June 25, 2009

The first thing we need to say about Michael Jackson

HE WAS ACQUITTED OF ALL CHARGES INVOLVING THAT BOY.

Yeah, I put that in caps.  One thing that pisses me off to no end is listening to people insist that we honor the judgments of courts…when we like what they say.

For the last 16 years or so, we’ve heard people say that Michael Jackson was a child molester.  Yanno, he just looked like one.  I always found that one interesting because, well, I don’t know any child molesters.  So I don’t know what they look like.

My sources aren’t too deep when it comes to Mike, but I know enough people to feel very comfortable saying that he did not do harm to the children that accused him of touching them.  Mike’s greatest mistake was having enough money in the ’90s that he could afford to shell out some dough to stop from dealing with an ugly lawsuit. That’s why it’s safest to fight instead of pay, for you might die one day and folks will keep poppin that same nonsense about you without giving it a second thought.

A case went to criminal court in ‘05, and he was acquitted.  Of ALL charges.  The man didn’t do it.

Now, he’s dead, and there’s nothing he can say about it.  Damn shame, when you think about it.

I live in a city where people hold three wrongly accused lacrosse players up as martyrs.  The folks say they were picked on because they were rich, white, etc.  They are, in many ways, right. The boys, however, are NOT martyrs.

Well, Michael Jackson caught a couple of shaky allegations because he’s rich.  I’ve yet to hear anyone say he was a martyr.  I’ve never heard people treat MJ as someone that was the victim of an injustice.

The courts, in ‘05, say that he was just that — a man that got caught up in someone else’s plot.  I doubt any of you have any evidence to the contrary.

So, if you love Michael Jackson enough to cry about him — and shut down Twitter — here’s the one thing you can do.  You can remind people that the man was falsely accused of child molestation, the most damning thing anyone can say about someone in American society.

Honor the man by requiring he receive the same dignity that so many others are afforded in similar circumstances.  In the meantime, I’m gonna turn on my (right now) favorite MJ-related track. Til the other side, Mike.

12 Comments »

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1. Thanks for recognizing, Bo. This is really sad for a man so young to have sudden cardiac death. This will be HUGE for a little while.

   Comment by YVonne — June 25, 2009 #

2. There’s no changing anyone’s mind on this. You either think he did or you think he didn’t. But, the acquittal = innocence argument is pretty sketchy. If that’s the case, then OJ is innocent, and so were the cops that beat the hell out of Rodney King. The fact that someone(s) tried to get rich off of him doesn’t mean he didn’t do something, it just means they were more interested in getting paid than seeing him go to jail. He may have been innocent, but it’s no more certain now than it ever was.

   Comment by Kirk — June 25, 2009 #

3. Ohhh. That’s the cut. J5 Ultimate Collection stays in heavy rotation on the Shuffle.

   Comment by Meiz — June 25, 2009 #

4. Exactly. Glad you wrote this.

   Comment by Doug R. — June 25, 2009 #

5. Mike could truly be called the successor to James Brown. All of the cats out singing today are just varied Michael clones. His dance moves, really variations on earlier dance moves from the likes of the Godfather, his signature falsetto, his phrasing, all have made a permanent mark on music. James Brown and George Clinton may contantly battle for being the most sampled, but Mike is more than likely the most covered artist in history. He was acquitted, but I agree with Kirk, it isn’t for certain, but I hope that folk don’t focus on that too much, although it will be mentioned quite often. I tihnk most folk around are gonna take out their favorite Michael record and just leave it on repeat. I certainly know I’ll be listening to but for the rest of the weekend.

   Comment by Jamaal — June 26, 2009 #

6. So maybe now people will think twice about what happened in his private life, just think about this for a second, if you don’t act normal then automatically you are some kind of child molesting weirdo? Please! What happened to Michael could happen to any of you today who don’t like to conform to what today’s standards of what normal should be!! Stop trying to hate on the man, he was aquitted and that is that!! Maybe we should just focus on the things he did that was positive. How many of you can honestly say in the last 40 years that you did not have a favorite MJ song that didn’t remind you of being a younger person when we all tried to moonwalk and dance like MJ?

   Comment by Leon — June 26, 2009 #

7. Well said, my friend. Well said. Couldn’t agree more… and that IS the jam, almost forgot about that one. Thanks!

   Comment by Ari — June 26, 2009 #

8. Michael should have fought that second allegation tooth and nail (all apologies for any unintentional puns). If he was innocent the first time, then some allegation comes out about a second time, he should have been mad as hell and tell the world that he wasn’t going to take it anymore. Of course, probably use some diplomacy.

   I’ll admit liking “Off the Wall” and “Thriller.” “Bad” was so-so to me. Then again, trying to top “Thriller” was mission impossible.

   Maybe it’s time for me to check out some Jackson 5 music now. I know of only two songs, maybe three offhand.

   Comment by Steve — June 27, 2009 #

9. Man, spot-on homie, as always.

   BTW: Great sample for Ghostface’s “All That I Got Is You,” one of my favorite Wu cuts.

   Comment by FredBatiste, A Weapon of Mass Destruction — June 28, 2009 #

10. It didn’t really hit me that Michael Jackson had died until I listened to Maybe Tomorrow and Got to be There. Like you said, these songs have humanity and you can empathise completely with what he is singing about. Jackson’s 80s stuff were stratospheric pop events. Clever, and very innovative with universal appeal, but lacking the soul of the motown and Off the Wall material.

    Comment by JOHN — June 28, 2009 #

11. I knew Michael didn’t do any harm to the children, because he loved them and wanted to help them.
    He is innocent. I love him and his music.

    Comment by kat — July 9, 2009 #

12. Hello, I’ve recently discovered you and am very enlightened by your posts. Continue to speak the truth my amazing brother!! Many blessings to the Jackson Family and may Michael rest in peace!

    Comment by Ebony — July 27, 2009 #

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