I didn’t mean for the title of this blog to be misleading.  Michael Jackson did not have AIDS.  But I didn’t want to not blog about what everyone will be talking about today.  Yes, today I am a follower.

eltonandryan.jpgI’ve always been a consumer of pop culture.  This is, by far, the biggest loss of a pop star in my lifetime.  The only reason why I’m not counting John Lennon is because I was only 5 when he was murdered.  In terms of Jackson’s art, I wasn’t a fan of much of anything that wasn’t on Thriller, Jacko’s shining moment.  In my eyes, however, one other moment shines much brighter than that album: his stand on compassion for those with AIDS. 

In particular, his public support of Ryan White.

I know, *insert boy joke here*.  But really, when he and Elton John came forward to pour resources into this fight, they understood how important it was to get the public’s attention and appeal to peoples’ greater sense of good.  By choosing to align themselves with Ryan’s own mission to educate and enlighten people on the issues surrounding AIDS, they raised the visibility of the injustice Ryan- and others with HIV- were faced with.

gonetoosoon.jpgClick to watch the video and hear the song he wrote in tribute to Ryan White.  Yes, I admit, it’s cheesy.  But hey, I’m trying to focus on my own greater sense of good, and am thankful that he stepped forward at a very scary time in this country’s history, and advocated for the well-being of positoids everywhere.
  
On a different note, I have to say that “Thriller” is the greatest music video of all-time.  And he wasn’t kidding when he told the girl in the video that he wasn’t like all the other guys, was he? 

Positively Yours,
Shawn