The Mirror Has Two Faces
Thursday, July 2nd, 2009
I‘ve had enough. I’m tired, bored and a little embarrassed at the endless tirade of praise lauded upon Michael Jackson. “He was my hero“, “he was the king of pop“, “he donated X trillion to children’s charities“, “his songs were a beacon of hope to the world” (I swear I read that just today), “hero“, “hero“, “hero“…this has to stop.
Though I’m not a massive fan of his music, I will concede the man was a musical genius who changed the direction of 80′s pop, but a difficult life shrouded in secrets, strange behaviour and repeated allegations of sexual misconduct with minors should surely result in somewhat less biased media coverage.
For the record, Michael Jackson openly admitted to sleeping in bed with underage boys. Is it illegal? No. Is it wrong? Likely. Is it highly questionable? Most definitely.
Off The Wall
In the early 90′s there were allegations made against Jackson by Jordan Chandler and his family that Jackson had coerced the boy into kissing, masturbation and oral sex. Though no criminal charges were brought at the time, a civil case was settled out of court for an estimated $20 million. It was not, Jackson emphasised, an admission of guilt but simply a way to draw a line under the whole affair.
Perceived truth can be a dark and disturbing concept and sometimes it can be a pure fallacy, sometimes it can be no more than a plausible story. The allegations against Jackson remain just that – allegations. It was however plausible, given his history of questionable behavior, that Jackson did commit these crimes.
Never Black Nor White
He and Jordan had met when Jackson’s car broke down in Beverly Hills. The world’s biggest-selling pop star, stood by the road feeling helpless when Jordan’s step-father, who worked in a nearby car-hire business saw him and came to his aid.
He brought the star back to his office while the car was fixed, where he met Jordan and his mother, June. In the coming months, Jackson took the boy and his sister to a toy store and let them load $10,000 of toys into their shopping trolleys. They spent much time at the Neverland Ranch. June was happy to go along with this.
“I truly don’t think there’s a devious bone in Michael’s body,” she said. Nevertheless, she was concerned when she caught her son coming out of Jackson’s room, where he had spent the night and told Jordan to never do it again. She also criticised Jackson who naturally took great offense to the suggested misconduct. Appeased, she apologised and said she trusted Jackson. The next day, he gave her a $12,000 ruby-and-diamond bracelet from Cartier.
Evan Chandler, divorced from June, had suspicions about what was going on and quizzed his son, who admitted (granted, it was under the influence of sodium amytal – Evan Chandler was a dentist) that Michael Jackson had touched his penis. When later quizzed by police, Jordan repeated the allegations.
To quell the story, Jackson’s team had other young boys who had stayed at Neverland give statements. One of whom, Brett Barnes, admitted that he and Michael had slept together on many occasions, but with no sexual overtones. As did Wade Robson who said they slept in the same bed as Michael dozens of times, but “just as a friend and the bed was huge”.
Jackson may have been entirely innocent and Jordan and his father were far from straight in their stories. But surely a man who was put under the intense and incredible strain of this ordeal would have the sense to know he had to behave more responsibly in future. It was clear that the eyes on the world were on Jackson and his increasingly unusual behaviour.
Yet, 11 years later, in 2005, he stood trial on a series of child molestation charges involving other young boys. He was acquitted on all counts, but openly admitted (as he did in the 2003 documentary with Martin Bashir) that he often slept with young boys and thought there was nothing wrong with it.
Many people have described Jackson as being asexual and not interested in sex or not having sexual desires. Over 70 porn magazines were found in his home when it was searched – I am not suggesting there is anything wrong with owning them, but it does throw the asexual Jackson theory out the window.
Blood on the Dancefloor
Michael Jackson was clearly a troubled man. He had virtually no childhood and was beaten, ridiculed and humiliated by a vicious father. As he grew older he was hounded by rumours of his odd behaviour – purchasing the Elephant man’s bones, sharing a bathroom with Bubbles the monkey, bleaching his skin to appear caucasian. On top of the rumours were his ever increasing dependence on prescription drugs, his many surgeries, and his unusual looks due to his skin disease, vitiligo. His erratic behaviour when it came to his children was well documented – demanding they be covered up at all times, treating them like dolls and most disturbingly hanging one of his babies out a balcony window.
So, rather than excuse his perceived guilt, shouldn’t this make him seem all the more questionable, all the more worrying and, yes, all the more guilty?
When I think of Michael Jackson (even before his passing) I get an uneasy feeling. This isn’t my fault and my cynicism. This is Jackson’s own doing. His weird behaviour, his looks, his attitude in the Martin Bashir interview and his assertion that their is nothing wrong with a grown man sleeping in the same bed with children he is not related to, while no other adults are present – all of these things make me uneasy. As they should you.
A hero is someone we look up to. A hero is someone we admire. A hero is someone we aspire to be like. If there is anyone out there who aspires to be like Michael Jackson, then I am worried for the world.
His music was great, but a great man, he was not.
tagged under: child molestation.cons.Michael Jackson.Music.negative.paedophilia.pros.viewsABOUT THIS CULCHIE
When I'm not spouting about movies and such on Culch.ie, I can be found in solitary confinement on DarrenByrne.com.
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Completely agree with you! Yes, he was a musical legend, there’s no disputing that. And his death in that regard should be mourned, it IS a loss.
But for everything negative about his personal life to be seemingly pushed under the rug now that he’s dead is just wrong.
you conveniently skipped the part where he was cleared in court of the 2005 allegations…
Who would have thought…
Darren Byrne, the Kevin Myers of the blogging world.
Anyhow, you were never going to win many fans posting this, and I’m not going to disagree with you. It’s like telling vegetarians to eat meat!
@Roosta I certianly did not…
“He was acquitted on all counts”
and
“The allegations against Jackson remain just that – allegations.”
@Claire Thank you. I know I’m not the only one to feel this way.
@Ronan I honestly didn’t put the post up just for a reaction. It was one of the hardest post I’ve ever published simply because almost everything I write is inoffensive and rarely takes a side. But in this instance, I was really getting annoyed at hearing such one-sided epitaphs for a very flawed human being.
Kevin Myers? I hope not.
Here I was thinking I was just a cynic for not really understanding the outpouring of love for MJ. I agree with what you’ve written here Darren and think it’s truly worrying for our modern times to put a man such as this on such a high pedestal.
@Darren
Sorry, I missed the acquitted line..apologies…but you don’t go into that case near as much as the Jordan Chandler one, which is my issue, wherein a case was brought against him and a jury of peers found him not guilty.
Let’s not turn this into an argument about whether or not he was a paedophile. The point is, he had quite a number of personality traits and characteristics that no young person should be looking up to and hero worshipping.
No more excuses.
@roosta Thanks for replying. I think I could have gone into detail on both and made my case even further, but my point was that after going through some awful treatment by the police, the press and his own family in the nineties (LaToya publicly called him a paedophile), you might think he’d stop his “innocent” behaviour. Instead he kept on doing something that I find wrong. I chose to focus on the original case to show how the second case could have been easily avoided if he behaved in a more considered manner.
May I ask you (I’m not trying to be confrontational – and apologies if it sounds that way), do you think he was right to share a bed with young boys?
O.O
You’ve pretty much put everything I’ve thought about this situation down in writing..
I’m not trying to be like everyone else, and agreeing with you for the sake of agreeing (because trust me, if I disagreed even slightly I would say so), I honestly believe and have believed almost everything you’ve just written..?
Thanks for posting this! Maybe people will cop on now that Michael Jackson was not actually the “hero of our time” or “a true legend”.
I think he was very troubled. I think he had an innocent mind and probably didn’t see any real harm in sharing his bed with young boys… but then again, it could have been something much more sinister. Who knows?
Darren, may I ask why you believe sharing a bed with young boys is a problem?
@Dermot Certainly you may. When it becomes acceptable for relative strangers to share beds with young children because they enjoy it, the door is left open for would be abusers to take advantage of the trust placed in them. In an ideal world we could trust everyone to do what is right all the time. But this is far from an ideal world.
@David Thank you very much. As I said, it was a tough post for me to write. You comment justifies it.
@Scaraboo Better to err on the side of caution in such a sensitive situation, no? If his views were that skewed, how do we know he doesn’t also think it’s perfectly acceptable to take things one step further?
But surely Michael was only allowed to have these children stay at his house if the child’s parent/guardian had permitted it. No?…
@Dermot That’s no excuse for indecency. Plenty of parents across Ireland entrusted their kids with the local priest in decades gone by……NO – that’s a debate for another day.
June Chandler was appalled when she found her son had been sleeping in Jackson’s room. She did not approve of that in the slightest.
Really brave post. Someone had to say it. So well backed up, it’s hard to argue to the contrary.
@Darren
Is it right for him to share a bed with young boys? Probably not, if i’m being honest, but I suspect we don’t (and will never) know all the details. On one side we had a clearly troubled and odd person and on the other we had people who were being dishonest (as you said, the Chandler’s were never straight in their stories etc.) in a case where they should have been brutally honest given the alleged offense. In the light of such uncertainty I can only say, I don’t know what happened. Then we have the testimony of Wade Robson and Macaulay Culkin and the likes who felt nothing was inappropriate about it, and a court clearing him of the charges.
Again, on paper, yes, a man sleeping with unrelated young boys is wrong. But we have such conflicting reports of what did/did not go on, I find it hard to condemn the entire man’s life as being unworthy of being remembered fondly based on this.
Now, maybe I’m wrong, and maybe one day the silver bullet will come out that proves he was a monster etc. but for now, I don’t see it.
@darren I know you weren’t trying to be controversial, I was just being a smart ass. I don’t think you’ll ever approach Kevin Myers or Vincent Brown status!
Good to see so many comments for both sides though. I like a good debate.
Good post. It has struck me bizarre that so many fans express undying love and worship for celebrities whom they have never met and who don’t really know.
Broadly I agree with you Darren, as I suspect do most people. Jackson was musically gifted, culturally significant, deeply confused and dangerously (forgive the pun) disturbed. During the molestation trial I remember reading hundreds of pages of testimony on the Smoking Gun website; even when certain events were unclear or unverifiable, there were enough solid facts and seemingly plausible accounts to make anyone feel uneasy about – or downright repulsed by – Jackson’s behaviour.
But the sudden death of a celebrity, especially one so talented and notorious, brings out the eugoogalizor in a lot of people, not least those in the commercial media who feel duty bound to tap into fans’ grief.
On the paedophilia question, where to begin? Even the terminology is skunked.
Ok, Why if it a young kid sleeps with- a woman (his mother), aunt (his mothers sister) or sister, would it not be questionable. It – I think- would be more understandable and in fact not even brought to our attention. if you refer to numerous books written over the past well, hundred years, many of them delve into the psychological make up of who we are and who we become as direct results of our society and its rules. Our relations with people and our children it is so on the favour of women What the hell does that say about men??? Sexual undertones and orientation and our sexual behaviors are all weighed down on an overall level of who perceives what IS right and wrong it. I once read in a book (conversations with GOD- by Neal MC DONALD WALSHE http://www.nealedonaldwalsch.com/) that children are curious innocent sexual beings……( not in the sexual way we know, this is argued to be something beautiful and loving-now I don’t necessarily agree with all that Neal wrote, but as I read on I began to see from the very origins of society, how someone can come out with it. But I wont go on too much about that here…it was just a very interesting read..and has enabled me to -I suppose- gather the many sides of the coin in relation to how I look at Jackson’s circumstances).
Michael Jackson was totally and entirely stripped of any of these rules and regulations. He in actual 100% fact, created his own world, his own rules and behavioral patterns- HE HAD NO CHILDHOOD. he had no sleep overs, no excursions, no holidays. HE WORKED his whole life. Naturally when he got somewhat away from the evil clutches of his Father- he would regress back to his lost childhood and try to live it out. Thus the whole spending time with kids etc. BUt yet we, as *normal* members of society, see that as wrong as we simply cannot identify with it. or his circumstance. And come on, these kids parents at large came form a poor middle class backdrop, who seen dollar signs. ( but yet we due to the media bias and hype fall flat on the lines they want us to see and brand Jackson as whatever they feed us with)
I am not ruling out any possibilities here but we as normal and law abiding citizens and well, people who perhaps at a large had reasonable upbringings where we were allowed have a childhood- just cannot seem to draw the line on whether Jackson was right or wrong- and remember he was never proven guilty.
I think this can be manifested in whatever way we want to tug and pull at it – be it in disgust or regret or anger or empathy. One thing remains the same: This man had no life. He was an absolute victim his whole life.
And I do hope, that now he, has peace.
he was, an absolute genius in his own right who went down hill in the 90′s. I would rather remember him not as the media depicts but for his music. and that alone. the rest is merely speculation.
RIP.
Of course he has peace. He’s dead.
And I can’t believe someone actually asked why Darren thought sharing a bed with young boys is a problem.
Great post – pretty much sums up everything I’ve been thinking since the news last week.
Nobody’s saying that MJ didn’t have a huge impact upon modern pop music. We’ve all grown up listening to him whether it be the Jackson 5, The Jackons or solo work. He’s been responsible for some pivotal moments in pop history and quite rightly should be remembered and commended for them.
What’s in question here though is the convenient amnesia that so many people appear to have become afflicted with. All of a sudden, now that he’s dead, we can’t mention the fact that the guy was a damaged man – and not just for suspected paedophilia – without being lambasted.
If we’re honest, we’ve all been guilty of poking fun at the guy over the past 20 or so years as he got stranger and stranger (and yes a grown man sharing a bed with a young boy is a strange thing to do). We’ve all laughed at his nose, bleached skin, blanketed children, marrying a monkey (allegedly, before anyone jumps on that one). We laughed at them because they’re ODD!
So, yes, let’s be sad that a musical icon has passed away, but let’s not pretend the guy was some kind of martyr. He wrote and performed some brilliant pop songs and for that both I and my dancing shoes are grateful. But that’s all he was – he’s not a saint, so we should stop making excuses for his behaviour and just tone tone the hero worship a little.
Isn’t amazing the affect dead celebrities have on people and the discussions they provoke. Everyone feels that they know the guy and can speak for him. The only fact here is that we can all just speculate and have opinions, nothing more.
My own personal ‘opinion’ stems from that Bashir interview a few years ago which I think showed a man who never grew up living in a fantasy world and not the kind of man that fits a traditional paedophile stereotype.
PS – whats wrong with living in a fantasy world when the real one is so shit!?
Another PS – Jackson Poll here – http://www.reverbstudios.ie/blog/michael-jackson-poll-saint-or-sinner/
There’s no qeustion about it, he was a disturbed individual but it doesn’t detract from his influence and cotribution to music over the past 30 years.
I am in no way condoning his actions as something certainly wasn’t right there but
1. He clearly had mental problems. Whether it was that “Peter-Pan” complex referred to in his trial or something much darker, he was an ill man.
2. Shame, Shame SHAME on the parents of those children for allowing such intimate relationships to be formed between such an eccrentic individual and their children. In my eyes it was tantamount to selling their kids in exchange for the lavish gifts.
I do believe Jackson broke the law but it wasn’t proven in court. Those families were out for a quick easy buck and lied their wasys to getting what they could.
@Lottie – You’re absolutely right about the parents there. Something that gets skipped over constantly.
Great post, well researched and eloquently put together.
The fact that you managed to outline his unsavoury character without even mentioning his drug addiction and disregard for his own children is testament to just how awful a human being this guy was.
As someone who has no interest in music what so ever and someone who has no interest in celebrity I do find the whole thing weird. There is no doubt about it – the lad was a weird one. I met him once when he was over in Ireland years ago (long story) and he just came across as a shy, weird guy who really didn’t have a grasp on what I (and most people) see as reality.
I wouldn’t have said he was innocent – just…..detached.
Great talent (even I can see that) but at what cost?
@ travors How can you know someone is an “awful being” without knowing him or what affects him?
@roosta Perhaps I’m more wary that you – you’re giving him the benefit of the doubt (admirable), while I’m on the side of caution. Perhaps that makes me a cynic, but the repercussions of you being wrong are far worse than me being wrong.
@Ronan @Spaghetti Thank you for your comments.
@Stan I read a lot of Smoking Gun and other sites before posting this. I was aware it would be contentious. Thank you for the extra links.
@Linda The term ‘normal’ is one I generally avoid – it’s very subjective. However, it’s very clear that JAckson’s behaviour was far beyond the realms of anyone’s definition of ‘normal’. I agree he had a tough life, even no life, as you put it, but he should not have allowed himself to be in the precarious positions he found himself in, nor should others have allowed it.
@Allan I am going to try answer all questions, regardless how incensed some might make me.
@Dena Thank you. Exactly what I was trying to say – only about 20 paragraphs shorter.
@Lottie Yes, shame on the parents – shame on the bodyguards and maids and producers and PR people who all came out of the woodwork with their ‘stories’ when Jackson was accused. If they felt something was wrong – THEY should have allerted the police. I can’t help but wonder if all the controversies and allegations and alleged wrongdoings could have been avoided if those around Jackson had not enabled him.
@Travors That’s just it. There was so much to dislike about the man. I focused on the one thing that truly worried me. My post is not about paedophilia or drugs or his kids. I just take umbrage with what Jackson himself considered ‘right’ and ‘good’ and many people are ignoring this in favour of praising him as an amazing human being.
@Peter You met him? Interesting – I’ll look for that long story some time.
@Leon “Whats wrong with living in a fantasy world when the real one is so shit!?”
Nothing – as long as you are not interfering in other people’s real lives, as long as you are not doing questionable things with underage boys, as long as you are not using your money to pay off your accusers (allegedly).
Have I missed anyone?
@ Leon Pretty easily. A (harsh) example: I know Hitler was a pretty awful human being without ever meeting him.
@Leon hanging babies over balconies marks someone as a permanent prick.
@travors Goodwin’s Law.
@darren
what are the repercussions of me being wrong? That I have to admit I was wrong? That would be alright.
@roosta If you are wrong in believing Jackson to be innocent, then that means he molested young children. If I am wrong, then I’ve just written disparaging remarks about an innocent dead man.
@Allan That’s fantastic! Can’t believe I’ve just become another example
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godwin%27s_law
My view – MJ as an entertainer and talented individual, yes he was a goddamn genius. But very f**ked up in the head as a human being, and whatever the truth of the allegations, having young boys sleeping in a grown man’s bed is completly wrong. I’m not a father, but am an uncle and godfather, and i don’t care WHO the person is in question…it’s just wrong full stop. But also yes, the man had a very sad life – no childhood to speak of. Saw a Louis Theroux doc there a few years back when he was interviewing Joe Jackson (MJ’s father), and the man came across as an extremly nasty and brutish individual who messed up his son’s life. A God-like talent giving way to a tremendous fall from grace…
@ travors Hitler and Wacko Jacko, best of buddies..
@ Allan Even those of us who live in a sane world unlike Jackson do stoopid things, doesn’t make him or us eternal pricks.
@darren
Sorry to be a pedant…but me being wrong about jackson does not as a “repercussion” make him being a pedophile
A repercussion is the result of something else happening.
Me being wrong about jackson only has the repercussion of me being wrong.
He was guilty…we all know it. Whether or not the children and their parents got their stories straight, WE ALL KNOW it was not simply as innocent as sharing beds. To pay off all of his staff workers, the children, and their parents reeks of bribery. His own guards and maids SAW him have tickle fights and touch the boys in their crotches. I agree with you 100% that, after being going to trial the first time and getting off lucky, it’s strange that he would continue sleeping in beds with 10 year olds. He was a complete a-hole and did it again and again, only to prove what a crappy legal system we have. If he truly didn’t have sinister intentions, he would have dropped the issue and never do it again. I’m not happy for a person’s death, but it is a relief to know that one less pedophile is roaming the world.
Hold on a minute – If I always had kids over at my house & staying overnight and they asked if they could stay in my room, I would NOT think twice about sharing my bed with them – watching TV, reading, kid-chatting with them – and I’m not talking about me sleeping on the floor, either, (as Jackson did) – so what?
Maybe I would NOT be looked upon as odd or suspicious? Simply because I am a woman?
Maybe it is BECAUSE paedophilia is normally a male thing and MJ is a man – it was always going to be looked upon as suspicious by default? Whatever!
And most red-blooded males have looked at PLENTY of porn. A lot have privately viewed porn, while, at the same time, being far shy of actually having a sexual relationship with anyone.
The media clearly had a field-day with Jackson holding his child TIGHTLY, over a balcony for approx 2 seconds – often slowing down the frame for added affect – pathetic! It was made a big deal of because it was Michael Jackson.
You seem to forget that many who look up to Michael, do so because he was not just a great singer/dancer – he was a HUMANITARIAN – In the Guinness Book of Records for being the artist who has given the most to world-wide charities. Over 30 million some suggest nearer to 500 million over his career. Anyone can check that out on the Web. He had 39 official charities. He was also concerned about the preservation of earth in regards to climate control//world peace/suffering – needless slaughtering of certain wild-life for body parts, such as tusks, etc, and the sick and poor – of ANY age.
Every time he toured, he made sure to stop off at hospitals and orphanages to visit the sick and poor and donated vast amounts, (writing cheques) from his tour to these establishments, along the way.
I would be MORE worried about the world having one less soul like Michael’s!!!!
Michael did NOT simply INVITE kids to stay in his bedroom – kids wanted to hang out in his room – he had made stated he SHARED his bed and generally slept on the floor. The only thing I am frustrated with him for, is that he should have explained MUCH MORE clearly.
Personally, I think they were vultures, who saw an opportunity to exploit this man’s vulnerability.
I have done research myself:
The accuser’s father, (producer of film, ‘Robin Hood-Men in Tights’), went to MJ BEFORE going to police – demanding 20 million dollars to finance future projects. What normal parent, who supposedly suspects something is being done to their child, reacts like THAT??
Michael did not initiate a pay out to anyone; he had actually refused to pay the father of Jordy Chandler! LEARN the *True* FACTS behind this story!! The settlement, which was paid by his INSURANCE COMPANY, was NOT in Michael Jackson’s control. He *WANTED to fight the accusations against him. If he had wasn’t innocent why would he turn the accusers father away when he demanded 20 million before going to the police with his accusations? IF he was guilty, wouldn’t it have beneficial to him to pay the boy off BEFORE the accusations became public?
Also, why would a guilty man petition the court asking that the CRIMINAL trial be held BEFORE the CIVIL trial, if he was just trying to pay the kid off? He simply wanted to prove his innocents before having to pay them anything – the judge OVERULED!
A TRUE paedophile prefers to remain secretive. A TRUE paedophile would NEVER insist, in front of a world-wide audience, that it was ok to have kids sleep over in his bedroom. Part of Michael Jackson’s mistake, is that, even after the first accusation, he did not worry, because as far as he was concerned, he had nothing to hide – as he was innocent of such acts; yet, in his innocent mind, he was far TOO naïve in how his blatant openness could be/was taken by certain members of the public. The 93 accusations-the sleeplessness started.
It took him two harsh lessons before taking note and becoming cautious; the last chain-of-events started with the back-stabbing Bashir documentary being aired around the world only after being twisted to give a more distorted view, during its editing. This is also where Michael Jackson’s prescription drugs were increased, in order to deal with the trauma.
Then, conveniently-within months of the program being aired, and Michael distancing himself from Arvizo’s, (which they did not like), they start their accusations- Jackson decides to fight this time and it goes to trial – however, by the end of it, he was left a gaunt and broken man – he was never the same. A chain-of-events that seemed to mark the beginning of the end.
Aphrodite Jones who went along with believing Michael Jackson was guilty, until she began to hear/see what WE did not hear/see during the trial. Book called, ‘MICHAEL JACKSON CONSPIRACY’ – STRAIGHT from the court transcripts – and just confirms what I already believed – Michael Jackson was innocent.
Also, ‘REDEMPTION’, by Geraldine Hughes, gives the TRUE story behind the 93 accusations.
Written by the legal secretary, (By Geraldine Hughes), of the prosecuting attorney to the 1993 child molestation case. Miss Hughes points to details that were never given a second glance by the media or public at large.
Oh, and Michael did not “BLEACH” his skin to look brighter: He had made it clear during one interview, that he was PROUD of his black heritage and had NO control over his skin disease.
Michael had vitiligo AND Lupus. Look it up!
The vitiligo progressed beyond the help of make-up! He did not want to look like a leper, so with his dermatologist, began treating the remaining brown patches with bleaching agents; You could STILL see those patches, (like large freckles) of late. Want the proof? Let me know!
Michael, his dermatologist & Michael’s make-up artist have addressed this CONSTANT issue, already. Goes to show how ignorant people remain because they cannot be arsed to research the TRUTH of something.
You don’t have to be a fan of ANY-one – its just called, respect & and cautious objectivity in analysis.
Some say, “No smoke without fire”? Really? Ever heard of Arson? Pftt!
Ignorant people like, Josiah, need to do their own in-depth research before mouthing off on the general idea the media had left with those member of the public who don’t seem to possess an objective, independent mind-set to certain things they are fed.
The only thing DISTURBING, BIZZAR and STRANGE is the media & the sheepish followers, who set media gospel into stone, while also trying to SENSATIONLISE anything around Michael Jackson.
I think Michael was, perhaps, more sane and clued-in than many – part of why he became very weary …simple as that!
Probably the best I have heard so far – and from another celebrity:
“If being sane is thinking there’s something wrong with being different…then I’d rather be completely fucking MENATAL”
Oh, and try telling ALL those, world-wide, whom Michael Jackson has helped throughout his career, that he was not a great man!!
Apart from his genius artistic talents – A GREAT, caring soul, he surely was, and is!!!
Sorry, spelling error in last post – should be, 300 million.
Also, have lots of links/information, (for a future blog), re: the two subjects some still seem to have a problem with regarding Michael Jackson.
Anyone want them, I will post them!!
Lot more I could have said here re: what some of you wrote regarding sour ex-Neverland staff who came out with all kinds of BS claims, simply because they had been previously fired, (some for STEALING items from Neverland), and had a grudge, etc, etc!!
“I‘ve had enough. I’m tired, bored and a little embarrassed at the endless tirade of praise lauded upon Michael Jackson.”
Just don’t get that, Darren – if you had enough – cannot understand why you would take time to compile a lengthy blog, which makes more a point of analysing the supposed “weirdness around Michael Jackson, more than anything else. to be THAT fed-up, bored, etc, as you claim, you must be listening and reading an awful lot of the very stuff you claim to have had enough of and become bored with – so answer is simple, close the ears if you are hearing it – and overlook and move on without reading it.
Something I have noticed of late – it seems to be those who have only negatives to say about the man and claim they cannot “understand the hype” – THEY are usually the very FIRST to start something pertaining to Michael Jackson – Pfft!
At the end of the day, no matter how much an anti-Jackson waffles on boards and the likes – the man is admired, respected and loved by millions and millions world-wide; and MANY of those are not merely blinded fans – they are people who have had the sense enough to see past all the media and haters’ anti-Jackson hype – to stand back and do their own research and analysing without the bias-by-default mentality.
Angie in Dublin,
You have written the most beautiful defend for Michael. I come form the Oriental East and there are large familes, all children sleep in one bed and nothing weired. When I read thru Michael’s story, I just found a tall great man, humble, enduring, caring for others. Even he appeared wild on stage, well, he was performing, which already need update and fresh in every way. That’s the way to keep yourself on peak and it is a great stress over the years and the rumors and speculation by the media hurt him and his image was distorted for many years. Bias, prejudice, discrimination, greed and racism all written on his face to reflect human nature. If he is a white man, he is GOD, unfortunately he is BLACK so he is weired, monster and use every ugly word to describe. I will not let my children live in America, the legal system, the medical system all kill people.
Thanks, Miranda…
Just read over my long post and realised all the spelling mistakes, but I am sure some will figure it out. Pity there are those who could not and STILL, cannot see past both their own and the media bias/hype that was directed toward the man. The truth behind a lot of BS about Michael Jackson, is out there – but those who both hate, regardless, and those who choose to remain bias-by-default, (even if it is on a sub-conscious level with some), won’t bother to research the other side, because they are far too comfortable, (for reasons only they know), with what they have been fed in way of mainstream. There are those who simply don’t have the capability to delve deeper behind some of the BS they have digested… It is far too mentally taxing for the closed-minded!
A sad chain-of-events – which eventually led to his insomnia – which eventually led to his death!
You’ll even get those pathetic, ignorant haters who now want to claim, “Ah, he was a junkie” – and all the while, conveniently forgetting the reality – that other celebs who have overdosed, often overdosed on RECREATIONAL drugs – (BIG difference) – yet, in all their blind hate and bias, they desperately try to tie the man in with recreational *junkies.
So, by their logic, both celebrities’, (including two more who have recently gone into rehab for prescription drug addiction – one of them being, Burt Reynolds) and ordinary people, are ALL simple junkies – wonder if they would pause on their thoughts if it were brought closer to home – a parent, a sibling, one of their own children, hey!
Michael Jackson was TOTALLY against RECREATIONAL drugs!! Fact!
Wow! I didn’t know it was a crime to take and, perhaps, become addicted to PRESCRIPTION drugs for joint pain and eventually, more PRESCRIPTION drugs added due to lack of sleep.
Michael had become addicted to various PRESCRIBED painkillers for joint pain, (which included a damaged vertebra in his back) and, severe insomnia, (and decent people KNOW what actually CAUSED his insomnia, in the first place).
He DID try and found no relief in alternative methods for sleep. The man simply craved a good night’s sleep & eventually, in blind desperation, played Russian roulette with a stuff that worked, but was also dangerous. Now, he has his sleep!
However, I will never change my mind on the following, as it is what I perceive as the *underlying factor in this sad chain-of-events:
The lying VULTURES, continuous RIDICULE, (some of it born of racism, also) – the BIAS MEDIA & its ignorant SHEEP, (you know who you are), are *ALL* collectively responsible for the slow demise of this sensitive soul.
ULTIMATELY, he died of a broken heart!
One of the biggest sins of humanity, against an individual!!!!
Jesus christ, thank god for angie.
The misinformation and out and out bullshit in this post is astounding. Some people seem to actually WANT to believe he commited these crimes and negate all other evidence to favour that he did.
He paid $20 million to settle the civil case and get on with criminal case faster. These are two separate trials, and the second was much more important than the first. First he filed a motion to be tried in criminal court first, but this wasdenied, so he settled to get the less important trial (no matter what the ruling was, he would still lose money and have to go to trial again) over with, confident he would be proven innocent in the criminal trial.
Lazy journalism twisted this to say he bought the kid’s silence. If you read through the settlement, it specifically says the kid is allowed to talk about it as much as he wants, whereas MJ isn’t. Boy left the country in 2005 to avoid being subpoenaed for the second trial.
Since it really comes down to his word against the kid’s, a lot of his case was based on that the boy’s father had administered sodium amytal to him before he “confessed”, and he was going to get professionals to come in and explain what happens with this drug, then show that the boy’s father was hundreds of thousands of dollars behind on child support, and had previously tried to blackmail MJ on the subject (if he had wanted to pay them off, he could have done it months before.)
Having the civil case come before the criminal one (where he had a lot more to lose) would give the DA months in advance to prepare against his specific strategies, and the DA had been sued before for witness tampering, and months of every detail of the case being in the papers. He settled to avoid this and be tried only criminal court, where he’d be facing jail time.
This backfired, because as soon as the settlement was paid, the kid refused to testify in the criminal case, and there wasn’t enough evidence to go through with it without him. The DA presented whatever circumstantial evidence they’d come up with (including the photos of the strip search as compared to the boy’s description of his dick/etc)to two different grand juries, both refused to allow the case to go to court.
The law was changed shortly after this, so that criminal cases would have to come before civil cases in instances like these – this is what the outrage over OJ Simpson was about, I think. He got off on a technicality for the criminal, but proved guilty in the civil case (it works differently though, the decision does not have to be unanimous) but couldn’t be convicted because of double jeopardy.
The court files are all available online.
The media still refuses to discuss his vitiligo, in spite of the plethora of evidence, including now the coronors report (I read one newspaper coyly refer to a “depigmentaion disease”)
Oh and what pedophile announces that he openly shares his bed with kids? JFC
“Many people have described Jackson as being asexual and not interested in sex or not having sexual desires. Over 70 porn magazines were found in his home when it was searched – I am not suggesting there is anything wrong with owning them, but it does throw the asexual Jackson theory out the window”
Amazing, isn’t it? So much of what was said about MJ has been found to be a bunch of bull and yet people still believe the media’s spinning of him. And why do the media spin this tale? Because it sells.
None of the porn was underage, none of it was gay, none of it was wrong or illegal. All it proved was that the media had been wrong about MJ being asexual and gay.