Michael Jackson and Human Nature
June 13th marked five years since Michael Jackson was acquitted on ten accounts of child molestation. Apart from family and fans, not many from the general public will pay much attention to this date. For most, it is just another day.
For some of us, though, it is our yearly reminder of a lot of things: of reflection, of redemption, of justice…but also of human nature, and the damage it can sometimes do when unleashed .
By Sandra Sasvari on Wednesday, June 16th, 2010 - 2,121 words.
Monkey business
June 13th marked five years since Michael Jackson was acquitted on ten accounts of child molestation. Apart from family and fans, not many from the general public will pay much attention to this date. For most, it is just another day.
For some of us, though, it is our yearly reminder of a lot of things: of reflection, of redemption, of justice…but also of human nature, and the damage it can sometimes do when unleashed .
Few understand just how biased the media was in their reporting of the trial, and just how calculated and sensationalist they were throughout it. That negativity sells is something everyone already knows, but in the 2005 child molestation charges against the the world’s most famous person, there seemed to be something that ran far deeper. There was a malice and a bloodthirst there that seemed out of the ordinary even by tabloid measurements. And it brings up the very interesting question of what it is that can make thousands of people gang up so completely on one individual. What primal instinct, what fear…can cause us, as a race, to turn into a pitch-fork mob, salivating and orgasming at the thought of lynching someone and literally destroying them?
In 1993, the European Counsil approved Resolution 1003 on the Ethics of Journalism; which recommends journalists to respect the”presumption of innocence”: in other words; you are innocent until proven guilty. In the case against Michael Jackson, however, this, apparently, was no longer relevant. Although the accuracy of the term ”journalism” in association with tabloids can be debated, The Society of Professional Journalists’ code of ethics mentions that good journalistic practice includes for a journalist to do the following:
* Show compassion for those who may be affected adversely by news coverage. Use special sensitivity when dealing with children and inexperienced sources or subjects.
* Be sensitive when seeking or using interviews or photographs of those affected by tragedy or grief.
* Recognize that gathering and reporting information may cause harm or discomfort. Pursuit of the news is not a license for arrogance.
* Recognize that private people have a greater right to control information about themselves than do public officials and others who seek power, influence or attention. Only an overriding public need can justify intrusion into anyone’s privacy.
* Show good taste. Avoid pandering to lurid curiosity.
* Be cautious about identifying juvenile suspects or victims of sex crimes.
* Be judicious about naming criminal suspects before the formal filing of charges.
* Balance a criminal suspect’s fair trial rights with the public’s right to be informed.
It seems in the Michael Jackson case – and tabloid journalism in general – these rules did not apply. Statements were taken out of context, facts were twisted, and more focus was put on Michael Jackson’s appearance, than on the proceedings of the ongoing trial.
The question in all of this is not how people became so caught up in preferring fiction over truth, the question is why. Why was it that someone had apparently decided that Michael Jackson did not deserve to be treated like a human being? What was it that made people so provoked by him, and when was it decided that he did not deserve privacy, respect, or compassion? Was it when his face started changing? When he became too androgynous for people to apply the set-in-stone rules of gender roles to him that we worship and follow so religiously? Was it when he became the biggest selling artist in history, or when he gained wealth and financial freedom, while the rest of us went to our day jobs that we hated? Was it when he shunned the public eye because of the chaos that would rear its ugly head whenever he stepped foot outside? Was it his creativity, and his passionate and intense outbursts on stage? Or, was it simply, that he mirrored our own mistakes back to us?
Most of us have, upon one time or another in our lives, come across a person that we have felt an immediate aversion to. More often than not, that aversion springs from how we feel about ourselves while in their presence. Michael Jackson was an avid spokesperson for children’s rights. His charity work spanned the globe, and he donated millions on a yearly basis. He spoke frequently about love and respect as the healers of our broken planet – and most of all, he believed in it. He pointed out the suffering and the wrongdoings on the planet, wrongdoings that largely exist because of our own indifference to them. Having someone mirroring our mistakes and idleness back to us is frightening , and by looking at his generosity and childlike nature, we were reminded that we had lost our own.
This was something that was incredibly provoking to many, and when proveked and insecure, we are designed to reject. By rejecting the thing that makes us uncomfortable, we hope for the feelings it creates to go away. So Michael Jackson was rejected. Again and again, he was rejected and mocked and and crucified by people that were too insecure in their own skin to be able to accept anyone that stood out, and that didn’t fit the mold.
Michael Jackson danced with an injured back, he toured until he fainted, and he stayed up entire nights at a time, for one reason, and one reason only: the hope that we would finally love and accept him the way he so desperately yearned for. But we would not, and we kept pushing him away.
Jackson was born with an extraordinary sense of musicality. In her book ”My Family, The Jacksons”, Katherine Jackson writes:
”It dawned on me that Michael was no run-of-the-mill kid one day in 1960. I was standing in front of my washing machine, checking the load, when I happened to turn around and see my one-and-a-half-year-old son practically under my dress tail. He was holding a bottle and dancing … dancing to the rhythmic squeak of my washing machine.”
While musicality can be trained to a certain extent, it cannot be taught. It is either there, or it is not. In Michael Jackson’s two year-old mind, and in his body…it was very much present, and his parents quickly noticed.
Jackson often spoke of how he felt he could not take credit for his songs, as they ”would just come to him”, and all he did was write them down. He cited God, and felt that the music was simply breing channeled through him by a higher power. To anyone that has ever watched him on stage, his presence is undeniable. In many ways, he may well be considered a creative and musical genious. Those are few and far between, but instead of being fascinated or in awe…we were provoked. We didn’t understand it, didn’t understand his animated way of behaving or his childlike nature, we didn’t understand his visions or his appreciation for the simple things…so we rejected him. Fear is born out of ignorance, and the world was ignorant. And because he already seemed so different from most of us – again, geniouses are few and far between – it made sense to most people that he was very likely ”strange” in the ways that the tabloids reported, too. He was a thirty-something man that loved water balloon fights; a forty-something that enjoyed climbing trees. Seemed plausible he would also sleep in a hyperbarbaric chamber and try to bleach his skin.
As a society, we worship our social norms so much, that anything that strays for them by definition becomes wrong and undesirable. Michael Jackson did not fit into any of the molds set by society. He was born with dark skin, which whitened with time. He was born with a large, wide nose, that he had altered to a small and narrow one. He had long hair, a high-pitched voice, and a soft, compassionate side. He was the antithesis of what society defines as ”male”, and expects a man to be.
We raise our sons wth toy guns, scrubbed knees and the notion that boys don’t cry. Michael Jackson was not afraid to show his emotions in every aspect of his life, and he was not an image of the macho culture that we so seem to love. His shyness and softer side was cute when he was little, and possibly also in his early teens, but in a fifty year old man? No, that can’t possobly be right. TV told us that’s not how men are supposed to behave. Reject.
Although the child molestation trial became the final blow to Michael Jackson’s heart, there had been a steady stream of atrocities being written about his private persona for decades, one more vicious than the next. During the twenty years that Michael Jackson was persecuted by the media, no one ever stopped to question the likelihood of what they were reading. Somewhere along the way, we put logics and critical thinking aside and decided that if it’s in print, it must be true. It must be true, because why would anyone lie? What people should be asking themselves is, why would they not? The media is a profit business. It is naive to think that we live in a world devoid of corruption and greed, and the days where the media was a direct reflection of the truth are long gone. What we are left with, are innuendos and cleverly fabricated stories that speak to the morbid fascination and pack animal in all of us, and that are just basic enough to not require reflection.
In retrospect, a vast majority of what was written on Jackson seems laughable and bizarre. According to the press, this is someone that was born a black man but really wants to be a white woman, sleeps in a hyperbarbaric chamber to be able to reach the age of two hundred, rides the roller coaster in his backyard alone in the middle of the night, bought the remains of Joseph Merrick (also known as ”The Elephant man”), and takes female homones to maintain his high-pitched voice. Yet no one ever reacted. No one ever for a second thought ”hang on a minute, this can’t possibly be true.” The reason? They wanted it to be true. They needed it to be true, so they could feel collectively part of something. Asking your colleagues or friends if they’ve heard what that Michael Jackson has done now, makes you the center of attention, and it makes you feel part of a group. We are pack animals, we thrive off of others and do not well on our own. We want to belong, to be accepted, to feel appreciated. That was all Michael Jackson ever wanted, too. The only difference is he was never let into the pack.
So why, then, did an entire planet decide it was okay to throw another fellow human being to the wolves and enjoy watching his demise? As a human race, we are not all good. We can be vindictive, manipulative, greedy and selfish, and all of us WILL put ourselves first if we are put into a life or death situation. We’d just like to believe differently. Michael Jackson… believed differently. It is funny how the one man that for so many years experienced nothing but the absolute worst of other people, was also the one that, unlike the rest of us, never became jaded. For someone to be subjected to so much hatred, prejudice, greed and malice, and still not lose faith in humanity…is astonishing. It would have been so easy for him, as it is for all of us, when hurt, to withdraw from the world and grow bitter and cold. The fact that he not only refrained from that, but kept loving this world and everyone in it even more, says everything about the person that he was. And lying about him, judging, hounding and persecuting him and standing by, doing nothing, as he perished….says everything about us.
———-
Martin Luther King once said:
”History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.”
We must never be silent. Blind obedience and sheep mentality is the reason why bullying exists. It is, when taken to the extreme, the reason the Holocaust happened, and it is the reason Michael Jackson is dead. There is a predator in all of us, and we are all capable of giving in to the urge of preying on the weak for our own self-gratification – some of just just make the effort to try to control it. To quote the well-known Michael Jackson song: “If they say “why, why?” / Tell them that it’s human nature.”
Never be silent.
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Sandra Sasvari
Aspiring writer who enjoys art, music, alone time, books, Irish Dancing and drawing. Greatest interests include religion, mass-and social psychology, philosophy, Nazi Germany, traveling for concerts, and people-watching.
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So True. it so sad what they did to him
Thanks for writing this!!
In the words of Maya Angelou :
Only when we confess our confusion can we remember that he was a gift to us and we did have him.
He came to us from the creator, trailing creativity in abundance.
Despite the anguish, his life was sheathed in mother love, family love, and survived and did more than that.
He thrived with passion and compassion, humor and style. We had him whether we know who he was or did not know, he was ours and we were his.
MJ’s talent was impressive no doubt. However, how can anyone ignore the fact that he was a pedafile? How can people be so insensitive and irresponsible? We decry pedafiles in our society, we have millions of child victims, but it’s okay cause we like this one’s music? Take the wool off your eyes- anyone who repeatedly lures small children into bed with him is a pedafile. This is SICK, TWISTED AND OFFENSIVE, and what’s worse is the American public ignores or forgets it? What’s next ? Shall we have a President that murdered a kid but he’s okay because he does good work too? Get a grip and find your morals people. Life’s complicated, turning a blind eye doesn’ make it okay.
Great response if you have read the court transcripts, examined the witnesses, sat in the jury room during the trial, followed the money trail and collated all the media reports – much of which is a plaigerised copy of someone elses unresearched gossip, as well as explore the commonalities that unite the original complainants. It takes intelligence to do all that though. Take the wool off YOUR eyes – people share beds with all aged others is many cultures and even western cultures in families that have limited means such as the 2 bedroom Gary home MJ grew up in with 9 siblings.
This is exactly how I feel! It encompasses the tragedy and blatant crucifiction he endured while alive. I wish everyone that ever scoffed at Michael Jackson or believed the nonsense that the media put out there,would read it. As far as I'm concerned, the man was a genius who stood for love and kindness, never relenting in his one goal, to help the children and hone his art. He gave millions to the sick and poor only for some to come and bite him on the ass and want more, exposing him to more anguish than anyone should have to endure.He was a beautiful, talented artist, dancer, performer, poet, writer, lover of children and animals, and an amazing father to his three kids..The world who believed anything bad about this man should research the true life of Michael Jackson and not believe the tabloids that took away his soul and sent him to heaven way too soon!
I couldn't have said that any better myself. Michael was not only one of the greatest entertainers in the world, he was also a man who continued to spread God's message of unconditional love and universal peace no matter what pain and anguish he endured in his lifetime. He was a fighter and no matter how hard people tried to destroy him, he never stopped fighting for what he believed in. I agree that everyone should read this article and take a huge step back and really look at themselves before this happens to another human being.
i can say that there were never a doubt in my mind that he was innocent i don't believe too many people can say that . i knew from the start that it was a witch hunt, i know people don't like to bring race in it but it played a part,having two son's that are black i have deal with that everyday in some way , being pull over for nothing , because you are driving a new car and you are a black man, ok michael made some change's to himself , so did many other celebraty , however because he was black and started looking white and own half of sony ,than he needed to be put in his place
I am appalled by the way the media collectively especially the US and the UK, simply ignored the facts and brainwashed the public with their obviously biased and unethical reporting on the Michael Jackson trial. The whole thing is sickening and the pure evil side of humanity just astonishes me. Is really human nature to be this malicious to someone who only wanted to bring joy to the world through his music and dance and his life long charitable work? Out of jealousy, out of envy and out of hatred? I really believe there are dark forces that want to silence those who speak of love, harmony, peace, and the world unity, which was pretty much the main theme of Michae Jackson's whole being. I still can't come to terms of MJ's untimely passing…The world seems much darker without his presence in it. I love you Michael Jackson, I always have and I always will…
Well written, Sandra, as usual.
I think you catch some really important points here. I've also been reflecting over how readily many journalists seem to throw all their moral and pride overboard and write whatever fabuluous stories come to their mind, just to sell papers… "Anything for money"! Even if it means breaking all ethic rules and abandoning your professionalism. How can it be allowed to happen? Just behold the outrage when a doctor (for example, Michael Jackson's doctor) does that. Not OK, right? One might argue that it's not the same, because doctors are responsible for the health and lives of people. Well… obviously, so is the media.
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What happened to innocent until proven guilty? Or, as you say, when did people stop using their own minds to draw their own conclusions? What happened to the benefit of the doubt?
It's human nature, as you say, and it's sometimes ugly. We're constructed to think that what is different might be dangerous. We're better at describing people's bad sides than their good sides. It's an explanation, but it's not an excuse. Luckily, there are other sides to human nature as well. Like reflection, and intelligence, and forgiveness, and love.
It's been almost a year since Michael Jackson passed and still, every day I feel I learn something from this man.
Thank you everyone.
I don't think it's possible to fully grasp just how much things were twisted in the press for the three months it took for the trial to finish, or to fully understand what a circus it really was. It was madness, bordering on absurd.
What is also very interesting, and something most people do not know, is the extreme measurements that District Attorney Tom Sneddon went to to not only get a case going, but make sure that it spiralled out of control. Not only did he have two grand jurys involved, he set up a separate section at the Santa Barbara Police Department web site specifically and actively looking for people that had been molested by Michael Jackson. He flew overseas on a whim, because there was a story floating aorund about an Australian boy that had allegedly been fondled by Jackson. The story turned out to be fictional, but this carried on for years and years.
When he finally found a family with a story to use, he made sure, once the trial started, that there would be as little support for Jackson as possible; allegedly warning owners of hostels and hotels in Santa Barbara that he would put them out of business if they housed any of the many Michael Jackson supporters that were flying in from all over the world. So not only did many end up without accomodation in or near the commniuty; the people of Santa Barbara weren't exactly text book examples of hospitality; throwing rocks at them, gathering otuside court to mock them, or telling them to leave.
Everything was very thoroughly and very systematically planned, and it brings us back to human nature and the question "why". Why Tom Sneddon was so hellbent on making sure that Michael Jackson go under, I do not know.
This is a man that is no stranger to corruption, and his condescending "be a good boy" to Chris Tucker during his testimony hardly speaks of professionalism. It was also discovered that Tom Sneddon attempted to obtain fingerprints from the accuser on a false piece of evidence, in order to frame Jackson. That a D.A has to manipulate evidence speaks volumes not only of the amount of corruption, but also of just how ludicrous a case this was, and how truly little evidence there was of anything inappropriate ever taking place.
Being a good boy – It speaks of an unconscious and thorough racism. Michael was a black man who earned billions, bought the Beatles catalogue with that money, then turned white and married Elvis's daughter. In the eyes of many he was way out of line and had to be destroyed. The media simply went along for the ride.
Holy cow you said everything i wish I had. WOW. love you…
THANK YOU!
God Bless You!!!
Thank you for your Story It is the truth I agree with everything you have written. I just wished I had written it myself I just hope that the one's that are responsible for Michael's death reads it Thanks again
I've always believed that he was innocent. He knew how to love and you could tell it was always real. but it just shows you about the world we live in now, even with the media, that evil gets praised more than the good that's left in this world. Sends out a bad message, and you don't see any other celebrity trying to do what Michael did for the world. Michael was devoted 1000%, no other celeb you see doing that.
What a beautiful and TRUE ARTICLE! Thankyou for writing this! It'll never be said enough.!!!
Like a saying one fan held outside the court room, I say this to Michael…"MICHAEL JACKSON, ON BEHALF OF HUMANKIND, WE ARE SORRY".
God will see to these Ignorant fools who have been slandering him with NO REASON
Thank you for the words of wisdom
Fantastic article. I will share with everyone. Thank you very much , Sandra. ;D
You put into words so many things that I believe as well. This brought me to tears…again. I have really been thinking about that, how after everything he went through, the betrayals, the witch hunt, the ..everything you said, Michael Jackson still could love the world and the people in it….it's mind boggling. I know I would not be so forgiving. What a wonderful example of how to be a good human being. Thank you so much for this article. I will also share it.
thank you Sandra. The unfortunate thing is there is so much evil and greed in this world and we can only hope that a few of these evil tabloid journalists will come to their senses and realise how much anguish and heartache they have brought not only to mj's family and fans but other people in the world as well.My only hope and prayer is to leave mj's children alone.His song tabloid junkie says it all. Thank you again sandra
Because of years of the media’s intentional biased reporting of Michael Jackson, I never knew what a kind-hearted person he was. His humanitarian acts–the large amount of personal fund he donated to various charities as well as the amounts he helped raise for various causes, were hardly reported. Instead we were given only the salacious, outrageous speculations and baseless innuendos. As a result, I missed out on this amazing artist and humanitarian while he was alive. It’s time Michael Jackson is vindicated in the media. Thank you Sandra, for your courage in reporting the truth while others are still engaged in sensationalism.
You're very welcome.
There was a time when I felt anger towards those that had disliked (or sometimes even hated) him while he was alive, only to "see the light" after his death. I've slowly realized, though, that although it is sad that Michael did not get to experience the massive outpour of love from the general public while he was still here…better late than never. If someone can look beyond the tabloids now and go: "hang on a minute, maybe I was wrong about this man", then that is all that matters.
Thank you Sandra for writing this. If only more people could see the truth. It makes my heart ache at what we humans are capable of doing to each other. I guess this is one of the many lessons that Michael has left behind for all of us.
Thanks for the article. It seems that society never recognized kind men when they were around. It's history repeated. Instead of seeing a kid's face they saw a monster. Some people need to check their eyes, IQ and common sense
Thank you Sandra! I wish every news organization, tabloid, medialoid, could see this. Everybody, don't forget to light a candle on June 25th. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plGXE24jaA0
merci pour mickael
Thank you very much , Sandra.Grate article!
This is what journalists and bloggers need to write about. This is how they need to approach the "topic" of Michael Jackson. Thank you for the positivity, Sandra. We all needed it.
Respect.
Anyone who repeatedly lures children into bed with humus a pedafile. This white washing campaign is sick, twisted and extremely offensive to victims of child crimes. Life’s complicated folks, stop trying to wash the darkness out of it and only see light. Like many great talents he was a twisted sick individual who vented the light in his soul, but also fell victim and made victims of his demons. This all positive eulogizin. Is irresponsible and appaling. I don’t see any of you jumping to glorify the pedafiles in your communities..would they be ok with you if they could write great music?
I agree with you; pedophilia is truly horrible. It is a truly heinous crime and should never be accepted. However, Michael Jackson was not one. To get some information on the case (other than what you have been reading online or told by the news), I recommend you watch the documentary "The untold story of Neverland" by Larry Nimmer. I would be happy to send it to you for free, with shipping done and paid for, if you are interested.
The court transcripts are also available online if you Google them. When looking a bit deeper into the case in question, and looking at the FACTS, with no pre-conceived notions, I think you will find that the media played you for a fool quite a bit regarding this.
I also recommend you read the books "Redemption: the truth behind the Michael Jackson child molestation allegations" by Geraldine Hughes, who was the legal secretary of the attorney representing the accuser, as well as "Michael Jackson Conspiracy" by Aphrodite Jones. These women were both personally present at and/or involved in the trial.
Anyone who repeatedly lures children into bed with him is a pedafile. This white washing campaign is sick, twisted and extremely offensive to victims of child crimes. Life’s complicated folks, stop trying to wash the darkness out of it and only see light. Like many great talents he was a twisted sick individual who vented the light in his soul, but also fell victim and made victims of his demons. This all-positive eulogizing Is irresponsible and appaling. I don’t see any of you jumping to glorify the pedafiles in your communities..would they be ok with you if they could write great music?
wow interesting site
please have a look at
what about mj – blog site
Very well written…the outpouring of love and grieving for Michael, even a year later, is no ordinary happening. I think a lot of people are still feeling so much sorrow inside. What happened to Michael was comparable to a constant battering, even an emotional stoning, and that's easy for anyone to see. It is the ultimate sad shame now. I just wish someone could have stopped the madness.
Mrs. Jackson, if you read these…thank you for your son. He was a Joy to this world. I am very sorry for your pain.
S Blevins comments do not surprise me.. Most of the public bought the caricature of MJ that the press shoveled down our throats. It was easy picking's for the majority of people who believe the "spin" that the talking heads would have us believe. If the press can demonize a man as gentle natured and God loving and fearing as Michael Jackson.. None of us are safe. History will contains these same lies and distortions as long as these so called 'journalists" refuse to tell the truth. Read the court transcripts and find out how T.Mesereau and his team.. discredited the state's witnesses and had most of them admit that they had perjured themselves. READ and LEARN instead of swallowing the distortions that the press would have you believe. Free press doesn't mean you can slander someone and get away with it.. Join MJJJusticeProject.. It's Time
I can't even understand what's going on in your head? Do you really believe that YOU could make a real difference with your poor writing? This text is terrible and Sandra… you're full of yourself! Who the hell do you think you are?
Only great souls endure great hardships. Michael was great and everything he did show it. Who has eyes to see, see …. God bless Michael and have mercy on those who persecuted, slandered, reviled, extorted, and killed …