Found this great Twitter thread about how Michael Jackson was innocent

[EarthPainting]

When I was younger I never understood why juries kept saying he was innocent, but having read up about the trials, accusations and evidence, I would have done the same. Nothing seemed to hold up to scrutiny, and forged evidence appeared multiple times. They were clearly throwing everything at the wall, and hoped something would stick. Especially when you frame your evidence as paedophilic content, it's a perfectly normal reaction to not want to look into it yourself, and just trust the investigators at their word as an outsider. What's even more frustrating is that even after all of this, the paedophile label is still haunting his legacy.

 

[Spine Crawler]

I remember the day MJ got the verdict not guilty. It was an incredible day almost magical as I adored him for a decade or so more than any other artist. I really looked forward to his new tour but then the news hit me that he died due to a drug incident. Its incredibly tragic. Yet i am always thankful that he gave us his music.

 

[low-G]

What I find really odd is how his music sort of just disappeared after he died. You never hear it in movies or on tv or well....anywhere. New generations will come and go and not be exposed to him at all.

It's odd because Prince's estate has kept Prince very front and center since he died, you hear his music in movies and tv now.

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Immediately after he died there were some radio stations that exclusively played his music for a month. It still comes up frequently on some local radio stations ( the pop / "oldies" for office worker stations ).

I don't know about ad placement and stuff but I think if anything we're actually over saturated with MJ music. If you put it in a regular ad now it won't stand out as unique.

 

[Spine Crawler]

terrible. You see all of these denied allegations throughout pop culture history where the evidence clearly exists against the star... but here... the evidence NEVER existed... just lots of (false) claims with no proof... and he was never able to escape them. All because he was so emotionally damaged that he opened himself up to people (especially kids) looking to help them like he was never helped... which of course is an open invitation for people to exploit and harm him.

this world truly did not deserve him. Lucky we had him for as long as we did. one of the most talented entertainers of all time, on top of being one of the most compassionate individuals ever. thankfully the world has seemingly left his kids alone (though I imagine they go to some lengths to make that happen)

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Its not only his music. He was such a warm person. An incredibly smart businessman (he outsmarted sony and the beatles) but so warm towards the weak and the poor. And all of this while having a horrible childhood Unfortunately this cemented his image as being weird.

 

[uncelestial]

It's great to see people trusting an account named "MJJLegion" this blindly. In regards to the whole "he didn't even settle, it was all his insurance company!" claim, I'll leave an article here from someone obviously biased from the "MJ is guilty" side to balance it out a bit.

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It's a matter of public record that the insurance company paid; this came out during the 2005 trial. That site's conspiratorial tone is... Interesting. But let's go with Wikipedia, shall we?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1993_child_sexual_abuse_accusations_against_Michael_Jackson

Jackson's insurancecompany "negotiated and paid the settlement, over the protests of Mr. Jackson and his personal legal counsel" and was "the source of the settlement amounts"; as noted in a 2005 memorandum in People v. Jackson.[90] It also noted "an insurance carrier has the right to settle claims covered by insurance where it decides settlement is expedient and the insured may not interfere with nor prevent such settlements", as established by a number of precedents in California.[90] Defeating the right would involve convincing a court with the power to overrule the precedent that the earlier decision was either wrongly decided or more often, 'clearly' wrong (depending on the criteria of the court)[91] or the court must be convinced to distinguish the case.[92] That is, to make the ruling narrower than that in the precedent due to some difference in facts between the current and precedent case, while still supporting the result reached in the earlier case.[92]

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[Rodderick]

It's a matter of public record that the insurance company paid; this came out during the 2005 trial. That site's conspiratorial tone is... Interesting. But let's go with Wikipedia, shall we?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1993_child_sexual_abuse_accusations_against_Michael_Jackson

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The article goes over the memorandum and everything else that's in the Wikipedia page. Why would both MJ's and the kid's lawyers describe the same exact process of coming up with the amount the deemed adequate for compensation? None of them talked about the presence of representatives of an insurance company throughout the process.

 

[SweetVermouth]

In regards to the whole "he didn't even settle, it was all his insurance company!" claim

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So I guess if you were a parent you would sell your kids to Michael Jackson?

 

[uncelestial]

The article goes over the memorandum and everything else that's in the Wikipedia page. Why would both MJ's and the kid's lawyers describe the same exact process of coming up with the amount the deemed adequate for compensation? None of them talked about the presence of representatives of an insurance company throughout the process.

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What that article, which I am sad to say I have read, is -- is an attempt to claim non-involvement by the insurance company using conspiratorial interpretations of second hand accounts of conversations between lawyers. I'll go with what was submitted in court, given that if they were lying in the memo about the nature of the settlement they could have been disbarred.

It's all moot wrt MJ's innocence -- there was never any evidence regardless of who ultimately paid the bill. It's fine if you think Jackson's lawyers were lying in court, I just think that would've been rather reckless given that it's a minor point in the grand scheme of things. They produced the full text of the settlement in court minus the 8 pages that discussed payment arrangement -- saying they were lying about the nature of those 8 pages rises to the level of an extraordinary claim. And trying to divine such a thing by scrutinizing Johnnie Cochran quotes isn't really that impressive.

 

[gblues]

The ultimate proof of MJ's innocense is that exactly nobody came after his estate after he died. If he had actually molested anyone, they would've been coming forward. We'd have a hashtag, something. There was nothing. Because it wasn't true. It was never true.

 

[Vincent Alexander]

What I find really odd is how his music sort of just disappeared after he died. You never hear it in movies or on tv or well....anywhere. New generations will come and go and not be exposed to him at all.

It's odd because Prince's estate has kept Prince very front and center since he died, you hear his music in movies and tv now.

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I remember my boss' boss coming from California to visit our workplace for a week, and have meetings in our corperate building. I'd never met her before. We all went out for lunch to a new place and Michael Jackson was on the speakers quietly in background. Everyone was throwing out compliments about the food, decor, etc. So I say, "good music too." She drops her smile and glares at me: "I don't know if I would call it good they're playing music from a child molester."

Dead silence. My boss to my right pretends he doesn't hear. I finally say, "well, I like to separate the music from the artist." (Which I don't, but I can't tell her to go fuck herself.) She then gets a big smile and say, "I suppose that's fair." And lunch continues.

Holy shit, that was an awkward lunch.

 

[borghe]

What that article, which I am sad to say I have read, is -- is an attempt to claim non-involvement by the insurance company using conspiratorial interpretations of second hand accounts of conversations between lawyers. I'll go with what was submitted in court, given that if they were lying in the memo about the nature of the settlement they could have been disbarred.

It's all moot wrt MJ's innocence -- there was never any evidence regardless of who ultimately paid the bill.

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exactly, even if it WAS Jackson, it is nowhere outside the realm of possibility to believe that he STILL felt ok with them getting money, under the belief that it would ultimately go towards and help the kids.. he was naive/hopeful enough to look past shitty parents and STILL want what was best for the kids, even him getting screwed over in the process (i.e. see his relationships and contributions with kids continue even AFTER multiple false claims, claims that would have likely forced others to completely abandon such goals).

where the money came from has no bearing on his innocence.

The ultimate proof of MJ's innocense is that exactly nobody came after his estate after he died. If he had actually molested anyone, they would've been coming forward. We'd have a hashtag, something. There was nothing. Because it wasn't true. It was never true.

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or the lack of tell all books over 20 years after the last allegations. you'd think if it ever happened, at least ONE kid (now grown adult) would recognize the massive profit out there accounting his abused relationship by MJ. Especially in the current climate of metoo

 

[CatAssTrophy]

This thread has been enlightening. Thank you OP and others who contributed sources and info. Going to be digesting this throughout the day as someone who always assumed the worst and never did any research.

 

[Nerokis]

The Marc Maron podcast with macaulay culkin is a must listen. It removed from my mind any remaining shred of doubt that MJ had a bad bone in his body

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This segment of a 2004 interview he did with Larry King is worth watching, too:

 

[EndlessNever]

Just goes to show you at how truly evil the media can be and how powerful they are. What happened to him would destroy anyone.

 

[lmcfigs]

Man I feel so bad for MJ.

 

[Deleted member 16876]

The guy only wanted to live in peace.

Fuck the media.

 

[OléGunner]

MJ never deserved to go through any of this shit.
Still boils my blood he did.

 

[Deleted member 11093]

I remember my boss' boss coming from California to visit our workplace for a week, and have meetings in our corperate building. I'd never met her before. We all went out for lunch to a new place and Michael Jackson was on the speakers quietly in background. Everyone was throwing out compliments about the food, decor, etc. So I say, "good music too." She drops her smile and glares at me: "I don't know if I would call it good they're playing music from a child molester."

Dead silence. My boss to my right pretends he doesn't hear. I finally say, "well, I like to separate the music from the artist." (Which I don't, but I can't tell her to go fuck herself.) She then gets a big smile and say, "I suppose that's fair." And lunch continues.

Holy shit, that was an awkward lunch.

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Jesus I admire youd professionalism despite being a MJ fan who did his research, I'm known to be one of MJ's biggest fans around my family and friends circle and they know that I'd vehemently defend him at any chance I get, I remember getting into heated arguments with relatives about the allegations after he died, if my younger self were you I would've totally shat the bed.

But then again I stopped arguing with anyone about the allegations several years ago, came to peace with the fact that some people are just dead set on hating him no matter the facts.

I do like to think that 50-80 years from now, when all of those awful people who despised him eventually die, history will remember MJ for what he truly was.

 

[LakeEarth]

When I was younger I never understood why juries kept saying he was innocent, but having read up about the trials, accusations and evidence, I would have done the same. Nothing seemed to hold up to scrutiny, and forged evidence appeared multiple times. They were clearly throwing everything at the wall, and hoped something would stick. Especially when you frame your evidence as paedophilic content, it's a perfectly normal reaction to not want to look into it yourself, and just trust the investigators at their word as an outsider. What's even more frustrating is that even after all of this, the paedophile label is still haunting his legacy.

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Similar for me. I loved MJ as a kid, didn't want to believe the accusations, but being inundated constantly by the media made it too hard to be sure. But when that 2000s trial started, I decided to dig into the details and I was shocked by how flimsy the whole thing was. Then I looked into the first accusation, and saw how shady it was. It was a real eye-opener on the power of the media and the desire of humans to take someone down a peg.

 

[Stone Cold]

I agree that we don't know conclusively enough to give him a guilty charge, but I also think it's an equal stretch to declare him totally innocent. Even taking the allegations aside, he did some really bizarre shit with kids. Normal, healthy adults dont have sleepovers with children. He had an abusive childhood involving at least witnessing copious amounts of sex while he was in the Jackson 5, that's a big red flag for developing mental problems later in life.

 

[Dicer]

These videos might interest some folks in here...

 

[PHOENIXZERO]

After the abusive childhood that Pepsi commercial accident was pretty much put him down the route his life eventually ended at, fucking up someone further with image/self-esteem issues to his painkiller addiction. Pepsi was lucky he wasn't vindictive towards potentially being killed from it back then. I've been on the MJ thing for a long time and I think the fact that Jordan Chandler disowned his stepfather who he have a very volatile relationship with and his mother is pretty telling.

Imagine back then people used to BUY their fake news from tabloids in every supermarket checkout lane. (I know they still exist, but that market has died off a lot.)

Michael Jackson was born too early. He never had a childhood, so him trying to reclaim that in his adult life rubbed folks the wrong way back in the 90s. Whereas nowadays, adults are more comfortable than ever to act like kids and celebrity worship means R. Kelly still gets a pass.

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Well, their target audience is like 70 and up at this point, I look at the covers when I'm standing in line and just yesterday looking at one really hammered that home with a "what do your favorite child stars look like now?" or something like that where most if not all of them were from 50s/early-60s TV shows. Their days are numbered even more than other publications but unfortunately the internet is a thing.

 

[8byte]

Weird to come across this thread, someone just mentioned not listening to MJ about this, and when I told them a lot of the allegations were either false or sketchy at best, they shut down and stopped talking about it. Tweeted this thread to them and got no response. Some people just don't their perspectives toyed with, I guess.

 

[uncelestial]

Just found out in the Cosby thread that Charlemagne the God has been comparing Cosby's case to MJ's which makes me sick.

Weird to come across this thread, someone just mentioned not listening to MJ about this, and when I told them a lot of the allegations were either false or sketchy at best, they shut down and stopped talking about it. Tweeted this thread to them and got no response. Some people just don't their perspectives toyed with, I guess.

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Maybe it's seeping in. It sounds like you stunned them. Give them time.

 

[8byte]

Maybe it's seeping in. It sounds like you stunned them. Give them time.

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That's fair. I mean, I can totally understand having accepted something for literally decades, only having pieces of info, and then seeing a different perspective that strongly challenges what you've accepted.

Crazy to see people compare Cosby to this. I mean, Cosby admitted to drugging women, there's a gulf of difference between these two cases...chiefly evidence and admission of guilt.

 

[zychi]

Just found out in the Cosby thread that Charlemagne the God has been comparing Cosby's case to MJ's which makes me sick.

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Charlamagne is a POS troll. He talks so much shit about people he's never met and when they show up in his face, he shuts up, and then runs his mouth again once they leave. He's a shock jock that happens to be on a popular hip hop station in NY. He and his buddy lil Duval are bigots towards trans and lgbt people. I can't stand the dude.

 

[Paz]

Stories in this thread are soul destroying, the world tore this person down in ways I cannot imagine going through.