Michael Jackson is a Victim of Racism....Discuss

[mopaul]

Yesterday I saw Michael's parents being interviewed, and Joe Jackson said that there was something he just had to say, and his wife warned him, 'don't say it Joe, don't go there', but Joe went there. He said the whole trial is nothing more than a racist attack on his son.

Some will agree, others won't. I'd like to see this issue knocked around a bit, since it's going to be at the forefront of our media for months to come.

If possible, I'd like to see it discussed without bringing up O.J. Simpson. And I'd prefer not to be attacked as a racist for bringing it up. I didn't cause all this, I'm just discussing the issue that daddy Joe Jackson brought up.

[mdmc]

1. a rich black man...

If drugs won't bring him down, the MAN will....

[warrior1]

8. innocent until proven guilty

It doesn't look good for Mr. Jackson. From the information contained in the documents from the first victim, he's a pedophile. He needs to be stopped. The question will be getting a fair trial and will he be convicted and why did parents give their children to him, knowing that he had been accused before.

[opiate69]

54. Um.. yeah.. because, look at how the man brought down

Quincy Jones. :eyes:

[Djinn]

73. yeah

having non related young children sleeping in your bed REPEATEDLY may also bring about your downfall

whether he did it or not is for a jury to decide but if he's not a perv he's got some serious lessons to learn about boundaries.

[Freddie Stubbs]

105. Black man? He hasn't been black in a decade

That's why the African American community hasn't rallied to support him.

[GetTheRightVote]

2. Not only racism but due to his strangeness to many will make him quilty

They are going to work both angles in the court, I, myself, believe Micheal is innocent of these crimes but that there are evil people working against him to put him in prison but we will see, it is up to the judicial system and the jury.

:kick:

[jdj]

160. I'm disgusted if it's true that he gave the boy wine in Diet Coke

cans. That in itself is unforgivable, being that not only is the kid a minor but he has only one kidney because of the cancer. If he did this, I hope he rots. They've got two stewardesses ready to testify that they regularly poured wine in Diet Coke cans for Jackson as part of their job.

Here's a twist on the arguement...since most pervs that make it in to the media are middle aged white men, is it racist to argue that Jackson is not a child molester just because he doesn't fit the media profile because he is African American?

[vpigrad]

3. We haven't seen any evidence yet...

so anyone that already thinks he's guilty has exposed their real views on racism.

[killbotfactory]

11. Besides video tape of Jackson admitting to sleeping with children?

In his own bed? With him being the only adult around?

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/010605jackson.html

[vpigrad]

29. There's a big difference between...

sleeping in the same bed as a child and sexually abusing them! I've slept in the same bed many times with nieces and nephews, but I have never done anything inappropriate. I will admit that it is strange for him to do so, but it does not mean he is guilty.

[killbotfactory]

32. How about strangers kids?

Repeatedly?

With no other adult around?

[BikeWriter]

61. IMO, his sleeping with unrelated children is more than inappropriate!

It's freaking lunacy and aberrant behaviour.

[Djinn]

75. if you child

told you that a non relative insisted on sleeping in bed with him/her despite being in a large house with many bedrooms - would you feel uncomfortable with that at all?

the fact that after the last boy accused him he continued to do this and see nothing wrong in it rings bells for me, he no doubt beleives he is doing nothing wrong, it's amazing how many paedophiles honestly think that.

I think very few things in America are untouched by racial considertaions but Jackson would be in the same position if he weer white IMO

[mac56]

159. errrr...

a grown man getting his emotional needs met by sleeping with children is aberrant behavior.

[jdj]

161. You don't find it strange that he would continue to do so and admit

to doing so PUBLICLY even though he has almost been put away once before.

Think of it this way, any reasonable non-compulsive person would learn the first time and not come near to making this mistake again if they value their freedom and reputation.

The fact that Jackson has not modified his behavior in the least since the first time tells me that he CAN'T modify it, which is compulsive behavior...and also that he is sure he will be able to buy himself out of any situation his compulsion gets him into.

[CTLawGuy]

171. MJ did this with strangers' kids

and it's pretty damn strong circumstantial evidence. Granted it, by itself does not prove anything, but it raises a large red flag.

[southernleftylady]

13. why is that? if you assumed scott petterson was guilty before seeing proof

does that make you a racist too?
i think saying if you think he is guilty you are a racist is a stretch

[KarenS]

20. and those that think he is innocent, have no basis in fact.

I believe that the real victims in all of this are the children involved ~ if they were molested, that's terrible ~ if they weren't molested but told to say they were, that's terrible too.

Let's just say, I want to see/hear the evidence before I draw my conclusions.

Whatever happens this man needs to be educated,,,, sharing a bed with children is wrong and stating these actions on film is just a stupid thing to do,,,, White/Black/Brown/Green color has nothing to do with this!!!

[Psephos]

25. Maybe not on racism, but on unnatural interest in children n/t

[jdj]

162. People need to get over their p.c. ness and put the children first

here.

Racism isn't the issue here.

The issue is the safety of children.

[thinkingwoman]

49. so when I thought Scott Peterson was guilty

did that make me a reverse racist?

The idea that anyone who thinks Michael Jackson is a pedophile is racist is, well, stupid.

No need to sugar coat it.

I don't care what color he is. I care that he doesn't get to buy his way out of punishment this time.

[pnb]

131. OK...where's the racism in that comment?

Maybe right, maybe wrong, but where do you see racism?

[spunky]

164. Not neccesarily. They could have decided

his guilt based on the wierdness factor of everything about him, not based on his race. Not to mention that he has been accused before (and paid the family off, if he was so innocent and has so much faith in the judicial system, why not just take your day in court?)

Not that this is a better basis for determining guilt or innocence, I just don't think the term racist should be used lightly.

[Borgnine]

4. I don't agree.

For one, it's not like he doesn't open himself up for these types of accusations, what with inviting children over to sleep at his ranch.

Secondly, how many people really view him as a black man anymore? I know it sounds silly, but he's modified his skin to the point where I even forget he's the same Michael Jackson from the '70s and '80s.

[BiggJawn]

5. I dunno about that...

I think MAYBE his just general weird-assed-ness might be a mitigating factor.

But you raise an interesting point. Would he be under this much scrutiny if he were White? wouldn't they be sweeping it all under the rug still?

I dunno...

[FizzFuzz]

21. only if he were white and repuke

would they be sweeping it under a convenient rug.

White or anything else, and dem or liberal, and it would be goodbye, nice to know ya.

[hollywood926]

WHAT? Would he be under this much scrutiny if he were white? YES!

It's pedophilia! It's child abuse. If any famous person were accused of that, it would be a huge story...Brad Pitt, the Pope..anybody. It's not fucking RACE!

I wish people would realize how much damage they do when they claim everything under the sun is racism. It becomes a joke and real racism grows and grows.

[jagstang3]

177. ding ding ding!

We have a winner.

[hollywood926]

70. Dupe

[southernleftylady]

6. i dont think so...

maybe for being rich and strange but racism?? i dont think so

[DrWeird]

7. There certainly seems to be a lynch mob mentality.

With out hearing Joe Jackson's whole argument, it's hard to say.

[theboss]

38. Anything Joe Jackson says on this should be taken with a lot of scrutiny

Considering he and Michael apparently hate each other, and Joe may be the one who started any cycle of abuse in the first place.

[HideAndS]

44. that's for sure!

[Karenina]

119. BINGO!!!

LaToya did her best to pull back the curtain...

That Michael Jackson is a chicken hawk has been an open secret for DECADES. Who ya gonna believe? A sobbing domestic recounting what happened to her co-workers, all of whom assume you don't comprende or the "PRotection machine? I made my own decision on THAT question 23 YEARS ago.

[THUNDER HANDS]

146. Michael Jackson's a chicken hawk?

when did he join Bush's administration?

[Karenina]

152. Very OLD slang

for pedophile.

[TX-RAT]

157. Joe Jackson's whole argument,?

What, was he in bed with those kids too?
His testimony is useless.

[Anarcho-Socialist]

9. I don't believe that he's guilty of child molestation

I do think he is a freak and makes stupid decisions (especially about having kids around sleeping over) and I think it's his weirdness and inappropriateness that makes the media think that he's 'fair game'.

[ComerPerro]

50. While I don't really care or know much about this case,

I completely agree with your take on it.

[hollywood926]

72. So you think the children are liars?

And what about the porn mags with fingerprints of both Jackson AND the accuser? Coincidence, right? They both happened to be reading that porn mag that Jackson keeps in reach of the children - but at different times, right?

I get so tired of hearing "it's because he's weird" or "he never had a childhood." The man is almost 50 years old. He's had time for more than one childhood. We all have to give it up some time.

Pee Wee Herman is weird and was caught jerking off in a theater, yet he's never been accused of molesting a child. Neither had Fred Rogers. Neither had Captain Kangaroo. What about Donny Osmond, who had the same exact type of upbringing?

But oh wait - it's because he's RICH, right? Why hasn't Bill Gates been accused of raping kids? Oprah? Shaq? Michael Jordan?

The reason Michael Jackson continues to be accused of pedophilia is because he's a PEDOPHILE.

[ronnykmarshall]

163. Th, th, those magazines were PLANTED!!

Yeah, that's it.

[Dorian Gray]

178. This statement:

"The reason Michael Jackson continues to be accused of pedophilia is because he's a PEDOPHILE." sums it up for me.

Thanks, Hollywood.

MJ is getting the comeuppance that he's due.

[killbotfactory]

10. Actually it's the whole child molesting thing

When eccentric grown men let boys sleep in their own bed, and admit proudly of that fact, it raises red flags. It doesn't matter what race you are.

[ultraist]

18. It's not just a black and white issue

It's not a matter of: He's guilty so there is no racism or he's innocent so there is racism.

Consider the gray areas.

[killbotfactory]

28. I really think it's just because he's a wierdo with mental problems

sleeps with kids.

They went after Pee-Wee Herman, the guy who directed Powder, and some other white guy I don't remember, too. Only they didn't have the milions of dollars or worldwide reputation that Jackson has, so no one cared.

[ultraist]

35. Apples and oranges

Pee Wee Herman was caught jacking off in a theatre. There was no long term investigation and witch hunt.

I guess your're right though, the police office in California are not racist.

The white hoods were right, Rodney King got what he deserved.

[killbotfactory]

36. Pee Wee was arrested for child porn

Though I think the charges were dropped eventually.

[tishaLA]

56. Unfortunately, they were not dropped against Pee Wee

and it does a disservice to us all that he was convicted. Pee Wee--Paul Reubens--collected old gay pornography, which was most frequently "physique" magazines from the 40s-60s that had pictures of beefy men posing and flexing in skimpy swimsuits and, sometimes, nude. Reubens apparently bought these magazines in BULK because he was such a collector, but one of the lots he bought had some pictures of an underage guy in it--not significantly underage, but underage nonetheless.

It is entirely possible that Reubens never saw the pictures for which he was convicted and, if he did see them, that the underage model wouldn't have registered as underage. One thing is certain: Reubens was not a "pedophile" because, of the thousands of pictures he had, only three were transgressive. It was an overzealous DA in LA who started this and it has implications for all of us if we are worried about civil liberties.

Read the Village Voice piece about it and be scared: http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0303,goldstein,41194,1.html

[hollywood926]

74. No child has accused Pee Wee of anything.

I mean Paul Ruebens (?). Whatever his real name is.

Unfortunately, the internet has shown us that there are a LOT of men in this country with an attraction to little children. It's sick, but not quite the same as actually abusing a child.

[Djinn]

79. Apples and oranges

Rodney King was hog tied and beaten by four cops, Jackson has been arrested and afforded every legal right he's entitled to.

The California police demostrate a racist culture isn't surprising, they're hardly alone in that amongst institutions in the western world. That doesn't make EVERY single act of the force or individual police racist.

[fujiyama]

103. Yeah everyone is goin

after MJ cuz they're racist.

What race IS MJ? He certainly doesn't look black when I see him on TV or in the media.

He's a freak. He admitted on national television that he likes to sleep with little kids. That's not normal behavior by any stretch. That's pedaphelia. It's sick and those that prey upon children like that should be punished. He also apparently gave underage kids alcohol and watched porn with them.

I'll presume he's innocent until proven guilty, but he definetely has issues.

And jerking off in public physically harms no one else. It's a victimless crime. Possibly molesting children isn't victimless.

[Djinn]

77. eccentric grown men

who've, apparently, never had a normal adult relationship, he paid a woman to marry him and be a baby maker then paid her again to bugger off, had a publicity "marriage" with Lisa Marie Presley but not one normal ADULT sexual partner??

If he's not guilty he's sure got the history and attitude of a paed

[sendero]

12. So for the second or third time..

... a child has been "coached" to provide testimony?

Sorry, I don't buy it. There is plenty of racism in this country, that is undeniable, but the repeated instances of smoke around MJ and his inability to keep himself out of questionable situations leave me with little sympathy for him.

[ultraist]

14. Racism is most definitely involved

The police have been on his ass for years because he is a wealthy black man. I HIGHLY doubt, this much time and money would have been invested in tracking down a WHITE poor or middle class pedophile.

This does not mean he's not guilty. He very well may be and there is a lot of evidence being brought forth to indicate he is guilty. But how many average white molestors are out there going UNNOTICED?

The sharks smelled blood and are now having a feeding frenzy.

[killbotfactory]

17. Poor white pedophiles can't settle for millions of dollars

When children identify distinguishing marks their privates to police.

[ultraist]

22. THE POLICE are spending BIG BUCKS

to hunt him down. The civil lawsuits have nothing to do with how aggressively the police have been pursuing this for years.

[killbotfactory]

31. Because he flaunts his "affection" for kids

A mentally deranged man who sleeps with kids, alone, repeatedly, and unashamedly admits it.

[theboss]

39. I think the DA has had an agenda, but is that a bad thing?

If I knew there was a millionaire pedophile in your jurisdiction who got away from me once and then went on tv and admitted to sharing beds with children, I'd be pretty pissed.

You could say that the FBI was spending milions to bring down John Gotti too. It's not necessarily wrong.

[JVS]

96. The spent that money to get Gotti because they have it in for Italians

Sacco and Vanzetti were also victims of anti-Italian bigotry. Their persecution was based on that and not because of their Anarchism

[theboss]

127. And nothing changed in the 80 years between those events?

As an Italian-American, I find the idea that mob trials show some sort of Anti-Italian bigotry just laughable. I'm sure Guiliani was exercising his bigotry when he brought the Commission case.

[JVS]

172. I was being sarcastic, I should have indicated that.

I agree mob trials are not the product of bigotry.

Sacco and Vanzetti, might have been to some degree, but I really think that their politics was more of an issue

[LostinVA]

122. Spot on, Theboss

I think the prosecutors and DA DO have a vendetta against Jackson, but for the reasons you state. Jackson isn't in prison because he is RICH and a celebrity. If it was my dad or uncle, middle class white guys, their asses would have been thrown into prison, esp. if they were publicly saying it was normal and sweet for grown men to sleep with kids not their own.

There is a hell of alot of racism in this country, but not in this case. This is all about money, and how having it protects you.

[Djinn]

81. because cops tend to eb not too fond of kiddy molesters

I'm the last person to defend the coppers but like most people they really don't like child abusers, most of them have kids, it's close to home.

The last time it looked possible Jackson would have to face an accuser he paid him off - d'you think people might have felt annoyed then? people who'd SEEN and heard the evidence and beleive he was guilty, who now had to watch a (in their opinion) peadophile pay his way out punishment.

That may have had an effect on their enthusiasm.

BTW PLenty of black paedophiles are getting away with it too - the thing about it is that it tends to be a secretive crime, in this situation they had a very visible person, previously accused who was contunuing to display the same behaviour.

You would think as a man falsely accused you'd be somewhat reluctant to hang around non related children, and you CERTAINLY not think to sleep in the same bed with them, unless of course you were a head case who believed (like many pervs) that you'er not doing anything wrong.

[misanthrope]

26. If anything...

...his wealth has afforded him insulation.

[TryingToWarnYou]

Dumbest statement of the day award

How do you explain all the other rich black men that dont have run-ins with the law?

As for your other assertions, if you do the research, you will find that most pedophiles are white.

[BikeWriter]

91. So they're supposed to ignore the charges because he's black? n/t

[Kerrytravelers]

129. How many child molesters of any race go around unnoticed?

Child molestation is the most underreported crime.

While I am no far of police, I highly doubt they all gather together and say "There is a rich black man. We better get him." Most cops actually go after criminals. And when children are involved, all people tend to be more determined to stop the perpertrator.

When race is an issue, I'll be the first to listen. But just because the accussed is a minority does not automatically mean race is a factor.

[tinrobot]

15. Maybe it's because he got kids drunk and showed them porn?

Could it be as simple as that? That sort of activity is against the law regardless of your race.

I find it quite interesting that Michael has spent 25 years in a plastic surgeon's office in a gradual attempt to erase his racial identity. Only when he's in serious trouble does he become 'black' again.

[givemebackmycountry]

16. I disagree...

This slime sold about a zillion albums back in the day.
No one was racist back then were they?

Everywhere he goes, he's mobbed by tens of thousands of adoring fans, screaming and fainting, just at the mere sight of him.

I don't think it was racism that caused his current problems.

I think it's the fact that old Joe Jackson beat the shit out of him as a kid, and now he's a sick, sad, pervert who finds nothing wrong with getting naked with young boys in his bed.

Mopaul...it may get that way, and it probably will, once they roll out the evidence that they have. And sadly, you are right that we will be bombarded with this crap for months, endlessly it will seem.

(In the meantime they will be backing up the trucks to the Treasury building, stealing us blind, while we breathlessly wait for the next "Jacko" update.)

He's a victim of his own sickness, his own desires, that are just a little too "eccentric" for most of us.

[JohnLocke]

19. Give me a break

:eyes:

[mopaul]

23. You've never even met me, how do you know I'm an idiot?

name calling? i asked for an adult discussion is all.

[ultraist]

27. Who is an idiot and why?

Anyone who thinks that the CA police departments are VOID of racism is in denial.

I happen to think he is guilty but I also realize the fact that thousands of white unknown pedophiles are NOT pursued with this vigor.

Believe racism doesn't exist if you wish. I beg to differ.

[JohnLocke]

33. Where have I said that?

I know damn well that racism exists in California police departments. It exists down here in Florida too, in my own county's police department. I never said it wasn't.

[ultraist]

41. If racism exists in the police dept

then it IS a factor in this case.

It doesn't matter if he is guilty or not, even the guilty deserve a fair trial. Crooked police work and overly aggressive pursuits fueled by racism, to find someone guilty does not make for a fair trial.

I would not go so far as to say, this trial is only "a racist attack" because there are a lot of other factors at work: he is a freakazoid high profile celebrity, he publicly announced boys sleep in his bed, he is a prime target for people to make accusations and sue due to his wealth and lifestyle...

Point being, there are a lot of variables to factor in and racism is one valid variable.

[Djinn]

82. I feel more for the kids

because people will ALWAYS suspect they were lying to get their hands on money, like you do. Jackson's camp have a PR machine, the kids don't.

[tinrobot]

111. They do have it in for him... because he's rich.

Sure they're out to get him -- not because he's black, but because he paid off the parents of the last kid who tried to nail him as a pedophile. Michael's millions got him off the hook and police don't like seeing criminals go free - particularly child molesters.

This time Michael's money isn't working and the same detectives who tried to nail him 10 years ago now smell blood in the water.

[baldguy]

24. What do you say about a black man who wants to be a white boy?

And who's rich enough to make it happen?

[mojaverose]

30. Jackson The Kid

I personally think that Michael Jackson is exactly what he says he is; a person who never had a childhood and is trying to create one for himself - complete with Sleepovers, Toys and Games. If he were 10 years old nobody would see anything wrong with it. However, because he's 45 people are holding him to an adult standard that he doesn't understand.
I have slept in the same bed with children. So, probably, have most people.If no sexual activity took place, and they simply slept, I say "What's your problem?" And, let's face it, people Do have motivation for accussing him. When he says that he is a victim, I believe that He believes it. It might even be true.
If the D.A. can prove that anything untoward happened; if the reports of spiked soda can be proved, then That moves it into a different area.
I don't see how Racism plays a part here. But that doesn't mean that the race card won't be played. Frankly, it disgusts me that rich people who are obviously guilty start on that thing. Ordinary Black people may, indeed, be the victims of racism, but very few black people are in the same situation as multi-millionaires, adored by the public.
Do I think he did it? Not sure. Maybe. Do I think the race card will be played? Oh, yeah. But I Do think that, no matter the outcome of the trial, he Should get some help. Normal 45 year olds don't behave like he does.

[Djinn]

83. would you share a child's bed

if you'd already been accused of molestation? would you do it if you lived in a mansion with plenty of bedrooms?

[philosophie_en_rose]

108. Why not play with his own kids?

Why cloister his children in burkas and plastic masks? Why not have a "normal" childhood with the children that belong to him? If normalcy and being a Peter Pan figure are his motivations - why is he isolating his children from having the childhood he allegedly misses?

[theboss]

34. Can a rich white women be a victim of racism?

I don't know how many people view Michael Jackson as a black man at this point. He's pretty much just a "freak" at this point, isn't he?

[2Design]

37. which race? he seems to be trying to be white - why? so is it

racist on whites or racist on blacks - don't know which race he is to represent

[DulceDecorum]

53. In Mississippi

he is black,
because they look at your parentage.

In South Africa,
he would be white because they match you up with a paint chip.
Under apartheid, albino children were all legally white.

I always wanted to get a bunch of KKK
and a bunch of Afrikanners
into a well-equipped arsenal
and then mention that fact before locking the bullet proof door.
And I think I could have gotten off the ensuing mass murder charge.

But I digress.
Back to Michael Jackson.....

[mattclearing]

40. I don't know. Michael seems to keep bringing this back on himself.

There are some things that he just can't explain away.

The media haven't been kind to him, and I'm not sure if he deserves all the negative publicity, but it's hard to care about the music when there's so little of it and so much controversy.

I think if a megastar white person was accused of what Michael was accused of and said and did the things Michael said and did in defense of himself and acted the way Michael acted, they'd still be strung up by the media.

If anything, I think it's more gay-bashing than anything else...it's easy to beat an effeminate man like a pinata, and most tabloid media go out of their way to paint any relationship Michael has with a female as unbelievable and a sham to make up for (fill in the blank, usually pedophilia).

[Hippo_Tron]

42. MAYBE, But I still think he's guilty

By victim of racism, I mean that he might possibly not get a fair trial.

[HideAndS]

43. Which race??

He was born black and spent most of his life trying to become a white woman!!Child molesters come in all colors!

[Behind the Aegis]

45. more a victim of homophobia

Racism MAY play a part in it, we shall see. However, the fact that NONE of the victims are female will play more heavily in the minds of Jurors. Nothing is worse than a man molesting boys. Look at the current media and how it is acceptable for men to comment on teeny pop stars and no one raises an eyebrow, but let someone comment about the attractiveness of a male teeny bopper and people lose their damn minds. Racism may play a part, but people's hatred for gays will cause him MORE problems!

[gizmo1979]

46. He is alittle off don't you think?

If he didn't have money he would have been committed long ago.

[autorank]

47. Oh, right ... and opposing Condi is racist too! Bull Shit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The jury has to presume innocence. As someone with an IQ above 75 and some background on this situation, it is abundantly clear that this fine fellow is a deviant of the first order and one with whom no child should be left behind. If anyone out there has ANY questions about this, you are smoking some really good stuff. The people around Jackson, Jackson himself, and most importantly the parents of children who are sacrificed at the alter of his perversion are all disgusting. People who enable them are as well.

[mark414]

175. so the jury has to presume innocence

but apparently you don't

nicely done

[Vinca]

48. Did Joe happen to explain the connection between racism

and the pornography seized which reportedly has Michael's fingerprints and the victim's fingerprints on it? There's plenty of racism in the world, but it doesn't happen to involve Michael Jackson and his affinity for little kids. How would the black community react if this was a white superstar with a little African-American kid? The race doesn't matter, the kid does.

[autorank]

57. OMG, You are SO Welcome to DU!!!!!

[Tomee450]

84. I didn't know

there had been a trial. Those leaks have not been examined in court. So now we no longer need trials. All we need today to convict someone are accusations that have not been proven? Porn is a million dollar industry. So now all of those millions of people who rent adult videos and buy girlie magazines are to be suspected of being perverts? And what if one of those adults forgets to hide a girlie magazine and one of his children picks it up leaving a fingerprint. That adult can now be considered a likely child molester? I still subscribe to the idea that someone is innocent until proved guilty. The accused should be tried in a court of law, not in the media. I wonder why there are so many leaks if this case is so airtight. Seems like an attempt to influence the jury before the trial begins.

[davsand]

51. It's juicy news because he's a rich black guy.

The fact that he's been an international pop icon has NOTHING to do with this either... ::sarcasm off::

Look, he's not particularly likable, nor is what he's accused of especially forgivable. This is gonna get big play in the media and they are gonna give us all the lurid details just because they can.

----

Now, as for my opinion of Mr. Jackson:

He's weird as hell and looks like a freak because he's chosen to have multiple plastic surgeries. He's admitted publicly to some stuff that makes a lot of people go "EW!" and he's been accused before of this SAME thing. (If nothing else he's dumber than shit to get into this position after the FIRST time, if you really want my opinion.)

Is there an element of racism in what I say? I dunno--I expect I'd call him a mess no matter what color he is.

Is he guilty of this particular charge? I have no idea. The trial is supposed to establish that, not the media. Right now, all we know is what the media has reported, and it isn't enough yet to convict.


Laura

[Arkana]

52. Michael Jackson? A victim of racism?

I don't think that even entered into the equation. Nor do I believe he really molested those kids. The problem, however, is that he is SO goddamn strange and he does SO much freaking weird shit with little kids that he is the perfect target. Someone needed to tell him, "Michael, you gotta cut this shit out. It looks weird to other people."

[maveric]

55. "Jesus Juice" was a phrase made up to further demonize Jackson

in the eyes of potential white Xtian jurors.
Just sounds too far out for me.

[autorank]

58. The guy's guilty, period, end of story. Wake up and smell the coffee.

[philosophie_en_rose]

59. Investigating child abuse isn't racist.

Michael Jackson is clearly the victim of racist stereotyping, most notably for his strange appearance. His plastic surgery choices have made him look very unlike his family. To be blunt, he looks like a white woman and he's done it on purpose. Is it racist to criticize that? Maybe. Judging his "blackness" on his appearance surely is.

However, investigating child molestation has nothing to do with that.

[BikeWriter]

60. Michael Jackson is black? n/t

[Used and Abused]

62. Stop with the white woman comments

For whatever reasons, the guy's skin is now bleached. From what I heard, it was due to a skin disease called vitiligo. In his attempt to get skin all the same color he had to make it all as light as the lightest vitiligo splotch.

I really don't see how his skin complexion is related to this issue. Point blank, if you're black and famous, you will be considered guilty until --well, seems to me that regardless of what the trial outcome is, a black male in America will always be viewed as guilty. That's clearly evident in the media as well as on DU.

[hollywood926]

68. And his nose?

He made his nose into a "white" nose because of what disease? Wanting to be a white woman disease?

Please. Like most pedophiles, Michael Jackson is full of excuses for every hideous thing he does - to himself, to his children and to other people's children.

Such a shame you can get away with anything in this country if you are rich.

[2Design]

90. untrue - lots of black actors and actresses are well respected

and have been for years -
Sidney portier was first
bill cosby
will smith
can't remember all the names
the comedian who was in disney haunted house is a great actor
the comedian who was part of the rat pack

arthur ashe
oprah winfrey
Carol Moseley-Braun

just to name a few famous and mostly respected people

[LostinVA]

123. He doesn't have that skin disorder

I know several people who do, and all of them said the same thing: their dermatologists ALL said You CAN'T make skin look all the same color, no matter what you do or how much money you have. Jackson said he had this disorder in his interview with Oprah over ten years ago, when his skin still looked "black." Now, a decade later, look at him. Anyone who knows anyone with this disorder knows there's no way this is true.

Does this make him a pedophile? No. But he has a history of not telling the truth about things, and living in his own fantasy world.

Johnnie Cochrane himself, who was Jackson's lawyer the first time, said he told Jackson to stay away from children not his own... and admitted on national TV that what's happened doesn't look good. Johnnie Cochrane is not racist.

[mopaul]

124. I've never believed the skin disorder crap

he also said he'd NEVER had plastic surgery. sometimes he lies.

[ronnykmarshall]

166. Sometimes?

Remember when he was first arrested and all that crap about his "mistreatment" in the jail?

His shoulder was "dislocated" yet he walks out of the jail and raises his arm and flashes a "V" with one hand and waves with the other.

But that was a "triumph over the pain" as Jermaine Jackson said on the TV.

Thank god the judge ordered a gag order.

[thecorster]

63. Michael Jackson is a victim of

his own weirdness. He has the right to a fair trial, but he's still a nutjob.

[Stirk]

64. I have no idea whether or not Jackson molested children.

But I definitely think the man has some mental problems. His behavior in that series- the one where he admitted to sleeping in the same bed with children- was very strange. His denial that he'd even had plastic surgery, for instance. He seems like a man completely divorced from reality.

A man like that might sleep in the same bed with children and never think it was odd at all, much less molest them. He could be guilty of nothing more than eccentricity.

[Nikia]

65. Americans tend to think that his behavior with children is suspect

Nothing sexual might have happened but most people think that his interest with and sleeping with boys is suspect. Parents are told to look out for his type of behavior in teachers, coaches, youth leaders, and other adults in children's lives especially single men (Can't remember if he is married, but I think that I remember that he didn't really live much with his wife) and to discourage this so their children don't become victims of sex abuse. Most adults accused of sex abuse, but found innocent or have charges dropped, have the sense to distance themselves a bit from children to prevent these accusations from happening again.

[Tomee450]

87. I agree with you.

My problem with Michael and the people around him is that they did not use common sense. I don't believe Jackson is a child molester, just a very strange person. When he settled the first case, he should have decided never to be alone with any children except his own. I'm afraid he brought all of this upon himself.

[LisaL]

95. I don't think he is just a very strange person.

I don't think his interest in young boys is natural. I think it all fits. If he was just some regular guy living down the street, and constantly invited young boys into his house, and woul sleep in the same bed with young boys, I think people would have gotten a clue a lot sooner.

[WillowTree]

66. Michael Jackson...

....is a victim of his own terminal strangeness. Period. About 99.999% of any other problems he might have are the direct result of that.

I don't know if he's guilty or not. Innocent until proven and all of that, and I haven't heard the evidence of the specific charges that are being prosecuted. Nonetheless, the man is just so horrifically weird that I can't imagine any parent with a single functioning brain cell leaving her/his child alone with him. Hell, I'm 55 years old and I wouldn't want to be left alone with him.

[Geek_Girl]

67. Regardless of whether he is guilty or not

He has admitted to bringing children into his home and sleeping with them in his bed. These children are not his and they tend to be children from lower class families. Which is very irresponsible since he has been accused of child molestation in the past.

Now he may not be using these children for sex, maybe he is trying to relive his child hood through them, but he is using them and that is exploitation.

[Undercover Owl]

69. Jacko is a victim of reverse-child-abuse

He is a victim of sexual abuse by those young boys, because Michael Jackson is really just a kid at heart.

</end sarcasm>

[AnnInLa]

71. I resent the whole topic being framed as

....if you think Jacko is a Whacko and pediphile, then you are automatically a racist.

WTF does one thing have to do with another....and why would "the Man" try to bring down Jackson instead of someone else. Jackson is totally innocent and a wonderful human being, so "the Man" decides to take him down....how tin foil hat.

"Don't go there Joe"....an obvious attempt to play the race card. Why do we even get sucked into responding to posts like these?

[ultraist]

89. Who framed the arguement that way?

I noted that I think he is guilty and there are numerous variables that should be factored in to why he has been charged with child sexual abuse including racism:

*He's a freakozoid high profile celebrity who publicly stated he has boys sleep in his bed
*He's a wealthy black male being investigated by a racist police department in a community and society where racism permeates our institutions and THOUGHT PROCESSES, as evident by some of the posts here.
*Children have disclosed that he abused them
*He's a prime target to get sued to due to his wealth and reckless public comments
*Bizarre behaviors and personality traits that may indicate he is a molestor
*Other variables

To reidterate, I think he probably is guilty but to ignore the factor that racism exists and is a factor in how this is playing out, is to deny racism exists. How you can say it exists, but not in a case where a wealthy black man is being charged?

Does it so happen that none of the police investigating this and that have been on this for years are racist or that EVERYONE involved is so evolved and enlightened they are not racist in the least? DOUBT IT.

I think that is way of reality to assume that racism is not a factor here, however small a factor it may be, it is a factor.

[MrSlayer]

76. No Joe, it's because he molested children.

This has nothing to do with racism. If George Clooney was keeping the company of minors, giving them alcohol, showing them porn in his bedroom and then diddling them you can bet his ass would be hauled in front of the judge as well. This is not the first accusation against Jackson and he's paid hush money before. Crying racism here is an insult to and does nothing but weaken legitimate cases of racial discrimination.

[hollywood926]

78. I saw this...did you hear what Joe said about Jews?

He said why can't Michael get plastic surgery - Jews do it all the time. Or something to that effect. The interview was just....ugh.

Watching those two monstrous excuses for human beings really explained a lot about how poor Michael became such a sad freak. It's no wonder he has no self esteem and feels romantic love only for children.

[ronnykmarshall]

167. His father is also a homophobe

right before this new cause was brought up, Joe Jackson was talking about how he hates gays.

[Cleita]

80. How can it be about racism when Jackson has essentially

become a white person? The whole Jackson family has had surgery so they don't look so African American. Didn't they say the same thing with O. J., a person who married a white woman, lived in a rich white neighborhood and whose friends were all white people? I think racism doesn't really apply to the rich and famous no matter what their roots are.

[NC_Nurse]

85. I don't know

I think we should let the court decide. I mean, he's weird, he's messed up his appearance...and I'm sorry, nobody I've ever seen with vitiligo looked AT ALL like him. Still, I have not seen the evidence and I will wait to see the verdict of the jury and the evidence presented.

Yeah, he's a freak...I still believe in innocent until PROVEN guilty.

And frankly, I think any parent who would leave their child at Neverland unsupervised is an idiot. Period.

[Cleita]

86. Since Santa Maria is about fifty percent Hispanic,

his jury will probably be racially mixed.

[LisaL]

88. Some of those children were orphans.

There were bus loads of under privileged children delivered into Neverland. Some of these children had no parents or their parents had their parental rights terminated.
Seriously, bus loads of kids. It's all in the Bashir's documentary. Not that he would take them all to sleep with him, but those kids were certainly the least protected members of society and somebody bright would send them to Neverland in a bus.

[ultraist]

92. There's no question in my mind, the dude is very strange

But that doesn't negate all of the other factors involved.

[mitchum]

93. Joe plays race card while Michael prefers Go Fish and Old Maids

[dsc]

94. Even if he is to some extent

He is hardly some innocent, random victim. It is clear that either A) he is someone who has literally no clue what is and isn't appropriate behavior in regards to children or B) a child molester. In either case, the police should be targetting him.

[jazzjunkysue]

97. Michael Jackson's black? She is? Damn.

[tralfaz]

98. "Michael Jackson is a Victim of Racism....Discuss"

Michael Jackson's worst enemy is Michael Jackson. I have an eight-year-old son and I don't know what I would do to Mr. Jackson if my son were involved. I also have to say that the parents of the children should also be punished. Why would any sane person let a child spend the night at an adult's house when the parents know nothing about the adult other than what a great entertainer he is?

[FM Arouet666]

99. Doubt it.....

The final card to be played would be the race card. Probably just frustration on the part of Jackson senior. How are the charges of racism supported? M. Jackson was once a black man, true, but you can account for the zealous prosecution without the specter of racism. A rich, high profile defendant accused of a heinous crime, a crime against children. In the mind of the police and prosecutors, there is no down side to aggressively pursuing prosecution.

Any high profile person accused of child molestation would be aggressively pursued. The police, prosecutors, reporters treat the whole affair as a feeding frenzy. Make a name for themselves, fame and fortune. Is a portion of the animosity fueled by racism. I don't know. But I doubt that this is the prime motivating factor.

[Siyahamba]

100. He performed at Clinton's inaugural and at a Democratic GOTV rally

And he's being punished like another Democratic supporter - Martha Stewart - while Enron and Worldcom executives walk.

[tralfaz]

101. not really...

He is going to trial because he likes to sleep with little boys not because he is a Democrat. For once, let us not make this into an us versus the right wing thing. If he did it then he should be punished and I don't care if he is Dennis freaking Miller or Michael damn Jackson. HE SHOULD BE PUNISHED IF HE IS FOUND GUILTY!

[Siyahamba]

102. Yes, he should be punished if he's found guilty.

But first let there be a fair trial. The District Attorney looks so damn happy about it - no way to act in such a serious situation.

[tralfaz]

106. I agree

He has to be found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt by a jury of his peers. The one thing that I don’t want to happen is for racism to come into decision from either side. Either he is innocent or guilty. I could care less what color he is.

[skippythwndrdog]

104. No, Michael Jackson is a damned pervert.

He deserves execution for the pain he has put those children through.

[tralfaz]

107. I hope

that you were trying to be sarcastic because you seem ready to punish him for something that we are not sure that he did.

[skippythwndrdog]

109. Should have been more clear.

If convicted, he deserves execution. Too bad that the law does not provide for that. Child molesters, rapists, and murderers deserve the gallows.

[tralfaz]

110. to that

I agree. There is no love lost for a child rapist even behind prison walls.

[Kerrytravelers]

114. Sometimes race actually has nothing to do with a situation.

There have been many times in my years teaching that I had to make a CPS (Child Protective Sevices) call regarding abuse of my students. I really didn't take a head count of the race, but being that I teach in a mainly Black area, the odds are I have, per %, called on more Black parents.

Some people don't sit around and judge every issue based on race. Some things surpass race. I happen to think MJ is one of those.

Now, if we were discussing the high % of Black men and women in prison and the lack of funding in education, then we would have a discussion on race as a factor.

[tinrobot]

112. What parent would let their child near that man?

I mean, come on... Michael Jackson's "problems" are not a state secret.

I don't think any parent in their right mind would let their kids visit Neverland. Those that did certainly have some serious explaining to do.

[tralfaz]

113. I agree

What kind of parent would do that, especially with his track record.

[Kerrytravelers]

115. Some people refuse to accept that he may be guilty...

and with accusations like that hanging over his head, I certainly wouldn't let my kids anywhere near that guy.

In any other situation people would never let there kids near him. If he were the single, lonly man living by himself with an odd interest in children, would you let your kids near him, black, white, yellow, green purple? I hardly think so. It's only because he is a celeberity that people let their kids near him.

Is he innocent? I don't know. But with accusations like that, he needs to stay away from kids. Period.

[tralfaz]

116. Lets face it

If he weren’t Michael Jackson and didn’t have millions upon millions of dollars then he would already be in jail because of his odd interest in children.

[killbotfactory]

118. A lot of people think he's innocent apparently

Eccentric millionaire wierdo's, who live on secretive ranches designed to appeal to children, who unashamedly sleep with children and buy off accusers doesn't raise any red flags with them for some reason.

[JohnnyCougar]

117. Someone should just take him out back and shoot him.

This is the same guy who dangled a 3-year old baby over a balcony on camera. He should have been locked up for that. The evidence that this guy is permanently scarring children is stunning. Even if he only slept with children in the same bed, if that was my kid, I would have shot him already.

[Spider Jerusalem]

120. No, he's a victim of his own image and eccentricities.

This has NOTHING to do with him being black; it has EVERYTHING to do with the fact that he is, by the standards of our society, a profoundly strange and probably deeply disturbed individual who has a track record of engaging in highly questionable and inappropriate relationships with very young children.

Anyone who says he's a victim of racism is either blind, stupid, or utterly paranoid on the subject.

If it were NOT MIchael Jackson, but Bob Dylan, with the same questionable history re children, the same oddity, etc., would you say that one was justified in suspicion that there just might be a flame under all that smoke, or would you put it down to an attack on Dylan based on the fact that he's Jewish? This is just ridiculous, sorry.

[superconnected]

121. my opinion is he is a pedophile and it has nothing to do with racism

or money.

There are plenty of rich stars out there - black and white, and I don't see them getting accused constantly, (by children who discuss him touching them down there), like MJ does. Black Sports stars don't seem to have this problem, neither do other black actors, and music and rap stars.

If he were not rich, I believe he'd have been in prison a decade ago.

For now I see the "he's black and rich" dialog as only playing the racism card to save a favorite singer who is a pedophile.

[Raised_In_The_Wild]

125. I don't think it's racist, I think it's money grubbing

but since I do not have any evidence or testimony it's really hard for me to know. What distrubs me about the Jackson story is how the media whores try everybody in the press before the trial. You will even see polls everywhere, asking, "do you think Michael is guilty"? How the hell would we know? Where we there? Did we hear any sworn testimony? On the surface, it looks like the "victim's" Mommy just wants some of the Jackson fortune...why did she allow her child to sleep over at a grown man's house? Why does the boy's father say she is lying and the boy told him nothing ever happened? If the victim was abused by Jackson, the parents must bear a large part of the responsiblity. I raised 3 children, and never considered letting them go play overnight (or at all) with 45 year old men.

[superconnected]

138. okay, if it was your neighbor

and you had a 6yo, how would you feel about him sleeping with your kid?

[Raised_In_The_Wild]

148. Of course, I would not allow it, unless I was hoping to make a fortune

on a lawsuit later, and willing to sacrifice my child for the chance to do so.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

126. i disagree Jackson is a victim of Corporatism NOT racism.......

the reason being: because he owns all of the Beatles, Elvis and many other HUGE stars music,movies,lyrics and they want control of it....they have to ask michael for the rights to use any lyrics or music for advisements ....and Michael ain't playing ball........think about it even Sony is backing this attack against Jackson

[theboss]

130. He's also bankrupt

He's going to lose all those music catalogues because he is in so much debt. But that's what happens when you decide to build a personal Disneyland.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

132. that's the game plan to make him go bankrupt so he sells the catalogues

to pay lawyers

i do NOT believe Michael is a child molester for one second!

[Karenina]

134. Sorry, ED

MJ is a VERY sick puppy who has been molesting kids for DECADES. It only came out once the hue of his victims changed. Illegal domestics were NEVER in a position to press charges. Indeed, they were forced to bring their children to work as part of the "job description."

[superconnected]

136. no he was bankrupt by 95

He blew over a billion dollars by just spending it as fast as he could. Typical for the financially uneducated. They don't realize how fast money goes when they are throwing it out a window.

He borrowed 500 million from bank of america in the mid ninetys which really bothered me because it was my bank and it was pretty obvious from what I was reading that he was a bad debt expense.

He's losing the rights to the beatles songs, etc. because he spends so rapidly that he has to liquidate them to cover his debt. His spending sprees are classic fodder -buying toy stores, spending 90 grand on a 3 day trip to ny, buying every book of a book published on his child molestation in south america.

Also, remember this is the guy who named both of his sons prince michael, and has a brother (who won't let mj visit his kid), who named his kid jermajesty. It leads me to believe that they are nutso on their roylaty crap, and it's just another sympton of mass delusion, which includes mj's boy adoration, and the way they blow money.

I don't consider it racist. I'd be going after him even if he wasn't white.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

142. ahhit so your bank is guilty of "predatory lending practices"?........

that is so NOT nice.

[superconnected]

145. they're all predatory lenders, but this one was way overboard

I really don't have much nice to say about banks and their lending practices, so I should shut up now.

[theboss]

140. He was going bankrupt way way way before the allegations

He kept spending like it was 1984 and he was still the biggest artist in the world long after his star faded. Look, if you need a $500 Million loan just to stay afloat, you are in trouble. His spending habits are legend.

[emad]

128. He ain't Jackson. He's Bianca Jagger's lovechild by prominent

US politician who's sued everybody up to the eyeballs to keep this quiet. And bribed everyone else who couldn't be sued.

Sony music knows what happened to Jackson.

Hope they dig up the body as the trial gets under way.



AND another thing. He blackmailed Clintons during the Monica Lewinsky impeachment, threatening all kinds of nasty stuff and tried to lean of Starr to put the screws on even tighter.

[rman]

133. A victim of the RW noise machine - a diversion

Made all the more easier because he's black (though more so because he's a celebrity).
Dwell on it at your own risk (you might miss something important in the news, as you're supposed to).

[sendero]

154. More unsubstantiated...

.. nonsense about how these stories (MJ, Peterson, whoever) are trotted out because the RW pulls little strings and force the networks to cover them.

Bullshit, bullshit and more bullshit.

These stories are covered because the coverage gets ratings.

I know, how shocking it would be that networks would want to get viewers but there it is. Americans are fascinated by this crap so the networks shovel it out as fast as they can.

It really is as simple as that.

[CBGLuthier]

135. All these comments about MJ not looking black

Those are some of the really racist comments.

Yes he does not resemble the young black child he once was.

Yes, that may be because of problems he has with being balck or just his own appearance in general.

Bu to make these "what race is he anyway" kind of comments shows a deep-seated racism.

I do not think he is persecuted becuase of his race. There are plenty of wealthy black folk who have not been "brought down by the man" Anyone ever hear of Oprah Winfrey? 95% of the NBA?

[superconnected]

137. I don't think the what race is he anyway, shows racism

Not at all.

If a white guy turned himself black, do you think the blacks would question him?

He's put himself up for the scruntiny.

[Cleita]

139. Wasn't there a problem a few years back about

Ted Danson putting on a black face as joke at a celebrity roast? He was put up to it by his then girlfriend Whoppi Goldberg, an African American. Also, didn't Whoppi dress up as Queen Elizabeth of England at the Oscars complete with white face?

I really don't think MJ is on trial because of his race any more than O. J. was, even though the lawyers used that to his advantage. Yet, many who are saying this are among the same who think all illegal aliens are after their jobs and ruining their salaries, when in fact it's the American employers who hire these people who are at fault. This is real racism.

[theboss]

141. How is mocking his self-imposed disfigurement racist?

I think Michael Jackson is probably mentally ill. Anyway who has done what he has to their face has some deep issues.

At the same time, he looks like a wax statue of himself that has started to melt. And - since I'm a mean bastard - it's funny. I make fun of Joan Rivers too.

[CBGLuthier]

147. Statements like

What Race is he anyway?

By their very definition, are racist statements. It shows that the speaker feels that race is an important issue.

Mocking his disfigurement is just cruelty. Not racist.

So, I guess, you can feel just a little better about yourself. Since you are not a racist and only a mean bastard.

Me, I don't make fun of the mentally ill.

[tinrobot]

149. But the article was about "racism"

<< It shows that the speaker feels that race is an important issue. >>

His family brought up the issue of race. They made it important.

He has spent 25 years in a plastic surgeon's office trying to physically remove his "black" features. He abandoned his race. Then, all of a sudden, when his luck has run out and he's in a mess of his own making, his family screams "racism." That's just insulting to the people who truly suffer from racism in LA and elsewhere.

He is a sick man, and unlike many mentally ill people, he has access to the best help in the world. Sadly, he's done nothing to fix his problems and his sickness has now apparently hurt children.

I don't have too much sympathy for him.

[theboss]

153. Joe Jackson played the race card, not me

His son has spent the last 20 years running from his race as fast as he possibly could - he whitened his skin; he removed any "black" physical feature; he married two white women; he has somehow acquired with three white children. Now, that the shit has finally hit the fan, the world is out to get him because he is black. ODB has an album title with the proper response to that.

People are out to get Michael Jackson because he is apparently an insane, predatory freak.

[hangemhigh]

143. He is a victim of narcissism.

And as far as innocent until proved guilty, well, I am not a court of law. I am me and I say he's a pedophile. Guilty, guilty, guilty. I hope for the sake of the kids, whose parents prostituted them for access to the "rich and famous" that I am proved to be wrong.

[Stop_the_War]

144. self-deleted..wrong thread..

[Hekate]

150. Oh, please. If anything, he's overprivileged due to his stardom

He acts as if he has more money than God, he's a superstar of sorts, and has built an exceptionally reclusive life, in which he reveals only what he wants to and as much as he wants to at any given time.

His fan base is fanatical and will believe anything he wants them to believe. Just because the rest of us think he's creepy as all get-out doesn't make us racists.

Don't believe what you hear about Santa Barbara County on shows like CNN's Larry King, Paula Zahn, Extra, or Access, either. They and their guests sometimes talk as though they personally know we are a bunch of rednecked racists, which is crap. I live here in Goleta and I put in almost 12 years as a County Affirmative Action Commissioner, so I know that while we may have our problems we certainly have worked on them.

Michael Jackson's little kingdom is about 40 miles to the north of Goleta, and Santa Maria, where the trial will be, is 70 miles to the north of Goleta. (It's not a straight line, as the county is transected by mountains.) South County is traditionally more liberal and suburban, while North County is traditionally more conservative and rural, though Santa Maria is growing fast.

I don't remember any more why Santa Maria was chosen over Santa Barbara's court house, though it is possible our County was hoping to minimize the media circus if at all possible. It's also possible Jackson's attorneys asked for it. Whatever the reason, everything about this dog and pony show is costing us beaucoup bucks, and it's a royal pain. We are not Los Angeles: we don't have their money, resources, or infrastructure.

Both Tom Sneddon and the judge in the case have good reputations -- they are not, repeat not, racists in the way they administer justice. Just because a DA pursues a case against someone accused of a crime, it doesn't make him a racist. What would you have him do? Bow in awe before the mightiness of a powerful and wealthy man, or do everything in his power to prove or disprove the complaint of a child who said he was sexually molested?

Just because a judge is stern and strict in adherence to protocol in his courtroom, it doesn't make him a racist. What would you have him do? Ignore the disruptive antics of the defendant, including lateness, and allow dozens of camera-wielding reporters and film crews into the courtroom, thus losing control of the situation like Lance Ito?

Yes, it is costing the County of Santa Barbara a lot of money, but somehow I don't think that should be a consideration when it comes to prosecuting serious crimes such as pedophilia.

As to whether and what I believe about Jacko's guilt or innocence, it doesn't matter, since thankfully I am nowhere near the jury pool. I do think the man is sick, and he wears his sickness on his face like a mask. The amount of surgery he has undergone is pathological, yet he still is not satisfied and will undergo more if he can find a surgeon. On top of the surgically altered face he layers lots and lots of makeup, none of it especially flattering, but then the face itself looks scarcely human anymore.

Seriously creepy -- and that's leaving out his relationship with his own children...

Hekate

[Stella_Artois]

151. Fair enough

What race is he again ?

[Skidmore]

155. Don't know. Only thing I'm sure of is that

rich and mental health issues are a bad combination--for the person who fits the description and those around them.

[RUDUing2]

156. I don't think he is a victim of racism..I think he is a victim of being

*different*, and a witchhunter DA who is trying to get into state or national politics and needed a big name case to do so.

[mac56]

173. Joking, of course.

If by "different" you mean "a dangerously obsessive narcissistic wackjob who knows he can buy himself out of any difficulty," I think I can agree.

[RUDUing2]

176. just strange and different and we as humans don't like those that are

*different* (look at how many people have died throughout history because they were *different*)

Is he a pedophile? it is possible

Has he ever acted on this? no way to know

Do I believe the *kids*? not sure...too many story changes and too much info out there about how DA's and therapist can manipulate kids to say whatever they want them to say in these type of cases

Can MJ get a *fair* trial? no way in hell...not if he is guilty and not if he is innocent.

[theboss]

179. There is the "difference" that comes from being born in China....

And then there is the "difference" that comes from destroying your face, acquiring several children that you may or may not have conceived, dangling a baby over a balcony, and sleeping with 10-year-old boys.

[MsTryska]

158. since when were white men victims of racism?

:shrug:

[roguevalley]

165. Dick Gregory said that only in America could you be born a

poor black kid and grow up to be a rich white man. Michael Jackson is a suspected pedophile. That is the question. Period. He will sort it out in court just like any accused. In my humble opinion, putting race into this question of does he or doesn't he harm kids is a straw argument.

[against all enemies]

168. Did we go after Priests who molested little boys cause we're Anti-catholic

[CatBoreal]

169. Just my take...

I don't think Micheal Jackson's problems stem from racism, I think they stem from Micheal Jackson himself. The man seems to suffer from cognitive dissonance to the Nth degree.

It seems to me that the source of his problems is that no one says "No!" to this man. Case in point: his nose. I'm sure there were surgeons who told him to stop tinkering with it years ago, but did he? No, he probably found someone else.

He's built an insular little world around himself based on his childish whims. He buys items from Southeby's and never pays, he signs contracts for performances and then cancels, he is taken to court and shows up whenever he feels like it. He has no limits, either financial or professional, or personal.

And all the while people blame his 'troubles' on racism, or child abuse, or never having had a childhood, which further disconnects him from any responsibility for his conduct and circumstances.

All this leads me to believe he could very well be a paedophile. How is he going to react to a child telling him: "No. Don't touch me. Stop."? Just like he does whenever anyone else says no and tries to set limits. Either find a child who will let him get away with whatever, or coerce, bribe, and manipulate that child into doing whatever he wants.

I don't know if he's guilty or not, that's for the courts to decide. I just he starts to deal with reality which includes the fact that one cannot sleep with children who aren't one's own if you've previously been accused of child molestation.

[Lorien]

170. I kind of doubt it

The trail isn't something I'm really interested in, but objectivly...I don't know what to think. I've met Michael numerous times. He was a regular visitor to the studio I once worked at. Sometimes he came alone, sometimes he brought guests-and his guests were almost always kids (which is understandable; our studio made animated films). He struck me as someone who had never developed emotionally-he really did seem like a child himself, so seeing him with the Caulkin kids and others didn't seem out of place somehow (he's somewhat different off camera-very shy, withdrawn, awkward..)

Then again; he brought the boy who sued him years ago with him one time (before the lawsuit). He introduced him to me as his "cousin", but the kid was Hispanic. He never stopped touching the boy the entire time he was with us (arm draped over his shoulder, hand on his back, etc.). The kid looked very uncomfortable, and it made me uncomfortable, too. When they left, everyone in the studio was talking about it-so it wasn't just me who noticed. I'd like to think he's a guy who just suffers from arrested development, but that may just be wishful thinking on my part. I kind of don't think this has anything to do with race; if our whole studio felt that something was wrong after just an hour with those two, I imagine that others who have spent more time with him have had serious concerns.

[superconnected]

174. If he actually got convicted

I see him as either

1. fleeing the country
2. commiting suicide - by poison, and possibly making his kids take it too. I'd worry about that because he's nuts and would see his world falling apart for them and him.

I just don't see him turning himself into the police and serving time.
He's too wierd. Hopefully he'd flee the country.