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This essay was originally published in March 2019.
Were republishing it today because Stark Raving Dad isnt available onDisney+, the newstreaminghome ofThe Simpsons.
I understand the impulse, especially given the tenor of the episode and the Jackson-focused nature of it.
Springfields local mental hospital.
Watching the episode today, there are definitely some things that come across as creepy or problematic in retrospect.
But whats most fascinating about the episode is that Michael Jackson isnt really playing Michael Jackson.
All of a sudden, everybody was smiling at me and I was only doing good on this earth.
To make a tired point, which one of us is truly crazy?
Because who could be afraid of Michael Jackson?
And wouldnt the world be a better place if everyone could be like him?
That feels like an important part of the history of Jacksons public narrative, at least to me.
He was already ceasing to look like himself.
And you also think,Its crazy that we believed it.
Brooks is right that theSimpsonsproducers are allowed to take out a chapter of their own book.
And I understand why.
But again, it makes me sad.
