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I appreciate Ava speaking on this, just as I appreciate Craig’s thoughtful article, because it captures exactly the complexity and difficulty of talking about MJ today, especially in light of the documentary.
I haven’t seen the film yet, but I read all the court documents when they were released. The most striking part is what *no one* disputes: Michael Jackson did ply kids with gifts, pit them against each other for his time, & caused incredible stress & tension in their families.
It’s especially hard to discuss because MJ’s most ardent fans online are absurdly efficient at swarming people with their messaging. I saw this from the other side when I amplified their (correct) assertion that Sony’s first posthumous release included songs with faked MJ vocals.
That also gets to a broader issue with any such fraught story. MJ both was the victim of actual conspiracies & systematic racism in his life *and* spread deliberate misinformation about himself in order to get more attention. Both happened. Makes this discussion even harder.
Ultimately, the most charitable interpretation of MJ’s actions is he was wildly inappropriate with a number of different kids, in a way that caused enormous stress in their families, with a result of long-lingering damage. That’s the *best* case. The worst case is unconscionable.
I’m not sure where that leaves me, as a lifelong, extremely engaged Michael Jackson fan. I genuinely don’t have a clear conclusion except that I know that future generations will, rightly, have a far more complicated view of the legacy of one of the greatest pop artists ever.
