As a crowd gathered in Union Square for a spontaneous memorial to Michael Jackson, David Segal asks whether fame on that level will be possible again?
“There are plenty of upsides to the new unfiltered, multiple-choice pop culture of 2009. We get to decide what we want to listen to and watch, and we can listen and watch whenever we want…….. But there is something sad about our infinite menu of options. It could very well mean the end of true superstardom and with it, the end of the collective experience on display Thursday night in Union Square. Everyone there knew Michael Jackson. Everyone there had watched him, sang with him, tried to dance with him and, yes, everyone was collectively aghast by much of his recent behavior. But he was ours. If nothing else, his passing reminds us of how little in pop culture we currently share.” NYT
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