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.

I swear to God they could bring this guy back to life, he could confess to everything and some apologists still wouldn't believe it.

the press were out to destroy him and people lied about him all the time, eg. He slept in a hypobaric chamber, he bleached his skin because he wanted to be white, his marriage to Lisa-marie was fake, etc etc. and he was literally constantly being sued and extorted for his money.

This is all irrelevant though, the press make up headline grabbing all celebs. He didn't get arrested/ charged because of a press story. The books and the accusations weren't just bullshit in the press they're evidence collecting and submitted by the press.

There's also been exaggeration regarding his behaviour with children - things like dumping them when they were 14, not having any girls visit etc, the reason for the fairground etc.

It's not clear what your saying here. You said you don't believe he did anything and then you're saying people are exaggerating while you keep avoiding answering what would be proof to you or what would make you also agree someone was a pedophile?

Poor innocent Micheal Jackson, it’d be laughable if it wasn’t so gross.

But Taj Jackson totally unbiased relative of MJ said they were art books....?
And all the young boys and unrelated adult male MJ had fun watching movies and having pillow fights, and eating cookies so it was all lovely
And the police and prosecutors who thought they had a strong enough case to take to court were probably lying

Nothing to see here ....

He did bleach his skin by the way, that was confirmed by an Irish aesthetic practitioner in a documentary who spoke about the time that he went to Ireland and sort of lived under cover, as much as he could do.

He did dump them at that age, several have said it,even the famous kids. It wouldn't be straight up ditching them, he still saw them from time to time but a lot more sporadically than he did and they would clearly be replaced. Makes sense to keep them somewhat sweet.

When so much bullshit is printed about a person it's harder to work out which bits are true and which bits are false.

You could say that about things like sleeping in the chamber or bleaching his skin but it's very disingenuous to say it about his behaviour with boys.
It's easy to blame the press, like when people blamed Martin Bashir for the documentary saying he made him look bad, Michael made himself look bad, holding hands with Gavin and saying they slept in the same bed. Anyone who behaved like he did with children would have the press reporting on it.

And just remember that all of the good things about Michael that you think you know or that you believe came from the press also, if they were all out to get him then we wouldn't have choruses of people parroting the exact same quotes 'Michael never had a childhood', 'Michael was like a child himself', The press printed and reported that stuff and cemented it in peoples minds.

I went to see the film tonight. I loved it. I was expecting to see people my age there (60s). The audience was mainly young people

And just remember that all of the good things about Michael that you think you know or that you believe came from the press also

Not all of it. People such as Lisa Marie, Whoopi Goldberg, Diana Ross, Brooke Shields, Elizabeth Taylor and Paul McCartney have spoken well of him.

Though weirdly the majority of his special friends who were young boys now they are grown up have either accused him of sexual abuse, accused him of emotional abuse, feel ambivalently about him, or refuse to defend him from accusations.

Sure but the press report on these things also, these stories would have just died a death if the media didn't rehash the quotes etc.

These days it's different because any celebrity can just go on their own social media and give their opinions, but back then, the press didn't have to print it or show it if they were so against Jackson.

The point I'm making is that for people who say the press was out to destroy him there must have been just as many if not more in the press defending him and willing to portray a more positive narrative considering we have a situation where a man can behave like that with children and have so many just parroting that he 'is just a kid himself' and that 'he didn't have a childhood' despite multiple accusations of sexual abuse.

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/macaulay-culkin-talks-relationship-michael-jackson-normal-friendship-180434153.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAMfmDel-sVj16H0gW_SM7HLYOsyqrx5lW5TsyQw19BP9MgYmAQS6J3dhn58oHKfwRRoVqQdddLR-Vfhs25rFlfN4HOTAIKEi8u-Qaf6O4_EOJ3d4lmwg3tWZxYzTBwpJwim8w5zc5AzDsma7f_lk2hneFcucY9t8hsbAL8DXkmwo

Brett Barnes has only denied the abuse. I’m not aware the names of other boys Jackson may have abused.

I don't think Brett would have admitted it as he seemed to think it would be shameful to have been molested and that people were putting his name through the dirt by suggesting it. These are extracts from his 2005 testimony when he was 23 I believe.

Q. Has Mr. Jackson ever molested you?
A. Absolutely not. And I can tell you right now that if he had, I wouldn’t be here right now.
Q. Has Mr. Jackson ever touched you in a sexual way?
A. Never. I wouldn’t stand for it.
Q. Has Mr. Jackson ever touched any part of your body in a way that you thought was inappropriate?
A. Never. It’s not the type of thing that I would stand for.

......

Q. Are you aware of any allegations being made that Mr. Jackson inappropriately touched you when you were with him?
A. Yes, I am. And I’m very mad about that.
Q. You’re mad about it?
A. Yeah.
Q. Why?
A. Because it’s untrue, and they’re putting my name through the dirt. And I’m really, really, really not happy about it

..........

Q. Mr. Barnes, do you consider it disgraceful to having been molested?
A. Absolutely.
Q. All right. And why would it be a disgrace for somebody to have been molested?
A. Well, a child is
MR. MESEREAU: Objection. This calls for speculation; foundation.
THE COURT: Sustained

It's sad really Jackson put them under pressure into publically defending him as teenagers and perjuring themselves. Some have revealed the truth as adults like James and Wade but then get called liars by fans due to their previous defense (though I imagine the fans would find a reason to denigrate them anyway). I think the further they get down the public denial route the harder it gets.

Jackson caused huge amounts of destruction. But it is being compounded by his estate and fans in a way which damages all sexual abuse victims.

There are so many. But this is I think the current/latest known stance of Jackson's former special friends.

Leif George - sexual misconduct
Terry George - sexual misconduct
Emmanuel Lewis - defends
Johnathon Spence - will not defend
Sean Lennon - will not defend
James Safechuck - sexual abuse
Wade Robson - sexual abuse
Macualay Culkin - defends
Brett Barnes - defends
Jordan Chandler - sexual abuse
Anton Schleiter - will not defend
Frank, Eddie and Dominic Cascio - sexual abuse
Omer Bhatti - will not defend
Michael Jacobshagen - sexual abuse
Aaron Carter - emotional abuse
Gavin Arvizo - sexual abuse
Jason Francia - sexual abuse

I mean he (Macaulay Culkin) kind of answers his own question that he probably didnt know what a "normal" friendship (with peers) looked like. To that end, you could probably say the same about MJ....so its fair enough there might have been a sort of mutual understanding. But theres no way round it- that it is unusual and weird for a grown man to continually be hanging around with/holding hands/having sleepovers with a young, unrelated boy

There isn’t anything documented about Jackson putting pressure on Culkin, Robson and Barnes to testify so please let’s stick to the facts.

It's wild that Brett Barnes and Wade Robson were put on TV at 11 years old defending Michael Jackson and saying he never touched them. At 11 when they shouldn't have had any real understanding of the subject!!

And MJ kept sleeping in beds with kids after and still maintained that he wanted to protect children 😷

Which TV shows were these?

Robson’s mother wasn’t the best. I know she’s apologised but my god did she fuck up.

Some news show I assume?

ETA: They were interviewed by CNN

@fundamentallyauthentic
I saw in Jordan Chandlers interview with the psychiatrist that he said he tried to tell his mother at one point and she didn't believe him.

OK. Definitely neglectful parenting going on there.

So no blame at all attached to Jackson and his team getting them to appear?

Something that's never mentioned. If and it's a big IF. IF he was guilty,why were his children never removed?

In cases involving children authorities act on evidence and risk assessment .
If the children were not removed it suggest that professionals did not find sufficient risk to justify intervention

One thing that I notice about the MJ case is that it discourages fair minded discussion .
I am not a MJ fan , but I prefer to look at facts and evidence rather than adopt the dominant narrative evident on this thread which has deemed MJ as guilty despite his acquittal .
If anyone so much as questions the credibility of the allegations they are deemed as ‘apologists ‘.
Some posters ( on both sides of the argument) often resort to hyperbole and untruths to justify their views which prevents
reasonable discussion

I’m not aware that happened. Feel free to cough up a link.