50 Years Later, Kennedy Assassination Still Fascinates Me

I pride myself on my ability to look at the world differently than the average person. But when it comes to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, I’m just like everyone else in the United States: fascinated.

Well, almost like everyone else.

Since today marks the 50^th anniversary of this seminal moment, I have to insert my two cents, especially given how much I have read, discussed and thought about this historically famous event over many years.

Kennedy was murdered nearly two decades before my birth, but by the time I was in 5^th grade, I had become galvanized by the sensationalism of that crime. I never gave a rat’s ass about politics, but JFK represented so much more than that. From his legendary inaugural address in January 1961, to his then-hidden trysts with film star Marilyn Monroe, to the youthful attractiveness of his wife and children, the Kennedy White House was literally must-see TV.

Trust me, I am well aware of the larger significance of that horrific day in Dallas a half-century ago. Not only did it change an entire generation, but it affected everything in our country moving forward.

Some things have even gotten better.

One of the other, indirect elements of the Kennedy assassination that has always held my attention is the nearly 31 years that his wife Jackie lived after that day. She became a heavily photographed and followed celebrity in her post-JFK life. First, there was her move from the White House to a place in New York City with Caroline and John-John. Then, her controversial marriage to billionaire Aristotle Onassis. Hell, in 1975, nude photos of her appeared in the upstart porn magazine Hustler and became an instant best seller.

In 1983, a full 20 years after her husband’s murder, the former Mrs. Kennedy visited the great Michael Jackson on the set of his classic “Thriller” short film to discuss plans for an autobiography on the star who, at the time was at the apex of his career. By then, she had become famously known as Jackie O, a nod to her marriage to Onassis which had floundered in the 1970’s. She was a major figure at Doubleday books and, along with her adult children was always a fixture in the tabloids and news media.

And the Kennedy mystique, birthed during the “Camelot years” was always a part of popular culture. How could I not be captivated by the Kennedy assassination, when I strongly believe that its iconic details has fueled America’s obsession with the family ever since?

A seemingly unlimited amount of tragedies have befallen the Kennedy clan since those three murderous bullets hit the president in ’63. That is another factor in the fascination. EVERYTHING that happens to that family always seems to evoke memories and commentaries on the assassination.

On such a sad anniversary, I hope President Kennedy and his remaining family members have finally found peace.

Same goes for our country.