Western values counsel that we can buy anything and be anything, so why balk at Michael Jackson?

The general consensus about the Michael Jackson interview on ITV on Monday is that it revealed how truly mad he is. It did the opposite for me, making me wonder more about the craziness of the culture that produced him. For Jackson’s wacky life is the embodiment of many dearly held western beliefs: that you can be anything you want, buy anything you want, create any lifestyle and indulge any needs you have. It’s an unsettling thought as we inch towards a war to defend those values.

Full article: http://www.theguardian.com/media/2003/feb/05/broadcasting.comment