How we thanked Michael Jackson

[AnneSally]

Can't say any of them match up.

To be clear, I'm not saying he was "the most important" person, but that the most people worldwide knew and loved him. A fact made possible because of mass-media, but still.

Well, I live in New Zealand and when Diana died this nation was in mourning and rememberance shrines were set up all over the country within hours, pictures of Diana were plastered all over the place and flowers were everywhere. Even in local town areas, there would be candles and flowers placed for Diana.

Our national media played non-stop round the clock 24hr footage of tributes and docos on Diana for at least a week following her death on all our main channels. Our government even set up condolence book signing in all our shopping malls to be signed by all citizens and then sent to Buckingham Palace.

MJ has been featured on MTV and the news. But nothing more, there's no national outpouring of grief like we experienced with Diana and the government hasn't commented (not that I've heard anyway).

So, not even close to how Diana was regarded down here.

 

[HighwayMan]

Sorry, but I totally disagree with you. No-one has been as famous as her, the outpouring of grief at her death hasn't been matched by any other public figure in modern times, not even JFK and certainly not Michael Jackson.

Well we can go on like this forever, but it's not like my point changes if somehow it is determined that MJ was #2 or #3.

Well, I live in New Zealand and when Diana died this nation was in mourning and rememberance shrines were set up all over the country within hours, pictures of Diana were plastered all over the place and flowers were everywhere. Even in local town areas, there would be candles and flowers placed for Diana.

Our national media played non-stop round the clock 24hr footage of tributes and docos on Diana for at least a week following her death on all our main channels. Our government even set up condolence book signing in all our shopping malls to be signed by all citizens and then sent to Buckingham Palace.

MJ has been featured on MTV and the news. But nothing more, there's no national outpouring of grief like we experienced with Diana and the government hasn't commented (not that I've heard anyway).

So, not even close to how Diana was regarded down here.

And I read an article a few years ago that there were some semi-isolated third-world villages found who didn't know who Jesus was, but had heard and knew Michael Jackson's music.

Again, we can go on forever, but that's not the point.

 

[AnneSally]

And my point is that he did things that society would definitely classify as strange, but that does not automatically make him guilty of the crimes he was accused of.

I totally agree with you, and he was acquitted in a court of law on all the charges brought against him. I felt and feel sorry for him. But he didn't exactly help himself by continuing to entertain young boys in his bedroom when he had already been accused and had to pay off an earlier accusation. That doesn't mean he was guilty, just that he didn't do himself any favours to assuage peoples concerns about his odd and questionable behaviour.

 

[AnneSally]

And I read an article a few years ago that there were some semi-isolated third-world villages found who didn't know who Jesus was, but had heard and knew Michael Jackson's music.

Again, we can go on forever, but that's not the point.

Yeah we can go on forever, I once heard that the most books ever written on one man is Muhammed Ali, the boxer, that he has more books written about him than Jesus.

But at the end of the day, who can save people? None of these human idols. Not Princess Di with her compassion, not Ali with his boxing talent, and not MJ with his dancing and singing.

There is only One True Saviour and He is Jesus Christ because He is Lord. He is the Risen One and none of the other humans we love in the public eye can even compare to Him.

 

[LightHorseman]

Princess Diana was not more famous than Michael Jackson, she did a huge amount of good but isn't in this league.

Be careful not to project your own understanding and views onto the population at large.

 

[KCKID]

I totally agree with you, and he was acquitted in a court of law on all the charges brought against him. I felt and feel sorry for him. But he didn't exactly help himself by continuing to entertain young boys in his bedroom when he had already been accused and had to pay off an earlier accusation. That doesn't mean he was guilty, just that he didn't do himself any favours to assuage peoples concerns about his odd and questionable behaviour.

Whether MJ was guilty or innocent of the charges leveled at him it continually amazes me that people have so little going on in their own lives that they actually show 'concern' for such media-induced issues about someone they don't know who is allegedly doing something to someone else they don't know.

My advice to them: Get a life!

 

[AnneSally]

Whether MJ was guilty or innocent of the charges leveled at him it continually amazes me that people have so little going on in their own lives that they actually show 'concern' for such media-induced issues about someone they don't know who is allegedly doing something to someone else they don't know.

My advice to them: Get a life!

He was accused of child molestation, twice. That is a public "concern," not a media-induced issue because it brought him into a court of law.

So when someone as famous as him is accused of child molestation but continues to have children in their bed and tries to claim that's "ok," you think that's ok too? Ok. I can't say I agree with a powerful public figure having other people's children in his bed, not on top of a prior serious accusation (whether true or false). It's bizarre. It would be equally bizarre if a joe-bloggs-nobody were doing it. I wouldn't expect anyone to be "ok" with some local neighbour inviting the local kids into his bed either, I expect the police would be called. Doesn't mean he was guilty, just that it's not acceptable in our society because unfortuantely, there are real pedos around and children need protection.

So your "get a life" advice is weird because it would overlook a potentially dangerous situation where a child could be at risk.

 

[KCKID]

Oh, so when someone is accused of child molestation but continues to have children in their bed and tries to claim that's "ok," you think that's ok too? Ok. I can't say I agree with a powerful public figure having other people's children in his bed, not on top of a prior serious accusation (whether true or false). It's bizarre. It would be equally bizarre if a joe-bloggs-nobody were doing it. I wouldn't expect anyone to be "ok" with some local neighbour inviting the local kids into bed wither. Doesn't mean he was guilty, just that it's not acceptable in our society because unfortuantely, there are real pedos around and children need protection.

So your "get a life" advice is weird because it would overlook a potentially dangerous situation where a child could be at risk.

Weird or not, I really don't care unless there is something locally going on where I can actually do something to assist.

All I am trying to emphasize is how SO many people are SO caught up by media reports that they, for whatever reasons, take that specific issue on board and make it THEIR issue. While it might be insensitive of me to state this, the truth is that I don't CARE what MJ was allegedly charged with. I really don't. I didn't know the man. I don't know the alleged victim/s. I simply cannot make this a personal issue. Once I heard the reports on TV/radio/media about MJ several years ago I put the topic to the back of my mind and went on living. When I heard relentless reports about the same issue I simply got bored. Generally, the media bores me and, at times, sickens me ...but only as long as I allow it to. There is plenty enough going on in my own life to occupy me without my worrying about what some 'pop star' is supposedly up to. Many people today are so caught up in this voyeuristic, sensationalistic, and tabloid society of ours that it's a wonder anyone can actually think for themselves. Even some of the posts on this thread about 'who is more popular than who' has me shaking my head.

Find a 'gay' vs Christianity thread on the forum in which to participate, folks ...y'know, a REAL issue that threatens to destroy life as we know it unless we do something about it!

 

[HighwayMan]

Weird or not, I really don't care unless there is something locally going on where I can actually do something to assist.

All I am trying to emphasize is how SO many people are SO caught up by media reports that they, for whatever reasons, take that specific issue on board and make it THEIR issue. While it might be insensitive of me to state this, the truth is that I don't CARE what MJ was allegedly charged with. I really don't. I didn't know the man. I don't know the alleged victim/s. I simply cannot make this a personal issue. Once I heard the reports on TV/radio/media about MJ several years ago I put the topic to the back of my mind and went on living. When I heard relentless reports about the same issue I simply got bored. Generally, the media bores me and, at times, sickens me ...but only as long as I allow it to. There is plenty enough going on in my own life to occupy me without my worrying about what some 'pop star' is supposedly up to. Many people today are so caught up in this voyeuristic, sensationalistic, and tabloid society of ours that it's a wonder anyone can actually think for themselves. Even some of the posts on this thread about 'who is more popular than who' has me shaking my head.

Find a 'gay' vs Christianity thread on the forum in which to participate, folks ...y'know, a REAL issue that threatens to destroy life as we know it unless we do something about it!

Usually I feel this way too about celebrities, but surely you understand how and why there are exceptions? It doesn't matter that I (and many of his fans) did not personally get to know the man. What matters is what effect his music had on us and what it told us about him. His songs and music videos were a huge part of my childhood and opened my eyes to a good deal of things about the world. The messages in his songs were the first real thing to have a deep impact on me about themes like the struggles in this world, but also hope and joy and imagination.

Many around the world can claim a similar experience. So of course when he is being attacked by horrific accusations it matters whether they are true or not.

 

[AnneSally]

Weird or not, I really don't care unless there is something locally going on where I can actually do something to assist.

All I am trying to emphasize is how SO many people are SO caught up by media reports that they, for whatever reasons, take that specific issue on board and make it THEIR issue. While it might be insensitive of me to state this, the truth is that I don't CARE what MJ was allegedly charged with. I really don't. I didn't know the man. I don't know the alleged victim/s. I simply cannot make this a personal issue. Once I heard the reports on TV/radio/media about MJ several years ago I put the topic to the back of my mind and went on living. When I heard relentless reports about the same issue I simply got bored. Generally, the media bores me and, at times, sickens me ...but only as long as I allow it to. There is plenty enough going on in my own life to occupy me without my worrying about what some 'pop star' is supposedly up to. Many people today are so caught up in this voyeuristic, sensationalistic, and tabloid society of ours that it's a wonder anyone can actually think for themselves. Even some of the posts on this thread about 'who is more popular than who' has me shaking my head.

Find a 'gay' vs Christianity thread on the forum in which to participate, folks ...y'know, a REAL issue that threatens to destroy life as we know it unless we do something about it!

And yet here you are participating in this thread and posting in it, taking time to respond to my post but you don't really care about MJ or the topic of this thread, because it's not a REAL "issue." LOL. Ok.

 

[AnneSally]

Weird or not, I really don't care

But it doesn't really matter if you don't personally care. It was a public matter. MJ was a massive huge star and a lot of people did "care" about him and what he did, even in his personal life which he opened up to a great extent. So naturally, they were "concerned" and did "care" when controversy was swirling around him.

Even MJ himself cared and was concerned about it, because he came on TV and made an public appeal directly to the public. If none of it mattered and no-one was supposed to care about it, then there would have been no need for Michael himself to try and speak directly to the public.

 

[SypherX]

All of that is unproven assumptions on the part of the media. A defense is that parents just want to use him as a means for getting rich. Nothing can be proven.

-Lyn

Jackson: "No. But I have slept in a bed with many children. "I slept in a bed with all of them when Macauley Culkin was little: Kieran Culkin would sleep on this side, Macauley Culkin was on this side, his sisters in there...we all would just jam in the bed, you know. "We would wake up like dawn and go in the hot air balloon, you know, we had the footage. I have all that footage."

Mmm yeah it was all a media invention.....

I have a bridge for sale any buyers?

 

[AnneSally]

Usually I feel this way too about celebrities, but surely you understand how and why there are exceptions? It doesn't matter that I (and many of his fans) did not personally get to know the man. What matters is what effect his music had on us and what it told us about him. His songs and music videos were a huge part of my childhood and opened my eyes to a good deal of things about the world. The messages in his songs were the first real thing to have a deep impact on me about themes like the struggles in this world, but also hope and joy and imagination.

Many around the world can claim a similar experience. So of course when he is being attacked by horrific accusations it matters whether they are true or not.

Of course it mattered. I don't think any of us wanted to believe the worst about him and we were concerned with the truth of those horrific allegations. I prefer to give him the benefit of the doubt and hope it wasn't true. He was acquitted by a jury of his peers and that needs to be considered. God is his only Judge now.

RIP MJ and thank you for your beautiful music and huge contributions, you tried your best.

 

[HighwayMan]

Jackson: "No. But I have slept in a bed with many children. "I slept in a bed with all of them when Macauley Culkin was little: Kieran Culkin would sleep on this side, Macauley Culkin was on this side, his sisters in there...we all would just jam in the bed, you know. "We would wake up like dawn and go in the hot air balloon, you know, we had the footage. I have all that footage."

Mmm yeah it was all a media invention.....

I have a bride for sale any buyers?

The media invention part is when they manipulated the truth and implied time and time again that something immoral was going on just so they can have a jucier story.

MJ literally sleeping in a bed with kids because he thinks of himself as Peter Pan? Weird, but not that interesting.

MJ the child molester? Now we have a story!

 

[SypherX]

The media invention part is when they manipulated the truth and implied time and time again that something immoral was going on just so they can have a jucier story.

MJ literally sleeping in a bed with kids because he thinks of himself as Peter Pan? Weird, but not that interesting.

MJ the child molester? Now we have a story!

So you see nothing wrong with an adult taking young children to his bed?

 

[Supernaut]

So you see nothing wrong with an adult taking young children to his bed?

Let him sleep for now. The Judge will know what was done or not done and deal with him accordingly. Until then, let him sleep.

 

[HighwayMan]

So you see nothing wrong with an adult taking young children to his bed?

You're doing the same thing as the media. Trying to make it sound perverse when it isn't. The idea that sharing a bed with someone automatically means something sexual or abusive is a conception of modern society, not a fact. The reasons why he wanted to do that have been explained, and while obviously not the norm, have nothing to do with pedophilia.

 

[The Nihilist]

You're doing the same thing as the media. Trying to make it sound perverse when it isn't. The idea that sharing a bed with someone automatically means something sexual or abusive is a conception of modern society, not a fact. The reasons why he wanted to do that have been explained, and while obviously not the norm, have nothing to do with pedophilia.

It didn't have to be sexual for it to be extremely creepy.

 

[KCKID]

And yet here you are participating in this thread and posting in it, taking time to respond to my post but you don't really care about MJ or the topic of this thread, because it's not a REAL "issue." LOL. Ok.

Uh (slaps himself) ...you got me.

 

[MoonLancer]

So you see nothing wrong with an adult taking young children to his bed?

your implying innuendo in Michaels quote where non exist.

you can

A: sleep in a bed with someone and simply sleep without any sexual activity

B: you can share a bed and have sex with that person, or have sexual contact in some way

you are using fallacious logic to apply all descriptions of A in fact mean B because to apply B you can use innuendo from A.

question. If two people sleep in the same bed, does this mean they always have sex or have a sexual relationship? Is it possible for 2 people to simply share the same sleeping space?