He wasn't convicted of anything, so the fact you and others may believe something may have happened that you can't prove isn't cause to deny respect to an amazing musician. If you don't like it thats fine, don't read these threads, pretend you didn't even read the heading even trick your brain to read the words differently but don't come in here and try to make others, who don't follow your "logic", believe in your assumptions.
I truthfully don't believe Michael took advantage of those children. He may have touched their penises, but I don't think Michael felt like he was taking advantage.
Michael was violently abused in his childhood. Maybe he was also sexually abused, and his desire for affection got mixed with sexual confusion, and he somehow got it into his mind that it's okay to sleep in the same bed as a strange nine-year-old.
I feel bad for Michael Jackson's life. He was a great musician. He endured many inhumane things, and the pressure he has been under must have been immense beyond my ability to even describe. That doesn't change facts like:
- He wasted God knows how much money on the Neverland ranch. I generally despise people that go all out like that. It's unnecessary, and yes I say that with partial envy, but that doesn't change the fact that from a moral point of view, it's a bad way to spend a lot of money. I remember an MTV special where they followed MJ on a shopping round and he went into an Asian antiques store and purchased shit for like a couple hundred grand. I dunno how much he spent that day, a million maybe. He just bought all the stupidest shit that he would never use. He bought it cause he liked it when he saw it. He would probably never use it. This is probably a direct consequence of how his freedom was nonexistand in his childhood, so now he makes up for it by spoiling himself. If you want me to respect that, I want you to respect a killer who killed because he witnessed a killing as a child.
- He often had sleepovers with children with whom he had no near relation. Literally strangers' children. If you're a fan of MJ you've probably read the stories and seen the documentaries with the interviews with the mothers of the children MJ presumably took advantage of. Even if he didn't do it, his behavior was questionable. That alone is enough merit for criticism in my view. As an adult, and a pop icon none the less, he should have been more considerate about his actions.
- He unearthed his children Lion King style like he was some God. I'm just like, what the fuck dude? Oh, and once, while holding his baby on the outside of the rail on the sixth floor balcony, he almost dropped his own kid.
For these reasons, I have always critizised Michael Jackson throughout his life. And for the same reasons I will maintain that criticism through his death. He was an awesome musician though, and I wish everyone could live forever.