Thread by @oblabeatles

Today is John Lennon's 80th birthday. It marks the fact that John has been dead as long as he lived. Sadly, however, his legacy is often tarnished by misinformation.

Here is a thread debunking that misinformation. Because he deserves his legacy and he deserves truth. #LENNON80

Before I start, I'd like to say that I am aware that John made a lot of mistakes. He did do some things that I will never justify but he also didn't hide away from those things. He is hated because he was honest. He never denied any of it.

I look up to him so much.

1) John Lennon was not a "wife beater".

This is a rumour that has been spread around as a result of miscommunication for years. John Lennon hit his first wife, Cynthia Powell, in the early days of their relationship at Art College.

Cynthia and John had been dating a few months when he slapped her. They were at a party and Cynthia had been dancing with one of John's friends, ignoring him. He got so angry that he slapped her across the face, making her hit her head against the wall. He instantly apologised.

John was not the best at conveying or controlling his emotions, and he had a lot of heartache and loss in his life. Cyn ended the relationship between them. John spent 3 months promising to never hit a woman again and she decided to forgive him. He never hit her again.

Yoko has said on multiple occasions that John never laid a finger on her. And, despite the rumours, I choose to believe her. She is always sincere about that fact and has reinforced it whenever she can in order to protect his memory and legacy.

John was vocal about his violence.

If you continue to stick with the narrative that "John was a wife beater" then you're not hearing what Cyn and Yoko are saying. Cyn has said that it was ONE MISTAKE and she is the only person whose voice should matter about this. Respect her words.

2) John Lennon did not "hate" Paul McCartney.

Paul McCartney and John Lennon were brothers. They fought like brothers. But, overall, they loved like brothers. Here's a thread that I made that shows just how much they meant to one another:

3) John Lennon was not racist.

John was raised in the north of England in the late 50's, which still had the remains of a sexist and racist culture. Despite society's perception of race, John's favourite artists and influences were black artists, Chuck Berry especially.

John Lennon, along with the rest of The Beatles, refused to play to segregated audiences on their American tours, which stirred controversy. But John didn't see any reason for it to because every person is human, no matter their race.

John and Yoko's song 'Woman is the N***er of the World' is part of the reason why he's labelled a racist. The message in the song was regarding the social issues and misogyny that women face. BUT no white person should EVER say the N slur. I like to think he would've apologised.

4) John Lennon was not homophobic.

John did not discriminate against the LGBT+ community. John Lennon has been known to say: "Why make it sad to be gay? Doing your thing is okay, our bodies our own." He was open about supporting gay rights.

John has also said that he believes all people are bisexual, or a little bisexual, by nature. Further to this, Yoko Ono has speculated that John Lennon was bisexual but, because John never stated so himself, I don't personally choose to label John as any sexuality.

John never discriminated against anybody who was homosexual, he may have teased Brian Epstein throughout their friendship but he was never cold towards him. There is a lot of speculation about John's relationship with Brian. And with Paul. And Elton.

Elton John has recently speculated that he and John did "naughty things" together. In British terminology, that can mean what you think it means. He states that they had a "whirlwind romance". Take from that what you will.

John's relationship with Paul was special. Paul McCartney has said that he viewed his and John's relationship as a "marriage". They were best friends and soulmates and the way they speak of one another is often viewed as romantic. Whatever it was, it was one of a kind.

5) John Lennon was NOT to blame for his parenting mistakes.

John, although seen as a bad father to Julian, tried his best to be a stay at home father for Sean. He quit making music and focused solely on Sean until 1980. John also tried to build a better relationship with Julian.

The world is not better off without him. John Lennon deserved to live until he was old. He deserved the chance to change his life and continue to spread peace and love through his music and his love of life. He has changed so many lives.

He should have been here for his 80th.

To reiterate, I'm not defending what he did. John did do a lot of questionable things and it's not for me to justify. I'm simply relaying facts. You have every right to hate him for his actions if you wish, but you can hate him without tarnishing his name with false information.

I miss John. I wasn't even born when he was alive but he has impacted my life in so many ways. He has taught me to always be honest. He has taught me that it is okay to make mistakes as long as you are honest and as long as you make a positive change.

John Lennon, thank you.

I. AM. NOT. JUSTIFYING. JOHN'S. ACTIONS.

I am simply sharing the information. Please remember to be respectful in the replies and let's not fight. It isn't worth it. This is a happy occasion. Peace and love! 🤍

Hitting someone even once is a terrible, terrible thing. But the way that people spin it is as though he was a terrible person that continued to abuse Cynthia. Nobody ever recognises the fact that he grew from that mistake and changed his attitude.

JOHN LENNON WAS HUMAN.