Mon, 08:04: The documentary came out five years ago now. After being a huge fan of Michael Jackson's music, I still have been unable to listen to him ever since. If a DJ puts him on at a wedding reception I think, What the fuck are you doing? If I hear him on the radio I can't help but think, Why are they playing him? At the Madonna concert two weeks ago, she made "Like a Virgin" a mashup with "Billie Jean," complete with huge projected photos of her famous date with him to the 1991 Oscars, and all I could think was: Ew.
I suppose part of it has to do with something the victims who spoke up in the film said themselves: they gave permission to keep enjoying his music, that's not their issue. They just wanted to be believed when it came to what Michael Jackson did to them. And the details they gave, indicating truly textbook grooming behaviors of not just the child victims but their parents as well—a classic pedophile move—left no doubt in my mind. And I still think the music is actually great, and I can see how that might cause everything from ambivalence to outright denial among others (not that I think it's an excuse for that, to be clear). But whenever I hear that voice now, all I can think is: that's the voice of a man who molested a bunch of children.
I can't possibly be the only one, and it's genuinely bizarre to me that so many people think the man's talent alone is somehow more important. It doesn't really matter to me that he's dead, to me that changes none of this.
RT @fruitcakeenterprises I’m not usually one for using “this is triggering” language, but as a former victim of child molestation myself, this “Leaving Neverland” HBO documentary definitely qualifies. I’ve long since come to terms with my experience so it’s not that severe, but I do feel foolish for spending all those years refusing to believe Michael Jackson was a pedophile.
Mon, 21:34: If you want to see one of the wildest narrative turns in the history of television, may I suggest “The Curse” on Showtime. I’m truly not sure I will ever make sense of it for as long as I live.
