Michael Jackson Dies - Discussion Thread

[Rileyroo]

Regarding Jordy Chandler - either his parents are the sort to exploit their child by getting him to pretend that MJ abused him, or the abuse did happen and they settled out of court in an attempt to reduce the impact on their child. Those of you who feel that you'd never accept money instead of a conviction (and so therefore feel that the whole thing was a fabrication) are also, clearly, not the sort of parents who would get their child to lie in such a way . Either way, it sounds to me like the parents couldn't do the right thing but that does not make MJ innocent.

 

As for the aquittal - he was aquitted by the residents of a very small town in the middle of a desert whose livelihood depended on MJs continuted presence in the area. Hmmm, not the soundest and most independent of juries in my opinion.

 

The next few weeks are going to be horrific for his family and his children - but I hope that from now on they may get a chance at a more normal life, without his bizzarre influences and choices inflicted upon them.

 

I also have to ask if they are really his. As a young boy he was very definitely black. Yes, his skin has got a lot paler - whatever the cause - over the last 20 years but his children are white. I struggle to see that they're mixed race, but they do look like him. I wonder if the confidentiality agreements with their mothers will stand now that he's dead - and what other details are going to emerge.

[snow]

Because he chose the settle is only a very small factor in why I consider there were inappropriate behaviours towards children that Michael Jackson engaged in - his own words and descriptions of how he felt about children were very much part of what formed my opinion, just because he has now died doesn't make the man a saint, he slept with children in his bed and said so on flipping tv broadcast around the world, his language when talking about children is VERY consistant with how many peodophiles talk about their "relationships" with children, it made my skin actually crawl when I heard him saying the things he said and it was THAT which formed my opinion, not the fact he settled at the time; that merely made me wonder, his OWN words spoke volumes.

 

All this stuff about how innocent and childlike he was, how sheltered and the "peter pan" rubbish, let us never forget that children experiement, so if you are going to try and explain away his behaviour by attributing to him the behaviour and thinking of a child then it doesnt actually mean that he didn't, wouldn't or couldn't abuse a child, all it might do is mitigate but only if he could be proven to have the mental capacity of a small child & he most certainly doesn't fit that description.

[Pingu]

just want to point out that now he is dead he cant be liabled or slandered you can say whatever you want with impunity

 

the only restriction on what you say about him is therefore a moral one

[Sarah B]

A child in a mans body trying to recover a lost childhood, or a plotting abuser that coerced his victims then paid them off? Guess no-one will ever really know.

 

I feel sorry for his children - it can't have been easy having MJ as a father and labelled a freak at every turn, maybe now they will have a chance at growing up as normally as they can.

 

I'm not going to miss MJ - went through a period of liking his music as a child, same as everyone else I know, and grew out of it. This is going to be front page news for ages - the man is going to be labelled a saint, his secrets are going to be paraded, lies will be told and truths found out. But honestly after a few days I will have been so inundated I am really not going to care.

[barb]

I did not like Michael Jackson when he was alive and there is no way I will pretend to like him now he is dead. I always thought he was "odd" to say tjhe least and I felt pity for his children. I hope when they have got over the shock of his death they will be able to lead a normal life as possible, being his children it will be difficult for them.

Non the less, I hope he can rest in peace

 

Barbara

[Ian]

It was only yesterday I listened to news of Farrah Fawcetts death to cancer & thought what a young age (relatively) to die she had been. To then hear this morning that Michael Jackson has died & I hadn't even realised he'd reached 50 yet seems a great shame - assuming that he was innocent of course (I make no secret of the fact that I'd personally & quite happily tie the rope & hang anyone convicted of child abuse or rape).

 

Personally I can't over emotional about the death of someone I've never met & in reality know relatively little about but

I think his musical talents were undoubted but his behaviour was often bizarre, even reckless, to say the least - eg dangling his own child over that balcony.

 

Whether he / the parents should or shouldn't have settled is, as we've seen here already, viewable in various ways - another, bearing in mind that it almost ruined him despite not being found guilty, is possibly that if you were a superstar with a risk of ruining your entire life & career should anyone decide against you or you could just "make it all go away" (bearing in mind his seeming naievity I could imagine Jackson believeing this possible) for a "mere" 11 million dollars would you perhaps consider it a price worth paying?

 

As has been said, there has never been a single allegation proved against the man. If hard evidence does ever emerge then fair enough, say it as it was, but until then to accuse or "libel" him now he's dead just because no one can now sue seems very wrong to me.

 

Personally I think the Jackson children had a strange upbringing as a family & several show some odd behaviour as a result so I've never been convinced he was a predatory (or even an "unintentional") paedophile & would like to believe that he was just a seriously misguided, but in reality relatively harmless, adult - though sadly I can't even say that I'm convinced of that either I'm afraid.

 

Whatever his motives & the truth, I'd have to say that to me both his own, the boys parents & Jackson's advisors judgement were all seriously flawed - at best - superstar or not what kind of parent allows their unaccompanied child to visit & sleep in the house (let alone bed) of someone they barely know, & why did those around Jackson not caution him against his behaviour - whatever it's motive?

[snow]

I have said nothing in this thread and in fact far less than I have in previous ones about the guy, that I haven't said lots of times in lots of threads on lots of forums, as well as on and off line when he was alive, the fact that he is now dead makes absolutely no difference to how I feel or to my opinion of him as I said before dying young does not make you suddenly into a saint who is exempt from any negative comments.

[redditchlady]

I have said nothing in this thread and in fact far less than I have in previous ones about the guy, that I haven't said lots of times in lots of threads on lots of forums, as well as on and off line when he was alive, the fact that he is now dead makes absolutely no difference to how I feel or to my opinion of him as I said before dying young does not make you suddenly into a saint who is exempt from any negative comments.

 

Exactly!!

 

I am agreeing with you. Put it in your diary as a first

[jacqui d]

I have to be honest and say i wont shed a tear, yes, he was a talented musician, yes, he is a father of three children (who's mother signed away her parental rights to them at birth so one can only ask what will happen to them now), he is also a son, brother and uncle and im sure his family will grieve for him, but for me, the allegations against him (more than once) concerning inappropriate behaviour with children has long since tarnished my thoughts on him and in my personal opinion, the children of this world, now have one less thing to worry about.

[Ian]

I have said nothing in this thread and in fact far less than I have in previous ones about the guy, that I haven't said lots of times in lots of threads on lots of forums, as well as on and off line when he was alive, the fact that he is now dead makes absolutely no difference to how I feel or to my opinion of him as I said before dying young does not make you suddenly into a saint who is exempt from any negative comments.

 

 

No, I think that's fair enough (actually, I agreed with at least some of what you said above) though I wasn't actually referring to anyone in particular, just the general principle & the fact that there are several comments in this thread which seem to imply he was definitely guilty, proven or not. Where he alive & with lawyers watching that would probably have been considered (potentially) libelous / slanderous, hence perhaps have led to their removal whilst now that he's dead it's said we can basically say what we like as long as it fit's our own morals - I appreciate he wasn't British but surely, in this country, we generally work on the legal basis of innocent until proven guilty.

[chickentikka]

No, I think that's fair enough (actually, I agreed with at least some of what you said above) though I wasn't actually referring to anyone in particular, just the general principle & the fact that there are several comments in this thread which seem to imply he was definitely guilty, proven or not. Where he alive & with lawyers watching that would probably have been considered (potentially) libelous / slanderous, hence perhaps have led to their removal whilst now that he's dead it's said we can basically say what we like as long as it fit's our own morals - I appreciate he wasn't British but surely, in this country, we generally work on the legal basis of innocent until proven guilty.

 

He was as innocent as OJ Simpson imho

[greys mum]

To me, he was a flawed genius. Those that knew him, and plenty that didn't, will truly grieve him.

 

The people that I have no time for, are those that will come out the woodwork to make a quick buck from his name, now that the guy isn't here to defend himself.

 

Don't think that he was particually happy on earth, so I do hope that he is happy where he is now.

[merledogs]

His music from the seventies and early eighties was brilliant. Anything after Thriller I'm not a fan of because he stopped singing and started screeching and making odd noises.

 

I saw him at Wembley during his 'Bad' world tour (I didn't buy the tickets, my boyfriend at the time did and dragged me along). Princess Di was there that night. Although the concert was a spectacle and he was a showman, I'd rather see someone just stand on stage and sing from the heart, rather than all the bangs and whistles.

 

He turned himself into a freak with all the plastic surgery and his behaviour became more and more odd. He also changed his voice when speaking in public and started speaking really softly. That was an affectation, doG only knows why he did it.

 

I'm not going to comment on the child abuse allegations as it's already been done to death.

 

Mostly I just feel really sad that someone very talented's life went so spectacularly wrong.

[Brenda]

His music from the seventies and early eighties was brilliant. Anything after Thriller I'm not a fan of because he stopped singing and started screeching and making odd noises.

 

I saw him at Wembley during his 'Bad' world tour (I didn't buy the tickets, my boyfriend at the time did and dragged me along). Princess Di was there that night. Although the concert was a spectacle and he was a showman, I'd rather see someone just stand on stage and sing from the heart, rather than all the bangs and whistles.

 

He turned himself into a freak with all the plastic surgery and his behaviour became more and more odd. He also changed his voice when speaking in public and started speaking really softly. That was an affectation, doG only knows why he did it.

 

I'm not going to comment on the child abuse allegations as it's already been done to death.

 

Mostly I just feel really sad that someone very talented's life went so spectacularly wrong.

 

I have to say I more or less agree with all you have said.

 

I feel I 'grew up' with Michael's music and I loved it. I thought Thriller was amazing. He didn't have an ordinary childhood and this must have affected his later life. He most certainly turned himself into a freak and his behaviour was extremely odd. I did feel sorry for him, he seemed like a sad, crazy guy. I also feel that the 'innocent 'til proven guilty' applies over the child abuse allegations, but agree there are reasons to have concerns. I am sad he is dead, but hope he will find peace where he has gone.

[greytgirl]

If someone abused my child no amount of money would persuade me to drop charges. I'm convinced that was simply the boys parents exploiting him for money. But innocent until proven guilty should apply even to slightly odd pop stars.

 

 

exactly...NONE of us know the truth and never will, I personally think he wasn't all there and extremely naive and VERY silly in his actions, not approprate ones but I do feel he was harmless and exploited by people who took advatage of him. He never got a childhood or true love from his father etc maybe it was his way of grasping at what he always craved for? I dont know, we can only speculate.

What I do know is one of the most amazing talents ever to grace this earth is dead far too young and with 3 childrem and a family and a nation grieving him..its a sad, tragic loss. He was a fabulous entertainer, amazing talent and the end of an era has come which in itslef is so very sad to me.

I thought he was FABULOUS, if what he was accused was true then its disgusts me to my core but I cant faulter his voice, prescence, and talent..he was and always will be a LEDGEND!