Some people think they should boycott MJ's work, because of the allegations aired on the HBO special.
Of course, there are a substantial number of fans who think that the allegations are fabricated
link to fan blog purporting to refute the allegations
I cannot say for sure whether they were fabricated or not. I wasn't there.
Also, being from a family where it was conclusively demonstrated to me that my ex's recollections of child abuse were false memories, I wonder whether these men had false memories implanted by a therapist. Many people think that there is no such thing as false memories, or that false memory allegations are made by parents to hide their wrongdoing. I am persuaded that they do exist.
But let us suppose for a moment that the allegations are true.
This issue arose for me a couple of times before with novels.
The first time it arose is when I bought the book "Sees Behind Trees" by Michael Dorris. At the time I bought this book, the author had already committed suicide due to allegations of sexual abuse of children. I knew of him, because he had been affiliated with my college. Yet, I was curious about the book.
I bought it and I loved it.
It never really occurred to me not to buy the book because the author had done something bad. The man is dead. He's not going to get any money out of it.
Dorris, like MJ, did a lot of charitable work for kids. Dorris's work was particularly with respect to fetal alcohol syndrome. He was inspired to this work after he adopted a Native American kid who had this syndrome. Yet, his interest in charity work for children led to his unfortunately being in a position to abuse children. He was never found guilty of this, because he committed suicide before there could be any consideration in court. Many people assumed that his suicide was an admission of guilt, though he apparently maintained his innocence at the end.
Here's a wikipedia article about him
wikipedia article about michael dorris
The issue arose a second time with respect to Marion Zimmer Bradley, who wrote a much more famous series of novels called "Darkover." I read a lot of these novels and loved them. They were actually all purchased by my ex -- and he took them with him when he moved out -- got custody, as it were. So really these books are in my past. I think I read all or most of them. I'm not seeking to buy more. Yet, if you ask me what my favorite superpower would be, it would be that of Hawkmistress -- to commune with the minds of birds. That was a character out of one of Bradleys' novels. That's a question that is often asked as interesting trivia when people are interviewed.
Recently, many years after reading these novels, I learned that Bradley had been accused of abusing her children. The person who told me about this said that she could never read or purchase Bradley's novels, because of this allegation.
This made absolutely no sense to me. Bradley is now deceased. Any money that would come from the purchase of those novels would go to the children who were abused, not to her. Boycotting the work would hurt the kids who were abused. The same would be true of Dorris.
The two situations are not analogous.
In Bradley's and Dorris's cases, the amount going to their children would be relatively modest. In Jackson's case, the amount of money going to his family is huge -- and perhaps they don't need more. Moreover, it is widely assumed that Katherine Jackson's share of the money will go to Jackson's siblings -- and many fans see them as moochers. Though now they really do seem to be working for a living, which is a pleasant change.
In Jackson's case, there has been no allegation that he abused his own children. Of course, the Jacksons are very private people and any such allegation would likely not be made public -- or at least not yet. On the other hand, his children are and have been subjected to ongoing abuse from the public because of the celebrity and notoriety of their father. They need security to protect themselves both from fans and from haters. They need therapy to deal with the constant wild allegations -- many of them utter fabrications that are constantly hurled around about their father -- not to mention his untimely death. That abuse of the family by the public is, in my opinion, a reason to feel concern for them, despite their apparent wealth -- and despite their apparent ability to book work in the entertainment industry due to their fame.
I conclude that, even if the allegations were to be proven true, I would not stop listening to Michael Jackson. I don't think I'll necessarily buy any more of his records. I've got several. The newer ones I haven't liked as much. Moreover, I went once to the Cirque du Soleil tour about him. It was interesting and well done, but none of those performers had Jackson's charisma. Ultimately, it was good, but not so exciting that I would go again.
I may still go to see his brothers perform. I know they're not as exciting without him, but I still would like to support them. I was really moved by a YouTube video of Evgeni Plushenko dancing with the Jacksons. Here are the brothers, performing without their lost brother, along with the magnificent figure skating and dancing of a famous fan to accent their work.
Plushenko and the Jacksons
I found this moving because of the enduring power of MJ's art to inspire people throughout the world, which is of course why I started the #QuixoticQuest.
I can only hope that the controversy would stimulate more people to learn about MJ -- and his quest to Heal the World.
