The Death of Genius: Michael Jackson

Poet and essayist Ezra Pound once said that a genius on the level of Chaucer, Shakespeare, or Dante was impossible in a contemporary society because it offers people too many avenues to explore thus dividing their focus from one true pursuit—that Chaucer's, Shakespeare's, and Dante's lives, truly dedicated to writing, allowed them to flourish as geniuses. For Pound, genius was created by segmented and compartmentalized realities for each specific writer—from that isolation, genius was born.

Jackson was a genius much the way Pound labeled Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Dante geniuses.

Jackson's childhood lifestyle and wealth allowed him to create a kind of alternate reality within the reality that the rest of us perceive. To that end, Michael Jackson was similarly isolated within his genius like Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Dante.

From that state of "Romanticism enacted," Jackson created his own social mores and norms: a world where age, music, sexuality, dance, and performance intermingled in a way a non-genius could never understand. That is why, in our reality, Jackson epitomized dichotomy: performer and recluse, American icon and pedophile. His actions were brilliant and, then, amoral. To society, these polar opposites were irreconcilable, but to Jackson, they were integrated parts of his life within his genius.
















This image shows Jackson's skewed sense of reality. This painting, part of his home decor, depicts him simultaneously as a prince, knight, and King Arthur. His personal reality, while bizarre to the outside, is what allowed him to create such unique and amazing music and performances. Based on Pound's idea, Jackson's genius is like an alien coming to earth and doing things their own way unaffected by the norms of human society.

His perceptions of paranoia and fear manifested itself in "Billie Jean." His idealistic views on gang violence bled through in "Beat it." And in a reality where Neverland Ranch was home, Jackson created his epic "Thriller" by combining genres in a manner a non-genius never could have imagined.

And that why Jackson is so timeless. His music and influence are not affected by chronology because he is from an alternate reality. His music is current and relevant today because his vision is unlike anything people from our reality have ever seen or will ever see again.

Jackson probably did some "illegal" things in his life, but can we fault him? He lived in a different type of world. A world where his genius was allowed to flourish and his imagination allowed to run rampant. On Pound's idea, Jackson, alone in his own world, was allowed to evolved in a way no other human on earth can ever recreate. Isolated in his own mind, Jackson promoted himself to ruler, emperor, genius, and king...the King of Pop.