AIBU to be shocked by public celebration of Michael Jackson?

[2021x]

Now the MJ film is out my social media feed is flooded with people doing the dances and talking about the movie etc. My local cinema is holding special events and screenings.

I personally have no doubt that he was a predatory paedophile. All the signs are there, especially how he talks about how he would never hurt a child and sharing a bed with them is the "most loving thing you can do in the world". He manipulated the world into thinking he had a "child-like persona" but was able to manage a music career worth millions... which someone who is naive would never be able to manage.

I also do not judge people who enjoy his music. It was very popular at the time, and would be associated with all types nostaligic memories. I listen to problematic artists all the time, but I don't pretend that they weren't abusive.

AIBU to be astounded that any business/media outlet would be seen dead even associating with him let alone celebrating such a horrifically abusive man.

What man wants to spend that much time with other peoples kids for innocent reasons? Most parents don't even like other peoples kids. Hell most dads don't want to spend that much time with their OWN kids!

Yeah I was just deluded about it before. I wanted to believe he was different. To think he crafted that entire image to manipulate people and get them to think he was this pure innocent soul, to hide the truth. It's just completely horrific.

That's the weirdest argument I've heard. Lots of people like kids a lot, even men.

I don't know that that explains Michael Jackson but your claim is weird.

Exactly grown adults who choose to be 'friends' with kids, huge red flags, we see it at work all the time, male and female adults.

Its not weird at all if you work with children and see the predators around them and then abuse enablers.

A few days ago I was surprised to find out it's been a big hit, because I assumed the Jacko fans were too long in the tooth and couldn't be arsed to come out to the cinema in droves. Then again I wonder if there's an appetite for a musical biopic as there hasn't been one for a while and as he was so talented, I can understand the 'celebration'. I don't know if anyone is pretending they don't think he was a paedophile, I'm not a mind reader after all. And making guesses about him is all we can do, isn't it? It's not like he was proved guilty.

It's similar to when Lennon died and Polanski won his Oscar, although that's different in the sense that we KNOW Lennon hit women and Polanski raped Samantha Gailey.

They don't hang around with them to that extent for free, even more than their own parents or grandparents. Do you know anyone who does?

I'm the same re the documentary. But in the third part, the police officer said people who had complained about MJ's behaviour then appeared in court and stated that everything was fine. In other words, they'd been paid off.
It's extraordinary that, after all the allegations against him, he was found not guilty on all counts. It's very fishy!

Maybe not even paid off as such but under huge influence and pressure by the mob who were hysterical about him, setting off doves and shit outside the court, grown adults, men and women crying their eyes out about how much they love him. Morons, the lot of them

Sorry, I don't agree. There are plenty of videos of his 'real' voice out there, that breathy high pitched version was fake. I don't think he was a particularly complex person either, it was all part of a carefully crafted persona, created by a highly manipulation individual.

Christ, that was disgusting to watch.

A kid in my nephews class at school (year 1) had a Michael Jackson birthday party 🤦🏼‍♀️ Just fucking weird!

I think part of it was a mask yes, not disputing that, but like lots of people with lots of different layers, trauma yes, highly like ND, I questioned on another thread whether he was PD (but then lots of people with PD are said to be misdiagnosed ND so who knows), hugely famous, latterly in huge pain/addiction, obsessed, fixated, a whole combo, that makes for a complex character. Manipulation is part of that

The real voice was different at different times, the interviews he did with the Rabbi, his voice was up and down in that, sometimes that squeaky thing and sometimes not. Probably didnt even know himself

The bit that shocked me more was the lead juror I think she was, some old time matriarch type I think, really arrogant and slagged off one of the witnesses, the mother o fthe victim I think?

Disgusting and thought she was funny because she made some quip about her, cant remember now, probably no making sense.

I don’t know what his UK fanbase is like, but in the US, Michael Jackson has a not-insignificant number of fans among younger black people. I think he gets presented to them by their families as “a phenomenally talented and successful black artist who was wrongfully accused by a bunch of white scammers trying to take him down.”

Social media shows that the Jackson fans are completely delusional it honestly blows my mind how people continue to go to his tribute shows and pay money to watch this. The victims of his crimes are cast aside and left to rot while a billion dollar machine works against them. Tragic!
the movie post put up on Facebook appear to be full of bot accounts commenting it’s mental!

I am white and Irish, certainly not delusional and I will watch the movie when I get a chance to. I wouldn't say I was fan or not a fan but my 16 year old and his pals, again all white and Irish (just in respect of a comment above) have independently decided to go to watch it together also. They know the allegations too. If you do not want to watch then don't I guess but haranguing people for wanting to is a bit extreme. I would be much more judgemental of a maga person than anyone going to see this movie.

I agree.

I don’t understand why he isn’t hated in the same way Jimmy Saville and Gary Glitter are.

I do! He would organise all kinds of fun activities with his group of 10-12 year old mates, and he himself was 35.

He was a paedophile and went to jail.

Firstly, because Jackson had much more talent than them. Also, Jackson was found not guilty of the crimes he was accused. Years later there is ambiguity of whether he was guilty of those crimes, but you can't say that about Saville and Glitter.

At one point, I may have agreed with you. Then I had the privilege of getting to know some of the Jackson family, and to be honest, that did sway my judgement. Having been a victim of abuse myself it's hard to "side" with an alleged abuser, but I am not sure he was one. His father, on the other hand - not a nice man at all. What I do know is that the parents of the children involved effectively pimped out their own babies - even if you think it is innocent, who allows their small child to have sleepovers, sharing a bed, with a grown adult?! They were using their kids as bait in the hope of getting a big payout, which is absolutely disgusting. We will never know with 100% certainty whether Michael was a paedophile, or just a weird man who was stuck in a Peter Pan state. Unlike Epstein, and many others, there is no definitive proof, and, unlike Epstein, MJ was cleared in a court of law. Michael died an innocent man in the eyes of the law, regardless of what your opinion is. However, he made a damned good scapegoat for many others in Hollywood, allowing them to point the finger at the odd black guy who didn't try to hide the fact that he enjoyed the company of children, whilst the rich, privileged, middle aged white guys were all living it up on Epstein Island, abusing children left, right and centre. And worse than "just" abuse, if the evidence is to be believed.
If you would like to direct your anger towards something useful instead of those interested in watching a film about a man who has been dead for almost 17 years, I would suggest campaigning to bring our own former-prince Andrew to justice, along with all the rest of the still alive clientele of Jeffrey Epstein. Politicians included. If you don't want to watch the film, don't watch it. Nobody is forcing you to.

I thought MJ had been cancelled following all his court cases so I was surprised to see this film of celebration.

They couldn't include the stuff about the children in there. They filmed it and had to leave it on the cutting room floor due to NDAs in place. So it was a legal thing having to leave the abuse allegations out of the film.

As for Amy being abusive - when and towards who, apart from towards herself? To my knowledge, she was the victim of abuse, not the perpetrator. And, having met her several times, too, including at her worst, I think it's fair to say that Amy was a very tormented soul who was taken advantage of by many of those around her. I only ever found her to be a sweet, caring soul. People are often very different in person than they are portrayed in the media.

Pretty well documented that she was physically violent towards Blake and all assaulted another woman outside a pub. She went to court about it. She was a violent drunk but continued to drink.

My 10 year old son loves MJ's music and I'll take him to see the film. I will also at some point explain to him that he was accused of crimes against children and acquitted in court but that there continues to be a suspicion over him. Its a shame that my DS can't just enjoy the music for what it is but I guess thats the world we live in now.

I disagree… we 100% know.

You need to ask yourself what more evidence do you need?