Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Telly addicts

Related: Film discussion forum.

Original poster

Leaving Neverland: Michael Jackson and Me

999 replies

SachaStark · 06/03/2019 15:51

Anybody else planning to watch tonight? Part 1 of 2, 9pm, Channel 4.

I'm very intrigued to watch. I remember the Martin Bashir documentary being aired years ago, and the various backlashes/criticisms that happened afterwards.

OP posts:
JazKish · 06/03/2019 23:33

This is a one sided interview and the FBI investigated Michael for 10 years and found nothing. They are not even convincing liars,Michael had many issues but he was not a peadophile. As to why he was into white little boys that’s because Michael wanted to be a boy again and definitely not a black boy,cos he was abused for his looks. Michael’s downfall was his nativity and honesty and generosity , that’s the reason these parents took advantage of him.All he wanted is to live vicariously through them.The parents should have been investigated for neglect.

RageAgainstTheVendingMachine · 06/03/2019 23:34

Reasons why others might not come forward:

  1. They also defended him vigorously and do not want to be sued themselves (perjury has a 5 year statute of limitations but in theory, someone rich could be sued for helping MJ's defence if it freed him to abuse others after the case?)
  2. Their legacy henceforth would be as 'MJs victim': many do not want to see themselves as victims even in hindsight
  3. They are still blaming themselves or in denial
  4. It did not happen to them because they were the exception
  5. They feel complicit as they were bought off with a house or car
  6. They just want to put the whole thing behind them without public scrutiny and further abuse (death threats from MJ fans for one)
PickledLimes · 06/03/2019 23:34

I swear that MJ could have sexually abused a child onstage in front on thousands of people and cameras and some people would still deny it happened or excuse it.

viques · 06/03/2019 23:35

"It was like a father and son relationship". Erm no.

Interesting that so far, (part one) it is the mothers who are speaking. I wonder what the boys relationships with their fathers was like.

FiddleFaddleDingDong · 06/03/2019 23:35

(death threats from MJ fans for one)

I can understand this for sure. His superfans are so fucking weird.

RageAgainstTheVendingMachine · 06/03/2019 23:37

Why neglect jak if 'nothing happened'? You need to apply critical thinking.
I assume you mean naivety as opposed to nativity - MJ might have been the messiah to some but many feel as Jarvis Cocker did.

RageAgainstTheVendingMachine · 06/03/2019 23:38

viques Wade Robson's father committed suicide (bipolar iirc)

HowlsMovingBungalow · 06/03/2019 23:39

Pickled - there is film footage of MJ with a young boy on his lap during a film award. Bouncing him up and down on his lap next to a Royal.

TripTrapTripTrapOverTheBridge · 06/03/2019 23:40

Of course their storiea are similar! Along with knowing each other and working on this together they've also taken script from a book written by an absolute nutjob and member of an organisation that respresents relationships and 'romantic' love between men and boys..

I don't believe a word. Did MJ make some daft mistakes, yes he did, but I do not believe he was a sexual abuser.

PickledLimes · 06/03/2019 23:41

It's practically a cult. It genuinely gives me shivers how fanatical his superfans are. You look at almost any related discussion or video online and they arrive en masse to try to drown out any dissenting voices. There have been death threats made too. They really do seem to think that he was some sort of god.

AutumnCrow · 06/03/2019 23:42

I watched it with my young adult daughter and her friend. We believed the complainants, and thought it a well made documentary that didn't cut corners for soundbites, and which showed how an incremental progression of abuse was operating in plain sight against a backdrop of money, ambition and naivety.

leftovercoffeecake · 06/03/2019 23:45

I decided to look up the show’s hashtag on twitter, and honestly I wish I hadn’t. The response of his fans is disgusting. And it disturbs me how they can defend this.

I keep seeing the argument that one of his victims defended him under oath. But I don’t think people appreciate how complex sexual abuse is. These boys were groomed.

Imagine if you retold this story but replaced the words ‘Michael Jackson’ with ‘my neighbour’ or ‘my teacher’. No one would accept the behaviour then.

RageAgainstTheVendingMachine · 06/03/2019 23:46

Dennis Robson hanged himself 2002 - all his family were in LA by that point, he was alone in Australia.
James Safechuck snr - no idea - he testified for Jackson though and the latter paid off their mortgage/forfeited the loan he'd given them?

StephsCaddy · 06/03/2019 23:49

It is absolutely not normal for a grown man to share a bed with young boys. How thick do you have to be to think he was not abusing all those boys?

RageAgainstTheVendingMachine · 06/03/2019 23:54

Oh Lordy - Roxanne Pallett has come out in support of Michael - her agent must be facepalming. Can't say the Jacksons will be happy about that either.

PickledLimes · 06/03/2019 23:58

Do you know which boy that was, Howlsmovingbungalow? Really, looking back now, it's amazing how much of it was played out in public, not obvious sexual abuse but still incredibly inappropriate and disturbing behaviour.

ccmrob12 · 07/03/2019 00:01

When the director was asked if he saw any proof of any wrong doing, all he could come with with similar stories.....so no then....

viques · 07/03/2019 00:01

rageagainstthevendingmachine thanks, I didn't know that.

JazKish · 07/03/2019 00:03

Neglect, because no parent actively pushes their child to spend so much alone time with a man just because he was famous,it’s irrelevant whether he was a child molester or not.They were fame hungry and used their kids to live the high life.They used Michael and still are , they are financially motivated and brought up their kids the same way. It’s Michael I feel sorry for , may he rest in peace.

AllesAusLiebe · 07/03/2019 00:06

PickledLimes exactly the point that DH and I have just made. Impossible to think in these times that anyone perceived that as normal or innocent behaviour.

DioneTheDiabolist · 07/03/2019 00:07

I believe them.

ccmrob12 · 07/03/2019 00:08

Gullible

PickledLimes · 07/03/2019 00:08

"It's irrelevant whether he was a child molester or not"

I've read a lot of ridiculous, disgusting and shocking statements on MN but this tops the lot. It doesn't matter if he was a child abuser and even if he was(which I have no doubt about) you feel sorry for him? WTAF?

AllesAusLiebe · 07/03/2019 00:09

JazKish I agree that the mothers were negligent in their actions, but I absolutely do not wish for this man to ‘rest in peace’. This needs digging out once and for all in the interest of justice for all those who were irrevocably damaged by this vile, calculating deviant.

PickledLimes · 07/03/2019 00:09

Yes you are Ccmrob12. I'm so happy that you're able to admit that.