Innocence all along (A Tribute To The Legend... Michael Jackson)

Member Name: shaney99

Product:	A Tribute To The Legend... Michael Jackson
Date:	01/07/09 (39 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: My opinions on Michaels Innocence

Disadvantages: He's gone too soon.

Not alot i can say about Michael Jackson that isn't already known, his genuis still ever present in the music world today, inspiring decades of artists into wanting to perform in the first place, copying (or paynig homage) to his famous dance moves, ever present in some new videos today (Ne-Yo for example.)

The man changed the music world around him and as a result became one of the greatest performers, and entertainers in history.

What i want to spend this topic on is the people who can't appreciate the difficulties Michael faced, the difference in upbringing compared to your usual child, the innocence behind what seemed unsuitable behaviour around / with children.

Despite only tragically passing a few days ago, already there have been columnists who choose to instead of pass on condolences instead questions the mentality of a man who "kept a chimpanzee and shares his bed with children" or the ever popular Mick Hucknall coming out to make a quote yet using most of his time in the limelight to say he is closely acquinted with the Chandler family and so shan't say no more than his thought are with Michaels family and that if he speaks for too long he'll say stuff he'll regret, well Mick, best off would have been staying out of the papers altogether, we didnt want to hear you're useless input and certainly didnt want to see your less than pleasant mug splashed in there too.

Consider this, Britains Got Talent a young girl (10 if memory serves me well) cries and effectively has a tantrum on stage to get another go after messing up, the next day we're told children this age should not be put throughthe stresses of perfomring as they are too young, Michael (although a different era and less PC orientated) had already been performing for 4 - 5 years by the same age. Any chance of an ordinary childhood was lost, no time for going out and playing with friends, ding the stuff i and all of you reading this did as children, learning to grow and appreciatign the innocence of being young. Instead Michael was rehearsing spending his childhood in the spotlight, losing touch of reality already.

Yes he went on the reap the benefits of fame by creating a fortune and building a legacy, but we all remember just how precious our childhood is, how we can recall so much about the good and sometiems bad times but ultimately we have memories of what it was like to be carefree and not have a worry in the world. For Michael all he had memories of was performing, practising being in the spotlight. Friends we're then hard to come by as how can you make genuine friends when you're already famous and you have children now camping outside you're home wanting to be "friends". How lonely and isolated an upbringing must he have felt those years when he was still grownig but was well known with his brothers (7 - early teens) going out was made impossible, meeting people impossible for fear of not knowing if they are true friends or just wanting to meet him as a "fan".

Perhaps if people could understand and take the time to just imagine what a miserable and lonley childhood this must have been, they'd start to realise that perhaps he really was still a child at heart, wanting to be around children and partake in a stage of life that he never truly got to relish and embrace. All the signs are there that deep inside he really did mean no harm and was a truly misaken individual by some.

Neverland, immediately you now it's named after the magical land of Peter Pan, clearly already a sign of wanting to live the fantasy of pirates and childhood and flying. Inside Neverland we then had a playground / fairground rides, as with any child how excited did you get when the fair came to town, going on rides and having candyfloss etc. Michael never had this, never in a true calm ordinary setting at least, so hereby from the fortune his talent duly amassed he had the opportunity to purchase and build his own playground, another part of childhood being lived for the first time and brought to life.

Next his animals, again as a child i loved going to the zoo, seeing all this creatures you've heard of in books and seen on telly but actually now being able to see them up close was incredible. Michael as with the fair missed this, at least in a normal child setting environment, so again built his own (though his genuine love for animals was another reason). Bubbles again was perhaps more his love of animals, his position of wealth enabling him to have a pet chimpanzee (now not for all of us but we see shows of peolpe who have pet onkeys all the time yet aren't ridiculed about it half as much as Michael came to be).

Then finally onto the big stumbling point for some, his relationship with children. Ultimately the saddest thing about all that happened in his life, never having children to play with do everythign normal children do. I can appreciate that for an adult to be sharing a bed with childen, having children around alot fo teh time can sound incredibly inapproaprite, however i truly believe (in my opinion) that it was all purely innocence on Michaels part, he truly wanted to share with children a childhood lost, to see the happiness and the joy his ranch gave to those he shared it with.

Some people will say no excuse for an adult man to share hsi bed with children, you're right but this is no ordinary adult, this is an adult yearning for a childhood, i imagine that to Michael it was simply a sleepover with "friends". Something again lost to him due to his upbringing, i know i spent many a night sleeping top to toe at a friends, or camping out and 3 / 4 of us being in a tent, purely innocent and i truly believe this is all Michael intended, to have a sleepover.

If Michael was this predatory beast some facets of the media seem to want to suggest then surely there would have been more children coming forward to testify ( yes peolpe will say they were told to be quiet, paid not to tell, scared) or maybe that he only did it twice but if we consider for the Chandler case he settled out of court, what family if they're child had been molested would settle out of court as opposed to seeing the perpetrator punished ( yes it was a lot of money but i know i'd rather see punishment than a guilty person go free) i assume the Chandler family would have been the same. So im inclined to believe the story of Michael being so down aboutt he whole deable he just wanted it to eb gone and ultimately paid out of court to stop it, and indirectly making some people believe it was a claim of guilt almost.

Secondly we have Arvizo, well this time he was found NOT guilty by a court of law, clearly though again to some peolpe this does not matter as he is guilty to them anyway. Not only was he acquitted of all charges but it turned out afterwards Arvizo's mother was already implicated in her own trial soon after for fraud, ultimately proving she was a sneaky character.

Although she had her own problems arising from this discovery surely if the molestation really happened herself and her family would still be protesting that Jackson was guilty (something that stopped immediatly after the case) Take for example Stuart lubbock, his father Terry is still years after protesting that Barrymore had something to do with his son's death. Wouldnt the Arvizo family if telling the truth still be protesting that Michael was guilty of indecent exposure?


Granted this is my view on everything but it would be nice to thnk that hopefuly someone reading this who may not agree will see the points of view above and think we'll perhaps there is a chance he is innocent and had been all along. Some people will never change their opinion regardless of what is presented before them and for them i feel truly sorry, for not having the mental capacity to acept they were wrong and too quick to judge.

Michael you were a star, an icon and a legend, unfortunately i will never get to see you now after you're tragic passing but i shall be keeping my ticket i had for next month and cherishing it for life.

May you now have the carefree childhood you so sadly missed and craved for you're whole life

Sleep well Michael, You shall never be forgotten.

Summary: Open your mind and embrace a different viewpoint.