Billy Mays Vs. Michael Jackson

For some strange reason akin to the excitement of playing Tetris (come on, you know you used to play it, too...), I've really enjoyed watching the new show Pitchmen, which brings two of the biggest names in direct sales, Billy Mays and Anthony Sullivan, together to help entrepreneurs bring new products to market.  I enjoy it because it shows the kind of drive, ingenuity, and real-ness of how products go from an idea to a finished product that everyone's heard of.  It's also just plain entertaining, not only watching some of the bozos and their ridiculous 'inventions', but also with the practical jokes Mays and Sullivan play on each other.  My wife calls it one of my 'nerd shows', and I happily embrace the term.

Earlier this week, tragedy struck:

It is with incredible sadness that we have to report that Billy Mays died in his sleep early Sunday morning at his home in Tampa, Florida. Everyone who knows him was aware of his larger-than-life personality, infectious spirit, generosity and warmth. Billy was a pioneer in his field and helped many people fulfill their dreams. There has been an overwhelming response from viewers, members of the press and fans around the world who are deeply saddened by the news. He will be greatly missed as a loyal and compassionate friend.

Apparently, he had a heart attack in his sleep.  I know all the media buzz right now is over Michael Jackson, but I agree with Robert A. Hahn at Red State:

There will be no tribute to Billy Mays today at the American Enterprise Institute. He won't be on the cover of Newsweek with a halo on his head. The Wall Street Journal gave him barely a mention.

We need to do better. If we who celebrate free enterprise, capitalism, and The American Dream will not pay attention to his passing, why should we expect anyone to admire his achievements? Why would any young person want to emulate him?

Billy Mays started out hawking a washer-in-a-bucket on the Atlantic City boardwalk. He was a shameless pitchman, became an entrepreneur and a capitalist, and died a multimillionaire… all on the back of his skill as a salesman. Is there anything more quintessentially capitalist than that? Does anyone's life better represent the promise of free enterprise? Does Billy Mays not belong in the American Dream Hall of Fame?

We're told daily that "the free market has failed." Instead of having people like Billy Mays on its cover, Newsweek tells the public "We're All Socialists Now." To read the newspapers in this country, virtue resides in government; the private sector is composed entirely of thieves and bandits. On Sunday, Senator Lindsey Graham — the new John McCain — explained that young people today are just not listening to Republicans. Why should they? Does anything good ever come of Republican principles? And if so, when are we going to hear about it?

I'm hoping that when Billy got to the Pearly Gates, Saint Peter told him, "But wait! There's more!

Hahn raises an excellent point.  What's wrong with our society today?  I realize this is going to be very politically incorrect, but you all know that seldom stops me...

Michael Jackson was a weirdo who liked to sleep with children (although he was acquitted in that big child molestation case, he still admitted having them sleep in his bed), and was clearly a disturbed individual with a major drug problem.  The media is lavishing his memory with copious praise because he broke down racial barriers, blah blah blah, but the truth is he was a phenomenally gifted musician whose success allowed him to be as twisted as he chose to be.  And we celebrate him for that?  We're America, for crying out loud!  We should celebrate the things and people who embody American values, not drug-addicted pedophiles!

It is certain that Billy Mays had his flaws, too.  We all do.  But, if you look at the publicly known life story of the two men, whose is, on balance, more honorable and worthy of praise?  The mega-star who slept with children and had a drug problem, or the guy who started at the bottom, clawed his way to the top rung through hard work and an equally undeniable talent in the field of sales, and then helped other people do the same?

The fact that America is slobbering over Jackson and ignoring Mays is tremendously disappointing.  We would do well to examine our priorities.

On an introspective personal note, although it's sad to see someone die so early, especially leaving behind young children, it got me thinking.  Billy Mays exited the stage at the top of his game, at home, peacefully in his sleep, lying next to his wife.

If you've gotta go, I can think of no better way.

Thoughts and prayers go out to both the Mays and Jackson families.

There's my two cents.