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.
15 thoughts on “The first thing we need to say about Michael Jackson”
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Ohhh. That’s the cut. J5 Ultimate Collection stays in heavy rotation on the Shuffle.
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.
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.
Exactly. Glad you wrote this.
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.
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?
Well said, my friend. Well said. Couldn’t agree more… and that IS the jam, almost forgot about that one. Thanks!
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.
Man, spot-on homie, as always.
BTW: Great sample for Ghostface’s “All That I Got Is You,” one of my favorite Wu cuts.
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.
I think what we collectively need to focus on is not his innocence or guilt–he was acquitted–we need to discuss our need to create icons. And then the power we give over to them. And the power that seems to be drained from the HUMAN once that appellation is used. What role did society have in creating Michael Jackson’s unusual character? Was he all that unusual? Don’t we crave unusual? What role does the media play in shaping our understanding of reality, etc. etc. etc. The fact is Mr. Jackson was acquitted. And the fact is that legal rulings have little to nothing to do with moral issues. But the more important fact is that only a handful of people on the planet know the Truth about Mr. Jackson’s relationships with these young men. Can we just move on? Mourning is healthy. Obsession is not. I am in mourning.
got a link to your site from jeff pearlman’s, and enjoyed your take on mj. guess you’d have to be a big older to truly appreciate how important he was in the early to mid 80s. i was a freshman at miami university in 84 and really wasn’t into music until i got to school, and man, mj was everywhere: on the radio, on the turntable, played at parties. everywhere! he was truly the most infuential singer and figure in popular culture.
“beat it” will always be my fav mj song. the video still gives me chills when i youtube it. great dancing.
the fact that mj turned into such a pathetic freak means that folks younger that, say, late 30s never knew him when he was at his peak. and i believe that he didn’t really have a mean bone in his childlike body. and i appreciate your take on his charges, but as we know being found not guilty is not the same as innocent. please remember that, though mj was not the typical creapy child rapist one thinks of when we discuss childhood sex abuse.
best and please keep up the good work!
happy fourth
joe s
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.
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!
The aquittal may have been “sketchy,” but not the testimony of those crazy kids, backed by money-hungry parents, who made allegations. If people took the time to read about the case–the actual testimony and facts–I am sure they would think twice about making false assumptions of guilt. Problem is, people can be lazy and judgmental, so in the end, I guess you are right, Kirk.