Michael Jackson was a paedophile. Why does the local school choose one of his songs for the kids to perform to?

Even the Martin Bashir interview was uncomfortable, MJ was more than a Tad eccentric.

Well he certainly paid some parents off ,strange behaviour gor someone entirely innocent.

They wouldn't becsuse a paedophile is someone who is attracted to prepubescent children,
A man in his 20,s being attracted to a 16/17 year old is questionable but not illegal
A man who is attracted to prepubescent children and acts on it is very much illegal.

My son has heard MJ's music, and liked a few of his tracks. I never told him, he couldn't listen to the tracks or turned the TV off if a music video of his came on. He's now 14, he's also very much aware of the allegations surrounding MJ, and that his behaviour was questionable at best and at worst a child molester. I can safely say my son hasn't been scared for life because he listened to his tracks and he's now aware of MJ's past. I personally wouldn't see the MJ musical, and I don't actively listen to his music, if a track comes into the radio, I may sing along. MJ's estate would be receiving royalties from the music that is played, unless all his back catalogue was sold after his death, so yes in a roundabout way, he is still making money in death.

I take ot you didn't watch the Neverland documentary.

Wasn't his music in The Joker film?

You don't know he was paedophile, the courts found him innocent. He was a very rich man and its not stretch to think some skanky parents thought they could make a buck by falsely accusing him. Aside from any of that he was hugely talented and his music is timeless.

Michael Jackson performed other people’s songs eg Earth Song, a popular one for schools was written by someone else and simply recorded by Jackson, and whilst he did compose basic melodies and lyrics for some songs they were arranged and put together by others as he didn’t know how to read or write music nor arrange parts.

Both would be classed as ‘paedos’.

Of course he was a paedophile, but people are so obsessed with him most will never believe it. Famous people can get away with a lot when they have millions of fans idolising them.

I assume you're referring to 'She was just 17, you know what I mean'?

That's hardly outrageous, especially given that the Beatles themselves were only a few years older at the time. It's legal age. Not quite the same as sleeping in the same bed as unrelated 10 year olds, which nobody disputes MJ was at the very least guilty of.

To be fair they were teenagers themselves when they wrote it. It would actually be weirder if she was just 34!

And stadiums full of people going to watch Chris Brown…

I was in two minds about his music after the Neverland documentary, then I watched the other documentary that step by step pulled the first documentary a part. It doesn't stand up to scrutiny at all. Can't recall the name of it but it was on one of the main channels at the time.

This, ^

People are naive if they think money fame and power doesn't protect you.
I watched the neverland documentary and don't listen to his music anymore.
MJ was a damaged individual probably mainly due to his father and the environment he grew up in then the fame and yes people around him
If you are a parent would you really allow your 8 year old DS so to have a sleepover in the same bed as say the postman??
Unbelievable the parents did this, it was all about being starstruck and MJ using this to his advantage.
I think it's inappropriate to use his music for a school dance show personally.

I cannot separate the artist from the act, although never proven.
He put himself in a position that was inappropriate so many times and had severe mh challenges.
I remember my dad and other adults excusing it "As he never had a childhood" plenty of people don't have a healthy childhood.
I'm glad his children are free as adults, they'd a strange childhood.
We'll never know the truth now.

I don't think he was a paedo, too many people have been happy to take money for the accusations. However, YANBU, there are many other artists to choose from instead, given there now is a cloud over him

Bowie, Rolling Stones, Jerry Lee Lewis, Presley, Anthony Kiedis, even Dylan has been accused….its rife.

What I don’t get, is people will stop listening to Jackson even though he never admitted nor was convicted but they still listen to Aerosmith or Bill Wyman or The Chilli’s even though they openly admitted what they did. Another bunch of people cherry picking what suits them. You can’t support Chris Brown or Anthony Kiedis and hate Jackson.

I assume they were not in MJ,s bedroom so how would they know?

Neither was Jimmy Saville

An under 18 year old isn't really comparable to a five year old is it?

The first line of the first song on the first Beatles album references the physical attractiveness of a female under 18 years of age. Where do we draw the line? Should I go and burn Beatles records outside Paul McCartney’s house?

I’d recommend you look at all the culture you enjoy - the art, music and books - and do a thorough background check into all of it.

I think you will find your life extremely empty afterwards.

I find a huge statue of MJ outside the musical about him in TCR absolutely mad. But also exactly consistent with how this culture deals with those men who abuse kids.

People knew about Saville. We all knew about MJ - sleeping with little boys! Really? Men walk away from court after multiple convictions for paying for images of children being abused. Men dont get arrested for viewing this stuff relentlessly - because we decide collectively that it's too hard to stop.

Every now and again there's a scandal or an unappealing man who gets turned against but by and large we accept it. And the giant statute of MJ is just a large fibreglass embodiment of our culture forgiving men, giving them the benefit of the doubt and generally being on their side rather than innocent children. It's par for the course. Not anomalous but how we are.

I like some MJ songs. I don’t have a view on MJ himself as I never met him nor stopped to consider the evidence of his alleged paedophilia. I would have no issue at all with my kids listening to or dancing to his music. Even if he was a paedophile I still wouldn’t.