Summary

The author recounts a humorous and unexpected experience at a German horse camp where Michael Jackson's music played a central role, leading to an impromptu dance performance that almost soured his childhood memories.

Abstract

The author, along with his brother, attended a German horse camp during their family's stay in Germany due to their father's work with the U.S. Army. The camp was peculiarly obsessed with Michael Jackson, playing his music continuously. Despite the camp's equestrian focus, the climax of the experience was an unexpected dance performance to "Man in the Mirror" in front of parents, which the author and his brother had to improvise. The incident, though initially embarrassing, did not diminish the author's appreciation for Michael Jackson's music, but it did leave him questioning the true nature of the camp.

Opinions

The author initially found the camp's obsession with Michael Jackson's music strange but harmless.
The choice between "I'm Bad" and "Man in the Mirror" seemed trivial to the author and his brother.
The author was bewildered by the expectation to perform a dance routine at a horse camp.
Despite the unexpected and embarrassing situation, the author's enjoyment of Michael Jackson's music remained intact.
The author harbors some amusement and fondness for the memory, despite its oddity.
The author implicitly criticizes the camp organizers for the bizarre decision to end the camp with a dance performance, suggesting it was a misstep in the camp's programming.

Michael Jackson Almost Ruined My Childhood

My true story of Michael Jackson and a German horse camp

Between the age of 7–10, my dad moved our three-person family to Germany for work (the U.S. Army). Around the end of our time overseas, my dad sent my brother and me to a German horse camp.

It is at this two-week camp for horses that Michael Jackson almost ruined my childhood.

This is the true story.

Not About Horses 🐴

The first thing my brother and I noticed about the German horse camp is that they really liked Michael Jackson. REALLY liked him.

And by that I mean they played Michael Jackson music nonstop from sun up to sundown. No, I’m not exaggerating. We thought this was pretty strange but, hey, we liked MJ, too, so we chalked it up to a weird musical obsession.

While we fed the horses, walked the horses, bathed the horses, and rode the horses, Michael Jackson songs crooned in the background.

Thankfully, the songs were in English because my brother and I could only speak barely passable German. And this was a German horse camp. Everyone spoke German most of the time.

For two weeks, we slept in tents, did all things horse-related, and listened to 100% Michael Jackson music.

But that’s not why he almost ruined my life. That came at the bizarre ending to the camp.

The Small (Big) Decision

One afternoon, my brother and I walked horses around the wide-open training area in a large barn. Of course, Michael Jackson bellowed as the soundtrack.

In the middle of our horse activities, the camp leaders stopped us to ask what seemed (at the time) like a simple, unimportant question: “Which one of these Michael Jackson songs do you like better — “I’m Bad” or “Man In The Mirror”?

Truth was, we liked them both.

And since this choice rose to the level of meaningless in our naive child minds, we went with “Man in The Mirror.”

Then we went back to training the horses. Since, you know, this was a horse camp.

The Last Night of Camp

After two weeks, my brother and I were ready to get back home. What we didn’t realize is that the camp leaders had one more trick up their moon-walking sleeves.

On that last night, one of the leaders led us to the outside of that big barn where we trained horses for the last 14 days.

The leader opened the giant barn doors and led us to the middle of the wide-open training arena, where we stopped and looked up to see a crowd of parents anxiously awaiting…something.

That’s when the song, “Man in the Mirror” started playing.

Before the leader dashed away, she whispered, “Dance!”

My brother looked at me. I looked back at my brother. Apparently, we were supposed to have a dance number planned and prepared. They must have given those instructions in German.

Suddenly, the entire two weeks made sense. That’s why they played Michael Jackson non-stop.

Yet, it still baffled me that a dance number would end a horse camp. Shouldn’t we show our parents what we learned about, I don’t know, horses?!

But, there we were, stranded in the middle of the horse arena, Michael Jackson playing full blast and a throng of parents expecting us to perform.

And I wasn’t about to let MJ down. No sir. Not on my 9-year-old watch.

So, I glanced at my brother, who looked equally paralyzed with fear and confusion, and said, “Follow me.”

Then I started gyrating my child body like nobody’s business. I was making up dance moves and my brother was frantically trying to follow along. We must have looked absolutely ridiculous.

Final Thoughts

I would give a million dollars to see that impromptu dance on video. To me, it would be priceless.

By the way, everyone else at the camp glided into the arena with a fully prepared dance routine. Only the two American boys danced as if possessed by the ghosts of drunken grasshoppers.

Surprisingly, my enjoyment of Michael Jackson's music never soured, even after he almost ruined my childhood (through repetition and humiliation). I suppose the real culprit is whoever designed that so-called “horse camp.”

In retrospect, it seemed more like an MJ camp masquerading as a horse camp.

Whatever the reason for the bizarre decision to end the camp with dance, I will never ever forget it.

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