Es gibt gottseidank einen großen Unterschied zu den Vorwürfen 2005: Diesmal trauen sich endlich die Leute, die ihn gut kannten, öffentlich den Mund aufzumachen und für ihn einzustehen. Diesmal wird es schnell erledigt sein und er kann (mag seinen Namen nicht schreiben) für den Rest seines Lebens untertauchen. Für eine neues Gesicht könnte ich persönlich sorgen , dann könnte er wenigstens noch unerkannt zum nächsten Kiosk kommen. Pfui Teufel, was gibt es für Menschen. Michael hat mit Debbie keine bessere Mutter für seine Kinder aussuchen können. Sie ist eine so ehrliche, warmherzige Person. Wenn ihn jemand aus purem Herzen wirklich geliebt hat, dann Debbie . Ich wünsche ihr und den Kindern viel Kraft.
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Als ich mich heute Morgen für die Arbeit fertig gemacht habe, hatte ich wie immer das Radio (FFH) laufen.
Auch dort wurde von den erneuten Vorwürfen gegen Michael berichtet.
Es war ein sehr kurzer Bericht! Die Moderatorin erwähnte nur das es neue Missbrauchsvorwürfe gegen Michael gibt.
Außerdem sagte sie noch, dass Wade Robson damals im Prozess bestritten habe, jemals von Michael sexuell missbraucht worden zu sein.
Vielleicht ist der ein oder andere von euch auf Facebook und kann unter folgendem Link dem Radiosender FFH schreiben:
https://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/FFH?fref=ts
Es geht mir nicht darum, den Sender "fertig" zu mache. Sie haben nicht negativ über Michael berichtet (verurteilt), sondern lediglich von den Vorwürfen berichtet.
FFH ist auch einer der wenigen Radiosender die fast 4 Jahre nach Michaels Tod regelmäßig seine Lieder spielen und sich hinterher positiv äußern.
Einmal hieß es: "Das war absolute Champions League...!"
Mein Ziel ist es..., dass im Radio vielleicht erwähnt wird, wie viele Menschen nach wie vor an Michael glauben und zu ihm stehen...!
Michael kann sich nicht mehr wehren..., WIR schon...!!!
P.S.: Eine E-Mail Adresse werde ich euch auch noch mitteilen!!!
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mir ist grade die idee gekommen, dass es vielleicht bald was „neues“ zu hören geben konnte (also eine neue CD meine ich) und das die plattenfirma hinter der ganzen sache steckt.
getreu dem motto lieber schlechte publicity als gar keine publicity…
die berichterstattung zum AEG-Prozess (vieleicht war das ja der erste versuch für werbung) ist ja doch recht gering ausgefallen. Vielleicht hat man WR geld gegeben für diese anschuldigungen damit der name michael jackson wieder stärker in den medien vertreten ist und sich die neue platte besser verkauft.
….ist nur so eine idee von mir, aber vielleicht ist ja was dran ?!?
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Ich musste erst mal nach allem die Sprache wieder finden, denn ich habe sie Buchstäblich verloren, durch das was da gerade passiert.
Ich habe mir auch gedacht das vll WR, von wem auch immer schon Geld bekommen hat, um in irgendeiner Form eben publicity zu bekommen, für was auch immer, aber wenn WR wirklich ein Freund wäre dann würde er das nicht machen, nicht sowas. Er hat soviel von Michael erhalten, soviel liebe, warum zieht er das so in den dreck? Es gäbe doch genügend andere möglichkeiten? Selbst für eigene publicity.
Ich schanke immer noch zwischen wut, fassungslosigkeit und traurigkeit das sowas noch einmal im Raume steht.
Ich versteh WR absolut nicht, niemal hat Michael ihm das Angetan. NIEMALS.
Das alles will einfach nicht in meinem Kopf, schon garnicht in meinem herzen. Armer Michael -
Stelle das mal hierein. Hat die userin Respekt aus der MJJC aus dem B. Spears-Forum rausgesucht. Diskussionen in 2008 darum warum er die B. Spears-Tour 2008 nicht machte bzw. wohl kurfristig vorab durch Jamie King ersetzt wurde. Geht um Drogengerüchte.
Some discussion about him quitting the Britney tour in 2008 from a Britney message board:
Wade Robson Confirms: Not Working On \"Circus\" Tour - Page 2 - The Britney Spears Forum - Exhale
They are puzzled about it. Also rumours of drugs:
Seems appropriately PC. I wonder if we\'ll ever know the real truth.
We do know the truth, Wade is a pot head, and possibly more.
They\'re \"own projects\"... In other words, They quit because of reasons they will never release. But most likely Jamie\'s \"controlling ways\"
Oh stop sucking Jordan\'s cock. Wade would have never been able to pass a drug test, bottom line.Oh, so my point is less valid because you think I\'m an anon? Wow, smart. No, we have actual facts, Jamie didn\'t do anything. Anyone that has been a fan of Wade for a long time knows he\'s a pothead, potheads can\'t pass drug tests, sorry. And Amanda Robson is two bit, I\'m glad we don\'t have to deal with her ass now. Honestly Getting Jamie King is a blessing. Wade would have created more stuff in the style of Womanizer and Circus preformances, and you bitches would have complained.
all this makes me so nervous for this tour. i dont want to jump to conclusions but i just dont know what to think. the statment released was very pc like someone said. Why would wade quit the biggest tour of 09? i doubt he has projects that are going to be bigger than this tour. and as far as him being a pothead -- i really dont understand what that has to do with him being able to come up with hot choreography. im sure he wasnt going into rehearsals high. i cant stand how everyone on exhale acts as if britney does no wrong and places the blame on everyone around her. the truth is that these last 6 performances have lacked that fire that we\'ve come to expect from ms spears. and we cant blame that on choreographers they can only do so much. they cant go on stage and physically move britney. all that said im still excited to see the show. i hope i see that spark that made me a fanatic.
Paid tons to keep his mouth shut? I don\'t think you have to pay him to not post \"I was fired from a huge project that would have paid me tons because I failed a drug test\"
BTW, Cirque requires drug test too for their Las Vegas shows...
For the Resident Shows in Las Vegas :
These positions may be classified under the Hotel/Casino structure for payroll and health & welfare benefits. Should you be considered for employment, you will be required to participate in all of the Hotel/Casino selection processes including a background security check and drug/alcohol testing.
Rigging: Click here and enter our pool of candidates job - Cirque du Soleil - Montréal, QC | Indeed.com -
mir ist grade die idee gekommen, dass es vielleicht bald was „neues“ zu hören geben konnte (also eine neue CD meine ich) und das die plattenfirma hinter der ganzen sache steckt.getreu dem motto lieber schlechte publicity als gar keine publicity…
Das wäre aber eine verdammt schlechte Publicity... !Schließlich wäre die Plattenfirma ja nicht nur davon abhängig, dass wir Fans die CDs kaufen, sondern auch die "Nicht-Fans"!
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ja aber plötzlich redet alle welt wieder über ihn. wenn sein gesamtes erbe an einen wohltätigen zweg gespendet werden würde, würde das nur kurz mal am rande erwähnt werden und das wars.
hand aufs herz, würde dir eine positive meldung einfallen die mehrere tage, idealerweise wochen, in der öffentlichkeit present ist? mir ehrlichgesagt nicht auf die schnelle und bekannterweise verkaufen sich negative schlagzeilen besser als positive.an der stelle möchte ich aber noch mal ganz klar meinen standpukt zu der sache kundgeben: ich glauche WR kein wort! und MJ und seine kids tun mir unendlich leid
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ja aber plötzlich redet alle welt wieder über ihn.
Wo redet denn alle Welt über ihn? Es ist Gott sei Dank keine News, die die Riesenrunden schlägt. Es ist ist eher etwas was in Fanforen derzeit präsent ist und ansonsten ein wenig in den USA und da eher mit dem Unterton nicht ernst nehmend.
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hand aufs herz, würde dir eine positive meldung einfallen die mehrere tage, idealerweise wochen, in der öffentlichkeit present ist? mir ehrlichgesagt nicht auf die schnelle und bekannterweise verkaufen sich negative schlagzeilen besser als positive.
Das ist mir schon klar !Wenn es aber darum gehen würde, dadurch "Werbung" für neue CDs zu machen, wäre das eine äußerst schlecht Publicity !
an der stelle möchte ich aber noch mal ganz klar meinen standpukt zu der sache kundgeben: ich glauche WR kein wort! und MJ und seine kids tun mir unendlich leid
Daran habe ich auch nicht gezweifelt !
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Wo redet denn alle Welt über ihn? Es ist Gott sei Dank keine News, die die Riesenrunden schlägt. Es ist ist eher etwas was in Fanforen derzeit präsent ist und ansonsten ein wenig in den USA und da eher mit dem Unterton nicht ernst nehmend.
zugegeben ich habe mich wohl etwas ungeschickt ausgedrückt, aber ich schreibe hier grade an meinem 3. beitrag in meinem leben, ich übe noch...ich wollte damit zu ausdruck bringen, dass es das ziel dieser "verschwöhrung" ist, das alle leute drüber reden ... was ja bisher noch nicht so richtig geklappt hat. aber vieleicht gab es auch deshalb, quasi als starthilfe, das tv interview mit WR?
wie gesagt, keine ahnung, es ist nur eine idee...
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...zu post 245 LenaLena..
Ivy @Ivy_4MJ 13m
Interesting find. Britney Spears fan forums say that Wade was replaced for Circus tour in 2009 because he failed a random drug test.
finde ich interessant. Britney Spears Fan-Foren sagen, dass Wade für Circus-Tour im Jahr 2009 ersetzt wurde, weil er einen stichprobenartigen Drogen-Test nicht bestanden hat.8:58 PM - 17 Mai 13 -
@TheMJAP While everyone was wasting time on Robson's
nonsense, an AEG finance worker testified that Dr Murray was absolutely AEG's
employee.
·
Charles Thomson@CEThomson10h
@TheMJAP Is it just a coincidence that the big Wade
Robson developments always occur on an incredibly bad court day for AEG?Als sich alle Welt mit dem WR-Nonsense beschäftigte, sagte ein AEG-Mitarbeiter aus, dass Murray defintiv von AEG beschäftigt wurde
-ist es bloß ein Zufall, das das WR-Thema immer an schlechten Gerichtstagen für AEG auftritt... -
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Man neigt dazu zu denken, dass AEG was mit der Sache zu tun hat, ja. Ich bin ja eigentlich niemand der schnell auf solche Züge aufspringt, aber das Timing von Robson und die Tatsache, dass er für AEG arbeitet oder gearbeitet hat auch schon, das sind an sich dann doch ein paar Zufälle zu viel um nicht zumindest zu vermuten, dass AEG da seine Finger mit im Spiel hat, um von dem Prozess gegen sich abzulenken. Andererseits würde ich da gerne mal wissen, wie genau die sich das dann gedacht haben. Natürlich wird in Fanforen und auch ein bisschen in den Medien über die Vorwürfe geredet, aber das Gerichtsverfahren verliert dennoch keiner aus den Augen. Ganz besonders die Fans nicht und es gibt ja auch ein paar Vertreter in der Pressesparte die Michael wohlgesonnen sind und da durchaus drauf achten, dass da nichts unter den Tisch fällt. Also wenn AEG was damit zu tun hat und sie auf Ablenkung gehofft haben und dass keiner die wichtigen Aussagen im Prozess mitkriegt, dann ist die Rechnung schonmal nicht aufgegangen. Und was den Prozessverlauf angeht, spielen die Vorwürfe dann ja sowieso keine Rolle. Geht ja schließlich in dem Prozess nicht darum, ob an solchen Anschuldigungen was dran ist oder nicht.
Es ist schon alles ziemlich komisch. Wie gesagt, es sind mir ein paar "Zufälle" zu viel um auszuschließen, dass AEG was damit zu tun hat. Aber was genau sie damit bezwecken oder bezweckt haben, das ist mir noch ein Rätsel. Michael deskreditieren, damit sie den Prozess gegen Katherine nicht verlieren, würde ja, wie gesagt, nicht wirklich Sinn ergeben.
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Vielleicht hoffen sie damit ablenken zu können damit sie nicht in den Medien stehen und in Verruf kommen.Wer vertraut ihnen denn noch wenn herraus kommt das sie einen Arzt angestellt haben der den Künstler unter die Erde brachte?Keiner..Wer will dann noch mit ihnen arbeiten?Keiner...
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Möglich...aber wenn sie was damit zu tun haben sollten und es raus kommen würde, dann würde das für AEG auch nicht unbedingt glücklich enden (und das hätten sie dann ja auch wahrlich nicht verdient).
Egal warum und woher das kommt, es ist einfach nur lächerlich und man müsste fast lachen, wenn es nicht so tief tragisch wäre.
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Hier ist der heiß erwartete Artikel von Joe Vogel. Vielleicht ist jemand so nett und übersetzt. Ich kann es zwar einigermaßen verstehen, aber zum Übersetzen reicht es leider nicht.
Michael Jackson, Delayed Allegations and Witch Hunts
by Joe Vogel on May 17, 2013</abbr> · 43 comments
A shorter version of this article is cross-posted at the Huffington Post.
When Michael Jackson died unexpectedly in June of 2009, then-26-year-old choreographer Wade Robson – who has recently made headlines for accusing the pop star of molestation – wrote about his longtime friend and mentor:ZitatMichael Jackson changed the world and, more personally,
my life forever. He is the reason I dance, the reason I make music, and
one of the main reasons I believe in the pure goodness of humankind. He
has been a close friend of mine for 20 years. His music, his movement,
his personal words of inspiration and encouragement and his
unconditional love will live inside of me forever. I will miss him
immeasurably, but I know that he is now at peace and enchanting the
heavens with a melody and a moonwalk.
Such a gushing statement came as no surprise to those who knew
Robson’s backstory. During Jackson’s Bad World Tour in 1987,
five-year-old Robson won a local dance competition in Australia. The
reward was attending a backstage meet-and-greet with the King of Pop and
the opportunity to join his idol on stage at the end of the concert.Two years passed before Robson saw Jackson again. This time he was
performing at Disneyland when his mother, Joy, decided to reach out to
Jackson’s secretary to see if they could meet again. Jackson allowed the
Robson family to visit him at the recording studio at Record One where
he was working on his Dangerous album. He also invited them to
stay at his Neverland Ranch. This hospitality was not unusual for
Jackson. Around this same time, Jackson also spent countless hours at
his Ranch with AIDS victim, Ryan White, who had been shunned, taunted
and bullied at his school in Kokomo, Indiana. “Those trips to California
kept me going,” Ryan White said. Similar positive experiences have been shared by hundreds of others.Not long after their visit to Neverland, the Robson family decided to
move to California to allow Wade and his sister, Chantal, more
opportunities in the entertainment industry. Over the subsequent years, a
friendship blossomed between the Robsons and Jackson. Wade Robson was
ambitious and talented, and Jackson took on the role of mentor, teaching
him the nuances of his craft and signing him to his MJJ Productions
label. Jackson also gave him small parts in his music videos, including “Black or White.”Robson went on to have a successful career in the industry,
choreographing for the likes of Britney Spears and ‘N Sync, and later
having his work showcased on shows like So You Think You Can Dance. In 2005, he married Hawaii native Amanda Rodriguez.That same year, Robson, who had every reason to avoid the circus that
was the 2005 Michael Jackson child molestation trial, decided to
testify under oath about his experiences with the singer. First
questioned by Jackson’s attorney Thomas Mesereau and then under rigorous
cross-examination, Robson matter-of-factly gave his account of his time
with the artist. Robson repeatedly and adamantly denied being molested
or of any other inappropriate sexual activity. -
weiter gehts:
After Jackson was acquitted of all charges a few months later, Wade Robson’s mother Joy spoke of their family’s relief about the verdict.
“We were crying and screaming and crying and screaming…We all believed
ultimately the truth would come out…I’ve always said to Michael, ‘I
wished the world could know the Michael we do.’”Wade Robson invited Jackson to his wedding later that year, but
Jackson decided not to attend because he did not want to turn the joyous
occasion into a media circus.Jackson and Robson, however, remained good friends. Whenever asked,
Robson continued to praise Jackson as his biggest inspiration.They last met in Las Vegas in 2008. Jackson was living there with his
three children and Robson was working on a show in the city. “Me, my
wife and him and his three kids had a barbecue,” recalled Robson. “It was the most normal thing in the world.”It had been over twenty years since they first met, and Robson was
still, by his own admission, completely unaffected by any past abuse or
trauma. His life and career were thriving. He also seemed to have no
concerns about Jackson’s own young children.According to initial reports,
Robson’s attorney, Henry Gradstein, claimed the reason his client lied
under oath and continued to praise the pop star following his death was
because the alleged abuse was a “repressed memory.” Repressed memories —
instances in which an individual believes they have blocked or
forgotten a traumatic event before “recovering” it years or decades
later — has become a highly controversial subject in the field of
psychology. According to the American Psychological Association,
“experienced clinical psychologists state that the phenomenon of a
recovered memory is rare (e.g., one experienced practitioner reported
having a recovered memory arise only once in 20 years of practice).” The
overwhelming consensus by experts is that such “memories” are not
reliable without corroborating evidence. Dr. Richard McNally, Professor
and Director of Clinical Training in the Department of Psychology at
Harvard University, describes the phenomenon of belatedly recovered
memories as “the most pernicious bit of folklore ever to infect psychology and psychiatry.”In his interview with Matt Lauer on the Today Show,
however, Robson claimed that that his memories of abuse were not
repressed; he was simply unable to process them emotionally or
psychologically. Robson claims that he was fully aware Jackson was a
child abuser at the time of his 2005 trial, but decided to lie under
oath because he didn’t yet realize what happened to him was wrong.
Robson was 22 at the time. But perhaps, one might assume, in the months
or years to come he regretted his decision and went to authorities — at
least to prevent further “victims.” Nope. Instead, he was barbecuing
with MJ and family in 2008, and praising him without any pressure or
prompt in 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012.It goes without saying that accusations of abuse must always be taken
seriously. When an individual has told one story very credibly and
convincingly as an adult, however, and then suddenly changes it with no
corroborating evidence (letters, photos, phone conversations, witnesses,
etc.) to file a creditor’s claim, it deserves a healthy dose of
skepticism. Believing such claims on faith can be dangerous, destroying
lives and reputations with absolutely no proof beyond the accusation.According to Wade Robson’s attorney, Henry Gradstein, it was sometime
in 2012 when the choreographer had a mental breakdown, and “collapsed
under the stress” of his recovered memory. Robson’s career had also
taken a downturn with the choreographer mysteriously dropping out of
many projects. Soon after, Robson decided to file a creditor’s claim
against Jackson’s estate. Robson also filed a civil lawsuit in L.A.
County Superior Court, in which he is reportedly targeting companies
associated with Jackson. Whatever one makes of his allegations, then,
they are not simply to heal. Robson clearly wants a payout.weiter in Teil 3
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In a statement, Howard Weitzman, an attorney representing Jackson’s
estate, called Robson’s accusations “outrageous and pathetic…This
is a young man who has testified at least twice under oath over the
past 20 years and said in numerous interviews that Michael Jackson never
did anything inappropriate to him or with him. Now, nearly 4 years
after Michael has passed this sad and less than credible claim has been
made. We are confident that the court will see this for what it is.“Jackson’s attorney, Thomas Mesereau, feels Robson’s claims are shamelessly motivated by money, given the timing (a high-stakes trialbetween
Jackson’s mother and concert promoter AEG Live, is currently being
litigated) and the enormous amount of wealth the Jackson estate has
generated since the singer’s death.Regardless of one’s views of Jackson, Robson’s case raises serious
questions about the nature and validity of decade-delayed allegations,
especially when attached to money.Dr. Elizabeth F. Loftus, a renowned cognitive psychologist and human memory expert from the University of Washington, notes that these memories
can often be triggered by therapist suggestion. “Some contemporary
therapists have been known to tell patients, merely on the basis of a
suggestive history or symptom profile, that they definitely had a
traumatic experience…Once the ‘diagnosis’ is made, the therapist urges
the patient to pursue the recalcitrant memories.”Wade Robson, then, could very well believe he was abused even if it never happened.
In any case, objectivity and fairness should compel at least some
burden of proof. Robson’s own family members have repeatedly defended
Jackson over a period of twenty years. Were all of them completely
oblivious to what happened until just months ago?Numerous other individuals who were close to Jackson as children
continue to defend him with no apparent incentive for doing so. Since
the latest allegations, several people who visited Jackson’s Neverland
Ranch as children, have once again spoken out in support of the artist,
including Alfonso Ribeiro, Frank Cascio, Brett Barnes, and Jackson’s
nephews, Taryll, T.J. and Taj Jackson.In defense of his uncle, Taj Jackson wrote movingly on Twitter:
ZitatI will not sit back and let someone flat out lie about my
uncle. PERIOD. I am writing these words knowing that the minute I press
send, my life will never be the same afterwards…I was sexually
abuse[d]. By an uncle on my mom’s side of the family when I was a kid.
My uncle [Michael Jackson] was a support system for me and my mom. He
wrote a letter to her that many have seen already, u just didn’t know
what it was about. That is how I KNOW Wade is lying. Because I AM a
survivor. My hands are still trembling. Don’t forget I was living at
Neverland when Wade testified during my uncle’s case. I sat there and
ate dinner with him and his family. I will not let them smear my Uncle’s
legacy. I don’t want to go on TV. I don’t want publicity, I just want
the truth. I hate that Wade made me do this, this way. But since my
uncle Michael is no longer here to defend himself. I will.
The letter Taj Jackson referred to was written by Jackson some time in the 1980s. It reads:ZitatDee Dee Please read this article about child molestation
and please read it to Taj, T.J., and Taryll, it brings out how even your
own relatives can be molesters of children, or even uncles or aunts
molesting nephews or nieces, please read. Love MJ.
Later faced with the public perception that he himself was a child
molester, Jackson wrote these lyrics to an unreleased song, called “An
Innocent Man”:ZitatIf I sail to Acapulco
Or Cancun, Mexico
There the law is waiting
And God knows that I’m innocent
If they won’t take me in Cairo
Then Lord where will I go?
I’ll die a man without a country
And only God knew I was innocent now.
As an eccentric, wealthy man who opened his home to thousands of
people, including disadvantaged and ill children, Jackson was an
undeniably easy target. But is it conceivable that of the hundreds of
children who spent time with him, only a handful were abused? Is it
possible that after two unannounced, scouring searches of his homes, in
1993 and again in 2003, resulting in no child pornography or other
corroborating evidence, that the artist was nonetheless masterfully
hiding criminal behavior?Or have we, as a society, conflated Jackson’s difference and
eccentricity with criminality? In 2005, infotainment pundit Nancy Grace
infamously deduced Jackson’s guilt from his strange appearance and
childlike sensibility. It was inconceivable to her that a grown man
would want to spend so much time with children without wanting to have
sex with them.No doubt, after hearing these latest accusations, some will likewise conclude that “where there is smoke there is fire.”
Jackson, of course, is no longer here to defend himself. The
unacknowledged tragedy the fair-minded person must at least consider is
this: the life and career of one of the most talented and creative
artists of the past century was derailed and ultimately destroyed by
allegations, innuendo, sensationalism and speculation, but no concrete evidence and no witnesses or accusers who didn’t want money.The term “witch hunt” is often used to describe the moral panic and
hysteria caused by individuals who threaten our sense of normalcy, order
and social assumptions. They must be disciplined or punished to allow
people to feel safe, regardless of actual guilt or innocence. So, for
example, in the Salem witch trials, women were profiled, accused and
sentenced to death for a range of perceived “suspicious” behaviors or
traits. Or, historically, African American men have been unfairly
targeted and lynched because of myths and culturally-ingrained hysteria
about their “predatory” intentions with white women (see D.W. Griffith’s
The Birth of a Nation).Over his lifetime (and now in death), Michael Jackson faced more
frivolous lawsuits than any individual in American history. During the Thriller era, dozens of women claimed he was the father of their children. As recently as 2010, a woman named Billie Jean filed a $600 million paternity lawsuit against Jackson’s estate.In 2010, part of Jackson’s FBI file was released under the Freedom of
Information Act (FOIA) at the request of media, including British
journalist Charles Thomson. “A lengthy report,” writes Thomson,
“shows that when Jackson’s Neverland Ranch was raided in 2003, the FBI
went over every computer seized from the property with a fine tooth comb
looking for any incriminating files or internet activity. Jackson’s
file contained individual summaries of the FBI’s findings for each of
the 16 computers. Scrawled in capital letters across each of those 16
reports – ‘NOTHING’.”Rolling Stone‘s Matt Taibbi, an incisive cultural critic
with no investment whatsoever in Jackson’s legacy, described the 2005
court case against Jackson like this:ZitatOstensibly a story about bringing a child molester to
justice, the Michael Jackson trial would instead be a kind of homecoming
parade of insipid American types: grifters, suckers and no-talent
schemers, mired in either outright unemployment…or the bogus non-careers
of the information age, looking to cash in any way they can. The MC of
the proceedings was District Attorney Tom Sneddon, whose metaphorical
role in this American reality show was to represent the mean gray heart
of the Nixonian Silent Majority – the bitter mediocrity itching to stick
it to anyone who’d ever taken a vacation to Paris. The first month or
so of the trial featured perhaps the most compromised collection of
prosecution witnesses ever assembled in an American criminal case –
almost to a man a group of convicted liars, paid gossip hawkers or
worse…In the next six weeks, virtually every piece of his case imploded in
open court, and the chief drama of the trial quickly turned into a race
to see if the DA could manage to put all of his witnesses on the stand
without getting any of them removed from the courthouse in manacles.
Sneddon’s hard-on for Jackson was a faith-based vengeance grab every bit
as blind and desperate as George Bush’s “case” against Saddam Hussein…
Jackson, of course, was acquitted of all charges in 2005 after two
grueling years of investigations, testimony and proceedings. Four years
later, in 2009, after years of living as a cultural pariah, a vagabond
drifting from country to country, he died at the age of fifty in Los
Angeles. The silver lining, one assumed, was that at least his many
troubles would end and the focus could return to his rich artistic
legacy. But as long as big money is involved, it seems, the relentless
stream of grifters will continue.And in the court of public opinion, the Michael Jackson witch trial goes on.