Michael Jackson - Why He Was Not a Child Molester - PTSD

Abnormally Normal - Michael Jackson - Why He Wasn't a Child Molester

At age 46, I could never understand the fascination with Elvis. Why did people continue to follow him, and visit Grace Land? That changed last week, when I opened my Yahoo to see that "Michael" died to young. What? I thought this must have been some kind of joke.

I am going to write how Michael's bizarre behavior is perfectly "Abnormally Normal". In other words, normal for the circumstances. First, let me tell you that, I have never met him or even attended one of his concerts (Although, I wished that I had). I can't moon walk, sing and definitely do not have a pair of his patented very cool shoes that allowed him to do the "Lean". My opinion is pure speculation, and is gleamed from public comments, news clips, and the like.

Most readers could agree that Michael Jackson was if nothing else, brilliant. He changed the musical landscape forever, crossed cultural and generation gaps. He was an advocate for basic civil and human rights. We could probably also agree that he was deprived of a normal childhood.

So why is a "normal" childhood important? I am not quite sure. However, in nearly ever horrific story that you read or distributing movie that you see...the culprit almost always has had a sorted childhood.

Okay, so there is much speculation about Michael's multiple surgeries. Was he transgender, transsexual or did he suffer from Body dysmorphic disorder? Did he suffer from Bipolar Disorder or Post Traumatic Disorder? I don't know, and only Michael and those closest to him do. I am not going to go into detail about much of these, just want to touch on the subjects.

Before you start complaining that I might suggest that Michael suffered from mental illness, just remember he was a civil rights advocate. That is, the civil rights did not begin and end with race, but rather we are still moving forward to remove barriers for those people who have any kind of illness. I beleive in time, he would have been more outspoken about depression and other syndromes, which would have created a huge new doorway, and help remove the stigam associated with behavioral health issues.

I will tell you that a person who suffers from Body dysmorphic disorder is obessed with their body of a part of their body. If they can afford it, they have mutliple surgeries to correct a defect that is not really there, and only in their minds. That certainly appeared to be the case in Michael.

Transgender or Transexual? Again, I don't know, but I do not recall hearing much hoopla when Tim Curry potrayed a Transexual in the 1970's movie the Rocky Horror Picture show. But, I do remember my reaction after seeing Michael's mini movie "Remember a Time". At first glance, I didn't even recognize the artist. At first glance, I thought I was looking at a woman. It was veryerotic and very confusing. You would see a woman's face, mascualine dance movements with a male voice. Google it yourself and see what I mean.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) requires that a person experience a traumatic event. While what may be traumatic to one person may not be traumatic to another. I have not read any traumatic events of Michael's childhood, but I am certain that there were many.

Absent, any remarkable traumas in childhood "aside" from his stardom, in 1984 Michael's hair caught on fire while filming a commercial. Now think about that for a moment, it was certainly a traumatic event. Imagine your own hair and scalp being on fire? The heat so tremendous...and what must go through your mind at that moment. Will I die? My face? You get the idea.

By almost all written accounts, Michael has almost always been rather reclusive, and just perhaps the 1994 accident was the final trigger for full blown out PTSD?

We all know that he suffered from depression which is a common Co-Morbid of common condition that people with PTSD suffer with. Whether the depression came before or after, does not matter.

Back to Bipolar Disorder which was formerly called Major Manic Depressive Disorder. In simple terms, it means that the person cycles from being very depressed to be over active. Each person cycles different and some cycles last for years.

A common attribute for people with Bipolar Disorder is shopping. In fact, these people will go on outrageous spending trips and often leaving themselves in financial stress or even ruin. We have all heard about Michael's extravagant spending sprees. Seems to fit.

Almost everyone knows someone that will disappear for a while, and then suddenly they have the next great idea. They always have the next great idea, and it always fails. You know the ones with Delusions of Grandeur. However, in Michael's case he could make his delusions grand and grander. Perfectly normal behavior if he indeed did suffer with Bipolar Disorder.

For those with PTSD, symptoms can present in many ways, physically and psychologically. Physical symptoms include headaches, unexplained body aches, upset stomach and the like. Psychological can be social withdrawal, inability to maintain meaningful or lasting relationships, and nightmares.

Nightmares are the big clue here, as people with PTSD often report nightmares and long to be able to sleep without the constant waking in fear.

It's not uncommon for a person with PTSD to try to recapture the innocence and to be overprotective of the innocent. Hence, many people with PTSD particularly women who are unable to maintain relationships with human adult, turn to animals, and the caring of children.

Why? I'm not sure, but I would think it is because children and animals are honest, beautiful and pure. Michael himself said something like that, and people thought that it was strange that he played with little children and had so many animals.

Yes, it was strange, but normal if he did suffer from PTSD and normal for Michael Jackson. He said himself, that he was a child, yet was deprived of his childhood. It's easy to see that he was constantly trying to recapture his childhood through childhood activities.

Child activities included pajama parties which is usually a more feminine activity. His Peter Pan fantasies, Neverland itself and so forth. He was desperately trying to create his youth, and he did, but never seemed to reconcile or make peace with it. Alice Cooper may have described this best in his song "....I'm a boy and I'm a man...". You remember it.

Back to Transgender. Again, I am not saying that he was, but he seemed to have a very maternal relationship with the young and innocent.

There is way too much analysis and speculation for me to write here. I just wanted to touch on the subject. So why is the world grieving over someone most of us have never met?

Because, whether you hated or loved Michael, he made you think, and therefore he touched your life. For me, if I was sad, I would reach back to my younger days. His music would bring me back those happier times. I guess, when he left, I felt that those happy times were gone forever.