 GMT
This is a comment taken from the Michael Jackson Book Club Facebook group. I thought I'd share because it highlights MJ's ability to reach new generations with his art.
I have a story I'd like to share with you all. This is about something I experienced yesterday that speaks to the power of Michael Jackson's legacy within the current generation (Gen Z) and why I firmly feel we have nothing to worry about as a fan base. As with all my posts this is long and detailed, so buckle up lol
As some of you may know, I am a college English professor. I teach almost entirely first-year composition. Well, this week we are talking about "genre." What is genre? How do we identify genre? How do we adapt to different genres? That sort of thing. Well, I like to kick off this topic with a day spent in deep genre analysis. So for this particular lesson, I bring in tons of my personal belongings that represent different types of written genres. Cookbooks, poetry collections, comic books/graphic novels, miscellaneous items like greeting cards, tarot cards, fan fiction, you name it. Well, I also like to bring in physical media including vinyl records and CDs. I like them to analyze liner notes, visual rhetoric, lyrics, etc. What can they determine about genre and audience by looking at these things? I set these items up around the room in "stations" and they visit the stations throughout class, analyzing a few items from each.
I have about 150+ records. Since becoming an MJ fan, he has pretty much taken over my collection. I spend hours (HOURS) scouring record stores for not only his six primary adult albums, but also the 45s of his singles, and the Jacksons albums as well. I am accruing quite a collection (if anyone is interested, I'd be happy to share it, but it's probably quite small compared to others). Needless to say, when I do this assignment I want to bring in albums they will actually recognize. So I brought in an assortment of records: Queen, The Beatles, John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix, Fleetwood Mac, Elton John, Bob Dylan, Yo-yo ma, and, of course Michael Jackson. For Michael, I brought in Thriller 25, Bad 25, and Dangerous. I also brought Thriller 40 on CD, the MJ Motown Stripped sessions on CD, and a 45 of "We are the World."
What I'd like to share with you all is the reactions from my students. Now, again, all of my students are between 18-19 years old, which means they were 4-5 years old when Michael died. Each of my classes is small, with about 15 students each. Each of my classes is racially and ethnically diverse.
My first class: As I am unpacking the vinyl I hear "is that Michael Jackson?!" from one of my female students. She is giddy. I explain the assignment and prompt my students to get up and move around. Immediately, half of the class goes to the vinyl station. They are all grabbing the Michael records - the vinyl, the cds, the We are the World 45. They are shocked that I own these. The other albums are almost entirely ignored. Two girls work through Thriller 25, opening it up and gasping at the pictures. One even takes it and shows it to me, "This is amazing. I want this in my collection. I already have three copies of Thriller but not this one!" Two other girls take Bad 25. "This is one of my favorite albums!" one of them says. She and her friend stare at the photography. "I want to find a boy who will wear eyeliner like this." They go back to their seat and loudly discuss Michael. "God, he was so pretty, wasn't he? He was so good-looking." One asks "What genre was he?" and the other says, "he is The King of Pop! How could you even ask?" Another student from across the room shouts, "he didn't have a genre, he wasn't limited like that. Another student takes the "We are the World" 45 and starts singing it. "I love this song so much!" she says.
Second Class: I begin unpacking the vinyl, "are those all yours?" someone asks. Of course. They are amazed that I would own vinyl records. Once again, I prompt them to start, and half the class gravitates to the vinyl records. They are fumbling through the Michael albums; the rest are mostly ignored. Two girls scream "oh my God, you have Michael Jackson!" they take Thriller and Bad and run to their seats. A boy grabs "Dangerous" and spends the entire class reading lyrics (not the assignment lol). These albums get passed around the class because everyone wants to see them.
Third Class: I begin unpacking the vinyl," do you have a record player?" Of course. They are amazed that I would own vinyl records and be able to play them. I set them loose and half the class gravitates to the vinyl. Two boys: "Michael Jackson! I love Michael Jackson. This is the greatest album of all time (Thriller)." Another disagrees, "no, this is the one!" (Bad). One starts singing Beat It. A few reminisce about playing the Michael Jackson experience. One is looking at the photos in Thriller 25 and in a (particularly gorgeous) photo Michael is dressed like royalty (of course) and one of the boys says "I would wear this right now, TODAY." Later, a girl comes up and gasps when she sees Michael Jackson albums. She wants to look at Bad because it's her favorite. She takes Queen next. After a few minutes, she raises her hand and asks "did people really like this band?" and I say, "Well yes, they are still very popular." And she huffs and goes, "well, not MICHAEL JACKSON popular." I laughed and said, well no one is. She says, "Maybe Beyonce?" and a male student says, "no. No one comes close to Michael. No one is as popular as him." The girl says, "he just had that aura, didn't he?"
Friends, it is 2023. These are 18-19 year olds. Can I stress that enough? These are kids who perhaps discovered him in childhood through parents, or perhaps through TikTok, but either way, they know him and they revere him. They see him as fascinating and exciting. They see him as current. Last year I did this same assignment and a student wrote in her analysis "Bob Dylan is music for my dad, Michael Jackson is music for my generation."
While of course it is possible some of the quieter kids have a negative perception of Michael, there was a class-wide excitement about him in each class that, if nothing else, proves that whatever negative view of him that infected my generation (millennials) is definitely not carrying over to them. It's also showing any kids who have a negative view that there is more to Michael than that. We all know Michael's appeal crosses all generations, but with social media it is easy to get sucked into the negative and believe his legacy is suffering greatly. I truly don't believe it is. I trust the enthusiasm I see, the excitement in my students' voices, and their absolute steadfast understanding that Michael is a legend.
This, to me, is something to be excited about heartโค๏ธ
As some of you may know, I am a college English professor. I teach almost entirely first-year composition. Well, this week we are talking about "genre." What is genre? How do we identify genre? How do we adapt to different genres? That sort of thing. Well, I like to kick off this topic with a day spent in deep genre analysis. So for this particular lesson, I bring in tons of my personal belongings that represent different types of written genres. Cookbooks, poetry collections, comic books/graphic novels, miscellaneous items like greeting cards, tarot cards, fan fiction, you name it. Well, I also like to bring in physical media including vinyl records and CDs. I like them to analyze liner notes, visual rhetoric, lyrics, etc. What can they determine about genre and audience by looking at these things? I set these items up around the room in "stations" and they visit the stations throughout class, analyzing a few items from each.
I have about 150+ records. Since becoming an MJ fan, he has pretty much taken over my collection. I spend hours (HOURS) scouring record stores for not only his six primary adult albums, but also the 45s of his singles, and the Jacksons albums as well. I am accruing quite a collection (if anyone is interested, I'd be happy to share it, but it's probably quite small compared to others). Needless to say, when I do this assignment I want to bring in albums they will actually recognize. So I brought in an assortment of records: Queen, The Beatles, John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix, Fleetwood Mac, Elton John, Bob Dylan, Yo-yo ma, and, of course Michael Jackson. For Michael, I brought in Thriller 25, Bad 25, and Dangerous. I also brought Thriller 40 on CD, the MJ Motown Stripped sessions on CD, and a 45 of "We are the World."
What I'd like to share with you all is the reactions from my students. Now, again, all of my students are between 18-19 years old, which means they were 4-5 years old when Michael died. Each of my classes is small, with about 15 students each. Each of my classes is racially and ethnically diverse.
My first class: As I am unpacking the vinyl I hear "is that Michael Jackson?!" from one of my female students. She is giddy. I explain the assignment and prompt my students to get up and move around. Immediately, half of the class goes to the vinyl station. They are all grabbing the Michael records - the vinyl, the cds, the We are the World 45. They are shocked that I own these. The other albums are almost entirely ignored. Two girls work through Thriller 25, opening it up and gasping at the pictures. One even takes it and shows it to me, "This is amazing. I want this in my collection. I already have three copies of Thriller but not this one!" Two other girls take Bad 25. "This is one of my favorite albums!" one of them says. She and her friend stare at the photography. "I want to find a boy who will wear eyeliner like this." They go back to their seat and loudly discuss Michael. "God, he was so pretty, wasn't he? He was so good-looking." One asks "What genre was he?" and the other says, "he is The King of Pop! How could you even ask?" Another student from across the room shouts, "he didn't have a genre, he wasn't limited like that. Another student takes the "We are the World" 45 and starts singing it. "I love this song so much!" she says.
Second Class: I begin unpacking the vinyl, "are those all yours?" someone asks. Of course. They are amazed that I would own vinyl records. Once again, I prompt them to start, and half the class gravitates to the vinyl records. They are fumbling through the Michael albums; the rest are mostly ignored. Two girls scream "oh my God, you have Michael Jackson!" they take Thriller and Bad and run to their seats. A boy grabs "Dangerous" and spends the entire class reading lyrics (not the assignment lol). These albums get passed around the class because everyone wants to see them.
Third Class: I begin unpacking the vinyl," do you have a record player?" Of course. They are amazed that I would own vinyl records and be able to play them. I set them loose and half the class gravitates to the vinyl. Two boys: "Michael Jackson! I love Michael Jackson. This is the greatest album of all time (Thriller)." Another disagrees, "no, this is the one!" (Bad). One starts singing Beat It. A few reminisce about playing the Michael Jackson experience. One is looking at the photos in Thriller 25 and in a (particularly gorgeous) photo Michael is dressed like royalty (of course) and one of the boys says "I would wear this right now, TODAY." Later, a girl comes up and gasps when she sees Michael Jackson albums. She wants to look at Bad because it's her favorite. She takes Queen next. After a few minutes, she raises her hand and asks "did people really like this band?" and I say, "Well yes, they are still very popular." And she huffs and goes, "well, not MICHAEL JACKSON popular." I laughed and said, well no one is. She says, "Maybe Beyonce?" and a male student says, "no. No one comes close to Michael. No one is as popular as him." The girl says, "he just had that aura, didn't he?"
Friends, it is 2023. These are 18-19 year olds. Can I stress that enough? These are kids who perhaps discovered him in childhood through parents, or perhaps through TikTok, but either way, they know him and they revere him. They see him as fascinating and exciting. They see him as current. Last year I did this same assignment and a student wrote in her analysis "Bob Dylan is music for my dad, Michael Jackson is music for my generation."
While of course it is possible some of the quieter kids have a negative perception of Michael, there was a class-wide excitement about him in each class that, if nothing else, proves that whatever negative view of him that infected my generation (millennials) is definitely not carrying over to them. It's also showing any kids who have a negative view that there is more to Michael than that. We all know Michael's appeal crosses all generations, but with social media it is easy to get sucked into the negative and believe his legacy is suffering greatly. I truly don't believe it is. I trust the enthusiasm I see, the excitement in my students' voices, and their absolute steadfast understanding that Michael is a legend.
This, to me, is something to be excited about heartโค๏ธ
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