School band playing Michael Jackson

[recededpronunciation]

It’s been decided that the school band - a group of 11 year old boys - are going to play a Michael Jackson number at the next concert. School staff were involved in this decision.

AIBU or is this just massively inappropriate in the wake of the Leaving Neverland revelations?

[jjsmum84]

It's just a song for goodness sake!!

[LunafortJest]

@StealthPolarBear Exactly, I don't get the hypocrisy either. I actually think what Jackson did is far worse. Not just because he maliciously planned everything; Even if he wasn't a sexual abuser, which sure as the Pope is Catholic, he was, Jackson was an abuser and manipulator of children. He still abused them emotionally and psychologically. He messed with a child's personal boundaries, spent hours on the phone with them at a time, was with them almost every day, abused them each night, took them on tour, then unceremoniously DUMPED THEM when they reached puberty! What he did was allow children to fall for him, he was cruel was absolute evil. Saville to my knowledge didn't do that.

But also because we don't know what Saville's behaviour and tone would have been, because we never saw it. He never had to face his accusers. He may have been contrite and admitted guilt (very doubtful but - you never know). He might not have acted so smug, so cold, so dismissive and as if it were all a joke, as Jackson did in that video above. He might not have feigned ill, came to court in a wheel chair or came to court in his pajamas, late for court (an additional layer of disrespect!!), and THEN be well enough to jump on cars and dance on them when found not guilty, as an extra insult to victims. Jackson treated the courts with disrespect, was smug, cold and disdainful towards his victims and treated it as a joke. Laughing and even yawning while interrogated! It is the way Jackson acted afterwards that adds insult to injury.

We have no idea how Saville would have reacted.

We know how Jackson reacted.

[holly1501]

Micheal Jackson. The people's paedophile. He should be treated like Gary Glitter not have his music lauded over imo.

[Barbarafromblackpool]

YANBU. He abused children.

[0ccamsRazor]

Yanbu op. Not. At. All

[StealthPolarBear]

Lol at the people's paedophile. It's amazing really. I can only assume jimll fix it is coming back. Now then, now then.

[StealthPolarBear]

Saville really was so creepy wasn't he :o how did I not see it? Lucky enough to be totally innocent I suppose.

[LunafortJest]

@jjsmum84 No, it is not 'just a song'. That is a terrible enabling attitude. We are talking about child molestation here. Not a singer doing drugs or burgling. If preying on little boys, molesting them, threatening them and laughing at being interrogated isn't enough to have certain music banned, then what is?

[Witchtower]

That video was creepy!!

I don’t think he abused Macaulay Culkin.

Weren’t Micheal Jackson’s fingerprints and the fingerprints of his victim on the same pornography magazine?

There is no doubt this man is seriously f**ked up but there is absolutely no excuse for what he did.

[Witchtower]

*found on the same pornography magazine.

[Lilimoon]

That video is really disturbing.

[xsquared]

DD's performing arts club at school is no longer doing"Thriller" as a dance. Right decision in my opinion.

I notice that MJ's songs haven't been played for a while on radio either. I was listening to Radio 2 yesterday and they were playing the top 10 from 1985. Although the dj announced "We are the world" was number 1 at the time, he didn't play it.

[Tinkety]

YANBU. He's committed the most horrendous, damaging, repulsive crime. Hardly the same as being racist.

I know I'm not consistent but for example I'm happy to carry on watching Roman Polanski's films, but what MJ was just too much. He's banned in our house.

So a little bit of child rape is okay then? Just as long as it’s not “too much” it’s fine?

Polanski drugged & raped a 13 year old girl, is that not also a “horrendous, damaging, repulsive crime”? Or does only abuse against boys count?

MJ was found not guilty (I think he’s as guilty as sin though) but Polanski flipping admitted it! How is one okay but not the other?

[namechangedmner]

Rather than going over every specific point and sounding like a crazed MJ fan which I never have been... there's a lot coming to light about these two incredibly convincing "victims" stories

I'll wait and see what the opinion is in a few months time before bothering to argue it out now.

Watch the papers turn in 3...2...1

[MissKenton]

Nothing to add but @pillowtalker your post made me chuckle!

[WorkingItOutAsIGo]

Oh come on - it’s been known for years that he was paying these boys off.

I would worry about teachers who are so tone deaf they are choosing to get 10yo boys to do an MJ number right now. In fact I would wonder about their motivations for choosing it.

I would be that parent.

But then I don’t watch Roman Polanski or Woody Allen either.

[Ribbonsonabox]

Yanbu. I dont think all his music should be banned... hes dead he doesnt profit and I dont think the crimes of an artist should prevent people enjoying their art.
But.... this is horrific timing due to the documentary being aired recently and really distasteful considering it's a group of boys the same age as his victims were.
So I do think they should reconsider this as it's totally inappropriate.

[PennyArcade]

There has been a lot of news activity lately which suggests the two boys involved in the Nevetland documentaries lied through their teeth - even the mother of one of them testified against him. But don't let that stop you from your witchunt.

[Caztonette]

Yeah, MJ was just a nice innocent child porn collector who slept with young boys who all make up nasty lies about him.

[Ihatehashtags]

Yeaj since it’s all come out I think it’s inappro

[Teachtolive]

There has been a lot of news activity lately which suggests the two boys involved in the Nevetland documentaries lied through their teeth - even the mother of one of them testified against him. But don't let that stop you from your witchunt.

@PennyArcade have you a link to any of this? I'd be quite interested to read it

[DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen]

YANBU

It wouldn't happen at ds's school, for one thing the kids would point out how inappropriate it is.

[namechangedmner]

This isn't everything- there's a lot fairly easy to find with google, YouTube and Twitter but this is what a lot of people are focusing on right now.

Problem being the train station wasn't built at time abuse is alleged to take place in it.

There are Getty images showing it with a date that fits

There's also Liz Taylor's wedding proving it wasn't there I think? (Someone's wedding)

The people who built it confirmed it wasn't built then

There were however two trains I think BUT... this was the only station that had an upstairs. Other train stations were apparently just benches/shelters - no upstairs

Dan Reed just moves the date... except how old does Safechuck then become? It discredits his own lawsuit and destroys the narrative of being dropped when he got "too old" for someone younger

It's things like this... or McCauley being implied as a replacement when he was 2 years older than the alleged victim

It's still entirely possible that they were victims... but why did the documentary need to make timelines fit in this way? If they're victims - let's have the truth not stories Reed could have researched and eliminated himself before making it and not discrediting their own lawsuits

Meanwhile Weinsteins being detracted from with the world focusing on MJ.

I wasn't a massive MJ fan - but a little look on twitter and you find out that people who were massive fans have known of WR and JS for a long time prior to this documentary whereas for me when I watched it it was all fresh information and convincing. The stories have somewhat evolved it seems.

I'm still willing to believe it's possible they were victims - but we've been presented a story with holes in it by a director who hasn't researched at this point. Also we're fed for years how he only liked white young boys - ignoring the many girls who also stayed with MJ, that Jordan wasn't white, Emmanuel Lewis wasn't, all the sisters who stayed but weren't famous as their brothers, his niece who stayed lots and had a relationship for 7+ years with WR during the time he alledges abuse, and so on

Also we are fed that the alarm system is a creepy thing - without being told his bedroom had 2 storeys, was the size of a house and the alarm was installed after a fan managed to hide in a closet for a week...

They may be victims - but DR doesn't need to manipulate it this way if they are. He's discrediting them himself!

[staydazzling]

Look if its ok for people still to go to Catholic Church, why on earth would Michael Jackson be the one exception?

[FrenchJunebug]

YABVU what do you think will happen to those boys who play a Michael Jackson's song? My 7 year old love singing Thriller. Shall I sit him down and forbade him to sing it because the singer is a bad man?! Where do you stop? Walt Disney wasn't very present in his political ideas. Should we also forbid kids to watch Disney movies?!