photo: tipoyock/ BY

When I first heard the news of Michael Jackson's death like anyone else I was shocked and a little saddened. This is the man I grew up watching on TV, Michael Jackson's "Moonwalker" movie was/still is one of my all-time favorite movies. So like any other person scrambling to look for memorabilia to help them remember one of their favorite entertainers, I hit up EBay to try and repurchase the Moonwalker VHS. To my surprise two months ago the movie was $4.00 and now is for at the lowest price $89.00. Collector's items I can always understand, but the world we live in now sensationalizes death and profits all too much.

It's a classless move for someone/companies to capitalize on a person's death for profit. As a journalist I myself have seen the rise of interviews/stories pertaining to a certain subject when it's newsworthy. Ratings, site-traffic; these are the words that generate the business I'm in. And as much as I love what I do, it sometimes sucks to be a part of it.

Michael Jackson is probably one, if not the, most influential person to ever touch the music industry. Artists from the 1980's till now were all influenced by Mike one way or another. Dangerous was an album I worshipped as a child, my cousin and I were known to have our own little dance shows for our mothers and most of our routines were choreographed to the "Dangerous" album. Moonwalker changed my life, to this day there is neither a song nor a music video greater that "Smooth Criminal". The way they moved in that video was amazing, I wanted to have those moves--secretly still try and practice some--I wish we still had Michael here for us.

Maybe the exploitation some people will use may help others. For everything sold on EBay or Amazon, another person may learn something new or teach their children about a man who helped change the world's hate into love.