Tag: Michael Jackson

Leaving Neverland – the Controversial New Documentary about Singer Michael Jackson (2019)

If you follow me on Twitter, you’ve no doubt seen by now the links to news stories and reviews to a new documentary about singer Michael Jackson, which alleges that Jackson molested boys.

The documentary, released in January 2019, is entitled “Leaving Neverland.” Some Michael Jackson fans are quite upset, insisting that Jackson was innocent.

I for one am agnostic on the topic.

While I do think Jackson’s frequent contact with underaged boys (he seldom hung out with girls), and that he had “sleepovers” with them, complete with alarms that would be tripped if someone tried to approach the bedroom down the hall he shared with those boys, was very strange and inappropriate, I am not sure if Jackson was performing sexual acts with any of these boys or not.

Edit: though now, as of March 2019, after having pondered more about this, having read more articles, both pro and con, and knowing what I know about how many churches cover up and deal with victims of child sex abuse; and in the course of studying  how pedophiles operate in a church context, I learned about how pedophiles groom their child targets and the adults in the children’s lives…

I therefore now lean towards thinking that unfortunately, Jackson probably was a pedophile. This does not make me happy.

I would rather Jackson be innocent, since he was a fixture of my childhood, but I have to be realistic and honest and not shy away from the truth just because the truth is uncomfortable.

I would hope that Jackson was not guilty. I have fond memories watching Jackson perform on various televised awards shows or in music videos in the early to mid 1980s.

Jackson was an electric performer, and he had what so many singers after 2000 lack: a stage presence.

If it is true that Jackson was acting inappropriately with children, that does tarnish his memory for me, the music, and it’s difficult to watch those classic videos – “Beat It,” “Billie Jean,” and “Thriller” at this point.

What follows below are links to different articles about the “Leaving Neverland” documentary, and links to Michael Jackson related sites that discuss Jackson’s alleged pedophilia.

News Coverage and Op/Eds

On IMDB: Leaving Neverland (2019)

Why Child Sexual Abuse Survivors May Defend Their Abusers by Erica W. Smith

New Michael Jackson Documentary About Alleged Child Sex Abuse to Debut at Sundance

Two-part series Leaving Neverland will feature interviews with two men who say they were abused by the singer

Michael Jackson’s family slams “Leaving Neverland” accusers, says slumber parties were “innocent”

Documentary Accusing Michael Jackson of Sexually Abusing Boys to Premiere at Sundance

Leaving Neverland focuses on two alleged victims and “how they were sexually abused by Jackson, and how they came to terms with it years later”

‘Leaving Neverland’: What we know about allegations of molestation against Michael Jackson

‘Leaving Neverland,’ Michael Jackson documentary, opens old wounds before premiere

The film could put fresh scrutiny on the King of Pop’s complicated life and artistic legacy.

…But those festival debuts have not created nearly as much of a pre-release firestorm as “Leaving Neverland,” a four-hour documentary about two men who claim they were sexually abused by the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson.

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