Michael Jackson: August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009
Jun 26th, 2009 | 17 responses
I am working on a roundup of media and blogger reaction to the death of Michael Jackson, but I just want to make an initial point about the revulsion many people (here and elsewhere) have expressed toward Jackson because of the child molestation charges filed against him in the mid-1990s.
Jackson was acquitted of wrongdoing, but it’s widely believed that the charges were true. I am not going to venture a definitive opinion — I certainly think it’s likely they were true, and if they were, then the abuse Jackson himself experienced as a child is even more relevant. I believe that it’s possible to hold Jackson responsible, in a personal and moral sense (as opposed to legal, since he was acquitted) for sexually molesting young boys, if that’s what he did, while also acknowledging and understanding the connection between his childhood experiences and his behavior as an adult.
TMV contributor Michael Stickings titled his post about Jackson “The Sadness of Michael Jackson,” and that’s very apt. Sadness pervaded Jackson’s existence throughout his entire life — mostly because of horrendous abuse he suffered as a child at the hands of his father. Here is a description from Jackson’s Wikipedia entry (internal Wikipedia article and cite links removed):
From a young age Jackson was physically and emotionally abused by his father, enduring incessant rehearsals, whippings and name-calling. Jackson’s abuse as a child affected him throughout his grown life. In one altercation — later recalled by Marlon Jackson — Joseph held Michael upside down by one leg and “pummeled him over and over again with his hand, hitting him on his back and buttocks.” Joseph would often trip up, or push the male children into walls. One night while Jackson was asleep, Joseph climbed into his room through the bedroom window. Wearing a fright mask, he entered the room screaming and shouting. Joseph said he wanted to teach his children not to leave the window open when they went to sleep. For years afterwards, Jackson suffered nightmares about being kidnapped from his bedroom.
Jackson first spoke openly about his childhood abuse in a 1993 interview with Oprah Winfrey. He said that during his childhood he often cried from loneliness and would sometimes get sick or start to vomit upon seeing his father. In Jackson’s other high profile interview, Living with Michael Jackson (2003), the singer covered his face with his hand and began crying when talking about his childhood abuse. Jackson recalled that Joseph sat in a chair with a belt in his hand as he and his siblings rehearsed and that “if you didn’t do it the right way, he would tear you up, really get you.”
These things are real. They happened, just as surely as what happened to Jackson’s child victims. And although it is undeniably true that everyone is responsible for their actions in adulthood, that does not mean we must deny psychological truth, and we can feel compassion for the children Jackson may have molested as well as anger at Jackson for what he did, and also hurt for the psychic and emotional pain and trauma that Jackson himself suffered.
The two are not mutually exclusive.
17 Responses to “Michael Jackson: August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009”
Great post, Kathy. Thanks!
Excellent post. I've gritted my teeth in frustration as I've heard talking heads bury Jackson's life in references to “scandals” rather than simply saying the truth – he paid millions of dollars to keep people quite about his activities with minors.
It's true that he was abused. So what? Millions of people are abused, but most do not revisit those crimes on others. A man I know was set on fire by a family member. As you pointed out, this does give him a free pass to flame someone else.
I believe Jackson was a tortured soul. I bear him no lasting anger. But I do bear anger towards those who would deify him and excuse his failings because of his talent. It takes nothing from his talent to say that he was a person no child should ever have been left alone with (and, in my opinion, anyone who did should have been tried for child endangerment).
The ridiculous obscession with Jackson is tiresome.
Well, Obama can't make him the Culture Czar now.
Millions of people are abused, but most do not revisit those crimes on others.
I don't know about most. I don't have exact statistics at my fingertips, and you probably don't, either. But I do know that having been abused as a child is one of the risk factors for committing abuse as an adult. It's not the only risk factor. It's just one. But it's a real one, a significant one. Smoking is a risk factor for getting lung cancer. Not everyone who smokes gets lung cancer — and sometimes people who never smoked do get lung cancer. That doesn't mean smoking is not a real and significant risk factor for getting lung cancer.
It's not an excuse. It's an explanation, and a reason to have some compassion.
But I do bear anger towards those who would deify him and excuse his failings because of his talent.
But who is deifying him or excusing his failings? No one here, at least, has done that.
And it's unbelievable to me that there is a possibility that Michael's children may end up being raised by those two abusive people! Haven't they done enough damage to enough children? And I'm sick of people defending Michael's mother. She had a responsibility to those children and she FAILED them. Look at them all today. A direct result of the abuse they suffered as children! Anyone with half a brain and an ounce of morality would NOT give custody of Michael's children to his parents. They are sick, sick people. I don't care how OLD they are now. They are evil and just because they are elderly now does not mean that what they did in the past is acceptable.
There are two words that are most important to me when remembering Michael Jackson:
Benevolent: “characterized by or expressing goodwill or kindly feelings”
and
Devine: “of superhuman or surpassing excellence”
In addition to his unique talents as a performer, I believe these characteristics will have the most lasting affect and move many future generations to hail him as godly.
We should all thank the lord for having blessed us with this blissful child that never grew up!
BT
I would think that the Courts would take into consideration how old the grandmother is. Is she really capable at around the age of 80 years old, of taking care of kids that will be teenagers very soon. Not only that, what is her life expectancy? Will the children suffer yet another loss of a primary caretaker in their immediate future?
A Mother's love is a bond that can't be broken. I feel no remorse for Joe Jackson and his abusive ways to wards his children. IMO the mother was afraid to leave, things weren't like they are today regarding Abuse and the resources we have provided to us. I am not sure of her background, but more than likely she was raised duing a time where The Man was the Household, and his word was EVERYTHING.
The Jackson 5 was the bread and butter for the family at some point, and then Michael became Joe's meal ticket, as the other Boys were significantly older, and able to maintain their own careers, lives etc.
Regarding custody of the children. I think custody should be given to their Biological Mother, and hopefully she can take the youngest one as well so they will remain together, or maybe Janet can possibly have custody of them. I don't forsee any Judge in his right mind providing custody to the Mrs Jackson simply because of her age, and possibly the alleged abuse her children substained.
This is a sad story with a bitter sweet ending. Michael can sing, and dance with the angels, moonwalk across the skies, and all of his pain will be turned into nothing but happiness.
I am sure a lot of the reports we are reading have been fabricated, but who are we to form a conclusion regarding Michael Jackson's lifestyle?
This Media Frenzy shall pass soon, but there are still Children that loss their DAD, a Mother that loss her SON, and Siblings that loss their BROTHER . I pray this Family has the willpower to move on and remember Michael's Legacy, leave the painful memories behind, and teach the children about the wonderful man they loved dearly.
You know, being a child whom has suffered abuse, I empathize with Michael, and it saddens me more than some I believe for that fact alone. As far as his own allegations, we ARE Americans, and its supposed to be innocent until proven guilty, and he was never proven guilty…now that said, I really do not believe he molested them kids, but I believe that his own mental illness to took him to a point that was close to it. In the Dateline interview that he did in 2003, he stated that he had them in his bed, had the fire place going, read them stories, fed them cookies…all things that a NORMAL adult would find to be creepy and out of the realm of how an adult should conduct themselves. I believe that due to the abuse that he suffered as a child, he really believed he was still a child and acted as such in many ways. In his eye's he was just a friend sharing cookies and telling stories during a sleep over. It was a very bad bad choice on his part, but I really don't think that it was sexual.
Plus, considering what he went through growing up I would be willing to bet that he suffered from various mental illnesses like ADHD, ODD, possibly Bi-Polar (especially given his manic states that he would go into, like when he dangled his baby for the fans to see…Dateline was in the room when that happened and in that special they did in 2003 they played what they saw from in the room and you can EASILY tell he was manic). Oh and most certainly OCD, also brought on by the perfection that was DEMANDED from his father (and beaten out of him).
Then there was the “alterations” that he made to himself, there are a ton of rumors surrounding why he did that, but I do not think that most people knew that he had two diseases (a sad combination at that!). He had Vitiligo and Lupus. Vitiligo causes your skin to loose its pigmentation, and he had the severe form that caused very large areas to loose there pigment, the treatment for this is bleaching (I have heard some idiots out there suggest “Well why didn't he die it brown instead of going white?” Sorry guys, its not medically possible!) As an entertainer it was pretty much prudent for him to immediately start treatment of the disease rather than going on stage looking like a leopard, (although I personally think that his fans wouldn't have cared, but his abusive father taught him, with a belt, that perfection was a must).
Then there was the Lupus, a disfiguring disease, that cause rashes, and in its severe form can also effect the mind (lupus attacks all tissue including organs, and the brain is an organ.) This also explains his manics states.
That's not to say he didn't have some plastic surgery done, he did. He said himself that he had work done on his nose because it helped him to breath and allowed his voice to remain a higher pitch. Although he never admitted to it, I am sure he had work done on his lips. But frankly…lots of people have plastic surgery done, and that's their choice and I could care less, to be frank.
All-in-all, Michael was a very messed up person, that probably never got the mental treatment that he needed, and he was always sad and alone. To coin the phrase “Its lonely at the top.” is very fitting in his case. He “family”, if you can indeed call them that, merely enabled him, whatever it took to keep the cashcow milked. Frankly I think god took him to end his suffering.
So, to make a long story short…lets stop dwelling on whether or not he did those things, because we will never know the truth, and just remember him for his accomplishments. And let the man rest in peace.
Just my thoughts
I think your rong and mean. i do not believe these charges for sexual abusement were true and for those who believe it then you are so very truly rong. Michael loves children to help them not to touch them. and i for one believe he was ruiened by those who were very jelouse he was the most popular at the time. So that is what I believe and will take it truly
If Michael Jackson suffered abuse from his father, why would the courts award custody of Michael's children to his parents?
Cgo123. His mother and father are separated. Mom lives in LA while dad lives in Vegas, besides, do we really want to see the children separated and the oldest sent to live with their estranged mother whom in court documents previously stated that she never wanted to have children, and then what would happen to Blanket? Would he go to Diana Ross? No I think the best place for those babies is with their grandmother and all their aunts/uncles, and cousins that they have always known. Besides, I have a feeling that the public is going to be keeping an eye on those children to see if they will follow in their father's footsteps. Paris, has the same personality, so it would not surprise me in the least if we hear from that little girl in the future. From everything that I have seen, she was clearly a daddies girl, and they tend to want to follow in their daddies footsteps.
Thanks for the response. I think the best place for the children is with
Michael's family, as long as Joe is not in the picture.
Cgo123
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Now that the first (Chandler) kid now man is alleged to have confessed that Michael did not abuse him sexually or otherwise, how does that change any of your thoughts? Just curious.
I have been looking and I cannot find a story anywhere about a recant from one of those kids. Where did you see this I would be very interested to read this?
Experiencing abuse in childhood is not a license to to the same to others someday. It is simply a profiling or basis for explanation of why adults behave in certain unacceptable ways. If michael trully committed those acts, he will have to do a lot of explaining to his creator. The traumatic effects of childhood abuses remain in the psyche, lying dormant unless dealt with head on or therapy has been done.
If not, it remains in the subconscious and may, it may, manifest its dark side in later years, even unintentional.
Now the “victim' of michael will have to face early professional psychological intervention in order to prevent or mitigate mental repercussions or consequences in the future. Otherwise, it will be a cycle of never ending abuse.
Frankly I am tired of people talking about it, the man was proven INNOCENT in a court of law, after having his home and his life ripped apart, they even did a strip search in order to compare the child's description of Michael's genitals, which he willingly submitted to…and guess what? No match! I have heard people say that “Well, if he was innocent, then why did he settle the first case?” My response is always, “DO your research!” Court documents are out their people, and I have read them and I know for a fact that Michael did NOT want to settle it but was forced by his insurance company and Sony to do so…worst mistake he could make was listening to those people that wanted nothing more than to make sure that they could continue to milk their “Cash Cow”. The court ordered psychologist in his testimony stated, “Although Mr. Jackson is showing regression to that of a 10-year-old, he does not exibit the known personality traits of a pedophile.” Even the child's mother said that their was no wrong doing on MJ's part, it was his father making the accusations. There was an interview with a jurist in the case whom stated that they went to court fully expecting to convict Michael, but in the end his mind had been changed. “The evidence just wasn't there.”
Bottom line he was eccentric an people did not understand him. He did not live life as a normal human, hell his only experience driving cars was a go-cart track on his ranch. There is a reason why he attached himself to child stars, they understood him, he them. That's why him and Elizabeth Taylor where so close, both child actors, and both abused by their parents. And Brook Shields, Emanuel Lewis and Mack Culchan, all child stars that he befriended.
As for the reason he formed Neverland Ranch…it was an escape for sick children, children whom he and his organizations were helping, many of whom have already died…he gave them that one moment of happiness.
I am not just basing all of this off of my own opinion. I say to all reading this…do…your…research! Read the statements from people that knew him, read the books, the court documents, the home videos (which are on Youtube), watch all the documentaries…..and lastly, read his music. He tells his own story in them, if you just know where to look.
In his final rehearsal video they keep showing he is performing a song called “They don't care about us.”, take the time to thoroughly read the lyrics, they are pretty profound, but here is the section that stood out the most to me *note* he wrote this during the trail:
“Tell me what has become of my rights
Am I invisible because you ignore me?
Your proclamation promised me free liberty, now
I'm tired of bein' the victim of shame
They're throwing me in a class with a bad name
I can't believe this is the land from which I came
You know I do really hate to say it
The government don't wanna see
But if Roosevelt was livin'
He wouldn't let this be, no, no”
So before we pronounce this man guilty of a crime for which he was proven INNOCENT I again say….DO YOUR RESEARCH.