Dancin' at the Zombie Zoo

Boys who spent their weekends
making banana nut muffins did not,
as a rule, excel in the art of hand-to-hand combat
— Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim,
David Sedaris
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[Lisa will be an occasional contributor at other blogs, and will note her contributions at Ranger. The piece below can be read in its entirety today at Big Brass Blog.]

I am sorry to hear of Michael Jackson's too-young death. He was a great pop icon, whose music and early power and attitude left an indelible mark on the music industry (Police Focus on Medical Treatment in Jackson Death.)

But more than that, Mr. Jackson elicits a pathetic response when one thinks of the odd reclusive man he became, befriending chimps and children, ensconcing himself in his Neverland Ranch -- replete with amusement park rides and a petting zoo -- as he embarked on a quest of self-abnegation: to become a white woman, or at least, Diana Ross. But aside from the issue of wanting to eradicate his negroid features is the issue of his arrested psyche.

To me, Michael Jackson embodies the puer aeternus archetype, the perpetual child. Examples of this type of boy-man abound, yet there is little discussion of the phenomenon. While Jackson is an extreme and cartoonish example, let's discuss it in general.

Read more here . . .