To judge people for supporting MJ?

[lightningatmidnight]

No doubt this will rub some people up the wrong way, but when I see people enjoying the new Michael Jackson movie or generally dismissing the abuse he perpetrated as ‘he was a child himself’, I immediately dislike them and consider them supporters of child abuse. Having read the testimonies of the victims and the multiple witnesses to his inappropriate grooming behaviour, I have no doubt in my mind that he was a child groomer and abuser and people’s support of him disgusts me. Just unfollowed someone on Instagram for posting about their enjoyment of the new movie and what a legend he is. AIBU?

Recent media ructions suggest Paris might think there’s some truth, La Toya originally condemned him, I know this was recanted. But I figured since evidence doesn’t matter, I can make some outlandish claims. Since he is innocent of course. Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

I’d be interested in your answer to the question I posed in the post of mine you quoted here though…

Who used his fortune to build a fun fair and have children stay with him and sleep in his bed without their families. Feed them ‘Jesus juice’ which was drugged Coca Cola. Kids from poor families who could easily be discredited as money grabbers. And who could not afford the legal clout that Jackson could.

Portray yourself as an eccentric ‘humanitarian’ with a Peter Pan complex. Invite McCauley Caulkin over and appear to have an innocent regard toward children. Very clever. Exactly what a very rich manipulative peado would do.

I’ve recently seen claims that MJ protected children from Epstein and paedophile rings. I cannot understand the level of delusion.

So many people are fine with what he was obviously doing as an adult. That is exactly how predators carry on and on. Most people are fine with it, until uts their own child.

So OJ was found not guilty but thats "different" because there was blood so its ok to assume hes guilty (which of course he was)

Oscar Pistorious not guilty but blew Reevas brains out with a big gun so thats different than Jackson eh?

What utter piffle, and what evidence, may I ask, would one expect to see from a child claiming to be sexually abused by the Prince of Pop?

Some say their evidence wasnt consistent and varied, well first of all they were children and secondly id be confused if given the smount of "Jesus Juice" those children were.

Ergo im afraid innocent doesn't come into it for me.

I get that MJ is very recent and therefore people's feelings are very strong and raw.

But - the bigger question is: what do you do about great artists who are also very nasty human beings? For example:

• Richard Wagner - nasty piece of work in general and a rabid anti-Semite
• Eric Gill - amazing sculptor and artist but had sexual relations with his daughters
• Leni Riefenstahl - genius film maker and best friends with Hitler

or, on a milder level:

• Charles Dickens - emotionally abused his wife (dumped her when she 'got fat' after 9 pregnancies and stopped their children from seeing her) and also kept a young actress as a pet, hidden away where he could visit when it suited him.
• Evelyn Waugh: superb writer but a horrible, spiteful snob

I think MJ was a pop genius. I don't know what to think now, and I get that you can't ignore his behaviour. But it doesn't change his status as a great creative artist.

This is where I agree with you. So many hugely talented people through history who were nasty. A lot of us can seperate the talent from the persona.

A lot cant though and would rather fingers in ears and pretend he was an overgrown schoolboy.

I don’t care what talent or musical genius he had, he abused children and that overrides anything else he ever did.

And it’s only music anyway! How does it help people? Saville did much more actual good in the world with his charity stuff and you don’t hear anyone defending him and rightly so.

So true. Actually very few geniuses throughout history were nice decent people.

Yeah it makes me sick tbh.

I’m 44 and have been a MJ fan since I was about 10 (before the 1993 allegations), so I have lived through the accusations and headlines.

I am not baffled by people believing he’s innocent, I’m on the fence myself but the more I read about it the more I lean towards innocent.

In any case there’s not enough certainty for me to stop listening to his music

Just to add - innocent of SA, I do agree he was very troubled, did a lot of inappropriate and foolish things and probably shouldn’t have been responsible for 3 children of his own