Charm Of Michael Jackson And Gov. Sanford

You can’t turn on the television or talk radio without hearing about Michael Jackson’s life and death. Speculation abounds about how many drugs he took, who prescribed them for him, and how long he was on them. The reported ingredients of the drug cocktail increase daily. The Michael Jackson story is also shared with another front-page grabber, Gov. Sanford’s public admission of adultery. We have learned about his escape to South America and the lurid e-mails of his affair.

As a journalist I am just amazed at the ink and airwaves that these two stories have consumed. With the impact on our lives that health care and cap and trade will have, it is quite amazing that even the most down-to-business nerd is captivated by these two stories.

Is it because we lead such pathetic lives that we have to glom onto the life stories of others? Or is it because the lives of these two public figures resonate so much with our own? My view is that we can’t get enough of the Jackson and Sanford stories because they mirror the experience we all have as human beings.

Michael Jackson had great talent. He was able to accomplish what few human beings on this planet could do: He united people with his music. The notes were heard ’round the world.

When the Taliban was ousted from Afghanistan, it was Michael Jackson’s music that was played. Diverse cultures all over the world knew his music and his face. People knew his life as well as his music, and it was his life that captivated all of us.

However, stories abound of the abusive father pushing his children and not giving Michael an opportunity to have a childhood. Instead, he was told his nose was too big and he did not measure up. He had ambivalent relationships with his siblings. Many Americans can relate to a parent who is pushy or demeaning or both. Others can identify with sibling relationships that are not warm and fuzzy. When you add the need to take drugs to get by because of physical or mental pain, you have story that many Americans take on as their own.

Drama two of the week is the Gov. Sanford story. Having fallen in love with a woman from Argentina, his wife asks him to leave the house, and he spends Father’s Day with his mistress, not his children. How many men (and women) have had affairs and find themselves exiled?

The Sanford story captures us because he was so pious and such a clear family man. A smart, rich wife who is a devoted mother to their four sons is a lot to give up. Only someone who is as emotionally and mentally compartmentalized as Gov. Sanford could make the reckless choices that he has made.

It is not just that Gov. Sanford cheated on his wife; it was how spectacularly poorly he handled the situation. He left the state without keeping his cell phone on (a few extra bucks can keep the calls coming anywhere in the world). He did not tell his staff how to reach him in an emergency, and he was too self-involved to call in once or twice a day.

How many of us have not done something radically stupid or self-destructive? How many of us have had someone we love do something radically stupid or self-destructive? I suspect most of us.

Both Michael Jackson and Gov. Sanford walk right into the psyche of the American public. We have seen their behavior in ourselves, in the people we work with, and in the people we love. We watch every nuance of these two men’s lives because their lives are familiar, if not scary. We see our wishes, hopes and dreams dashed in the same way that these two men experienced. We know their self-hate, their self-deception and the pain and hurt they brought on themselves and others. We watch and listen for hours because it is that piece of ourselves that we see and hear – the piece we ache to know more about.