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

[P0d]

I also have a friend whose little boy has learnt all his moves and she puts MJ on for him to dance to.

I don’t understand, hearing his music makes me feel sick.

Not sure that ‘I’m an ephebophile not a paedophile’ would wash with the pitchfork mob.

John Lennon was also a wife beater.

But I don’t care because I separate the art from the artist in all circumstances.

Nope, it wasn’t. Because his legal team paid the victims families big bucks to withdraw their cases. And, with those families, you are already talking about ones who give their young kids to a stranger with the thought they may get something out of it in the first place. So, essentially, victims whose family would be willing to be paid off if need be.

Fucked if I know why they have his music in schools, or anywhere really.

Agreed it was within plain sight people tying themselves in knots trying to justify his behaviour is ridiculous
I'm.hlsd your father finally got convicted.

🤣😅🤣😅

I totally agree with you and I can't understand why so many people are defending the indefensible here.

His music isn't particularly good anyway.

Very little pop music is.

The courts did not find him innocent. I have been raped and sexually abused. Neither would stand up in court because there’s not enough evidence, like 95% of cases.
please stop saying people are innocent when they just don’t have enough proof and also this particular paedo happened to be incredibly rich and would have had the best lawyers in the fucking land

Yes, it’s shit 😂

And the money to make it all go away.

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Oasis last night opened with a Gary Glitter song. Just sayin’.

Paul McCartney was only 21 when he wrote it though

Fact is there will always be a cloud hanging over Jackson. None of us know for sure, so we cannot definitively say one way or the other. What is certain though it looks very dodgy.

One question that always stands out, why was it always, ALWAYS, young boys?

He purportedly loved kids, and you'd see the odd girl here and there (often in the background), but those he was close to, very very close to, without fail, were young boys.

Many people feel that it is up in the air what he was. I feel that way, maybe he was a paedophile, or maybe not. I don't think we will likely ever know for sure. He was undoubtedly strange, but no shock given his upbringing.

Speaking of which - if it is not ok to listen to his music as an adult, what about the Jackson 5, when he was just an abused kid?

There are so many areas where a person contributed to our collective life, be it art, the sciences, whatever, and they were terrible people or did some terrible things. I often wonder why it's only the arts where we are then meant to pretend their work didn't exist. Why not give up the scientific insights of creeps and perverts too?

Not 100%, perhaps. But often we can. And the good news is we don’t have to go to extremes or be completely and absolutely black and white and rigid in our thinking. We can take a sensible, non-dramatic approach.

1. It was never proven that he was a paedophile. The accusations came from people who stood to make a lot of money from MJ, Macauley Culkin/other child celebs who didn't need the money certainly had a different story to tell.
2. Where do we stop when banishing songs/artists/historical figures etc who have done something bad?

Of course he was wrong un! He was a deeply messed up individual thanks to his bizarre childhood, and I’m surprised there are so many who say he wasn’t messing around with little boys. The ones who defended him at the time have spoken out against him in recent years because they were groomed.

But culturally his music is significant. So people separate the art from the artist and enjoy it. He’s dead, it’s not like he’s benefiting financially.

My signed copies of Neil Gaiman books were once treasured possessions. They are still some excellent stories, even though I loathe the man. I won’t buy any more of his stuff because I won’t be complicit in making him wealthy.

Jackson has been dead for ages. No one is being harmed by 8 year olds dancing to Beat It.

Same at the school closing ceremony I was at.

He may or may not have been a paedophile, we don't know. You can't believe every rumour you hear about people. Not saying it's not true (really have no clue), just saying there was a lot of money at stake (hence motive to accuse) and people who allow their children to share a bed with a grown man just because he's rich and famous may have passed on some strange values to their children. It's safe to say he was pretty odd and I would never have let my children near the man. He was also one of the most influential artists on popular culture ever. Do you really want to eliminate such a backbook of work from your kids' lives just on the basis of rumour?

Such a good point @TempestTost

If the posters here found out that Steve Jobs was deeply immoral in whatever way, would they dispose of their I phones in anger? I think not. What about the brain behind the tech, if the person who developed the algorithm to refine searches for online shopping (if such a thing exists, I'm not a tech person) should we cease all online shopping? No, because people suit themselves. They might get upset by MJ music that they don't like anyway but they will purchase a brand that uses child labour or unsafe practices because it suits them.

How far do you take moral judgement? If one person slept in a bed with little boys but didn't physically harm them, is he better or worse than the man who coerced a vulnerable 18 yr old to have sex? Is someone who has racist views privately against a particular race but does not act upon them better or worse than someone who never employs people or engages with from a particular race yet has never articulated racism. Is someone who beats their wife better or worse than someone who beats their girlfriends teenage son?

Perhaps because you can't just go labelling someone a paedophile following unfounded accusations.

Because his songs are brilliant

I have noticed that his stuff went a way for a while and there is now a push back.

To me it was obvious that he was grooming families to get close to their children. Even if you take the sexual stuff out of it, he still obliterated the boundaries that those children had to keep them safe. That is still child abuse. Those kids where let down.

I listen to plenty of problematic artists; Elvis, Amy Winehouse etc.. but I draw the line at child abuse.

Was it ever proved that he was a peadophile? He was very misguided after a difficult childhood

It’s interesting that you don’t actually like his music. I wonder if you’d have a different opinion on whether it’s permissible to listen to it if you enjoyed it.

I am massively conflicted. I think some songs by MJ, Bowie, Stones are great and I still listen to them. I absolutely won’t even listen to LostProphets. I avoid movies with Johnny Depp now. Yet I still enjoy watching the Pianist.

I sort of having a theory about this, and I think it’s about the connection I have - I grew up with LostProphets so it felt more personal. I had a teenage crush on JD. But MJ, Bowie - they are my dad’s era really. So it’s easier to separate the art from the artist as I never had any strong feelings about the artists to begin with.

And I do think you need to do that as we’d end up having to cull most of our cultural history. Acknowledge the controversies but it doesn’t have to stop you from appreciating the art.