Sad but so true (just read if you have tough nerves)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tamara-conniff/we-killed-michael-jackson_b_272174.html

Everything is said there - don't want to do further comments...

Oh please we did not kill Michael that is the most stupidest thing I ever heard us killing Michael yeah ok whatever we would never ever do that to our Michael another BS story.

Ok I find that article highly offensive. It generalises everyone when it shouldn't.

Yes people did call Michael a "freak" and radio stations stopped playing his songs, but I NEVER stopped loving and supporting him. I have always defended Michael and will continue to do so until the day I die.

People can say this is out of "guilt" all they like but I know who I am and how I feel and no-one else can comment on my behalf. I wanna kick that woman's ass because she tars everyone with the same brush.

It's shameless journalism.

Right on Rachel I agree

Tough not being member of forums prior his "d", cause I always respected his privacy, I can flat my chest and say with pride, I never left him apart.NEVER!

It's a stupid article but still I still refuse to give up.

I don't like this article...I've always loved Michael...and I personally base my life on a personal experience and what Michael did for all of us and mandkind...

I love you Michael...please, please come back very soon!

LOLOLOL, WTF is the huffington post?
sounds dodgy to me. complete BS!

This article is Crap, its not true, We LOVE Michael, now and forever more. We would never do anything to hurt him in any way. We are his Army. We will defend him. God I'm so angry right now. We Love Michael Jackson,Thats all there is about it. Thats the truth.

Right on Charmed.

What a load of s**t Michael knows how much we love him.
This is sick and twisted.

I'm going to have to start doing some Ass kicking. I can't take this anymore. I have had more then enough of this Garbage. Its Time to take some action.

Yes charmed it's time for us Michael's army to kick some serious ass here.

I never believed those story's about him and always loved his music and hes sweetness, kindness well everything about him
some parts of here articles are true like the radio stations didnt play his music and stuff.
But i feel guilty sometimes when i look at him and know what people did to him and i couldnt do anyting about it sometimes im feeling so discusted?(sorry bad spelling) of being a human.
A few weeks ago there was a mj concert on tv and i was watching it and crying(offcorse) but my mother couldnt watch it becaus eof the idea of what people did to him to get ther 10sec of fame or for the money.
But that are the people who killed him not the people who loved his music and his true fans

This article does not adress the fans like you - I told you, I wasn't in it - and this is the pitcure I would have described if asked - most people who were NOT FANS saw everything like this and moked about him - I know that you don't like this statement BUT because this article represents a lot of true statements about his downfall - it is possible that he indeed died...

I know that you do not like those statements here - but if you want to search for the truth you have to think about this point of view, too. His life was a mess and he lost nearly everything for what he worked for since the age of 5 ...

Please accept other points of view - and do not discuss on a personal level. I'm here because I want to find out what happened and I think you do a great job. I laugh with you, appreciate what you do and respect your love for Michael but allow critical statements, please...

morla wrote:This article does not adress the fans like you - I told you, I wasn't in it - and this is the pitcure I would have described if asked - most people who were NOT FANS saw everything like this and moked about him - I know that you don't like this statement BUT because this article represents a lot of true statements about his downfall - it is possible that he indeed died...

I know that you do not like those statements here - but if you want to search for the truth you have to think about this point of view, too. His life was a mess and he lost nearly everything for what he worked for since the age of 5 ...

Please accept other points of view - and do not discuss on a personal level. I'm here because I want to find out what happened and I think you do a great job. I laugh with you, appreciate what you do and respect your love for Michael but allow critical statements, please...

I'm sorry I won't believe you. I believe in my heart, and Michael and Nothing else! I think I need to get off for a while. I can't handle this right now.

Morla,

I don't think anyone's views were meant to be directed at you for posting the article. I respect your views and your right to post such things.

You could be right, Michael may be dead but for us we don't have enough evidence that points to that. We have spent countless hours researcing things that don't make sense and many of us have come to the conclusion that Michael IS still alive.

I hope you see where I am coming from.

Well said Rachel.

Rachel wrote:Morla,

I don't think anyone's views were meant to be directed at you for posting the article. I respect your views and your right to post such things.

You could be right, Michael may be dead but for us we don't have enough evidence that points to that. We have spent countless hours researcing things that don't make sense and many of us have come to the conclusion that Michael IS still alive.

I hope you see where I am coming from.

Dear Rachel,

I know and thank you for your words. I just said some things because I want to discuss on the level you did . I highly appreciate that .

I know that there is not enough evidence and everything is mysterious and contradicts itself - that's why I stay tuned . I just can say that I don't want to offend anyone and I tried to warn everyone in the headline that this is hard stuff.

____________________________________

I feel compassionate for Michael reading this article - and the same people are making now their time of fame on it and of course money. This article addresses and accuses these people. I, for my point, think, that this is more than true. They let him fall and now jump on a running train. Perhaps they should have helped start the train before 25th June - perhaps the situation would be a totally different one and you all could enjoy the concerts. That's why I'm saying that there is sad truth in it.

Leaving apart that ¨We killed him¨, I think this jurnalist tried to put Michael in a good light, think about that! She doesn't know he is alive!

So, I think it's a good article if I compare it with what The Sun and TMZ and The Mirror, etc write about Michael!

And I don't think she was talking about the true fans, whom were there for him everytime, but about normal people who enjoyed Michael's music and dance, but weren't there when he needed them, like the jurnalist said about the DJ's and radio station.

So, i my opinion, we should better take articles like this as good articles because with what we deal and we will, it's so much worse than this!

So, don't waste your energy for this, don't take it personal!!! I hope you understand me!

Be happy! Michael someday will come back to us!
Hugs for everyone!

In my opinion, the article is quite accurate. The opening paragraph made me cringe because of it's accuracy.

"Where were all the weeping fans, the artists who hail him as their hero, the radio DJs who can't stop playing his music? Where were they 10 years ago? Oh right. Everyone thought Michael Jackson was a freak - a plastic surgery addicted child molester. His last studio album "Invincible," released 2001, failed to garner true hit single because radio stations refused to play the songs. Music critics tore him to shreds. He was blackballed. People made fun of him, he was considered a washed-up, has-been, crazy person. "

For a moment, try and objectively step outside of your own feelings for Michael. It can be done. I am an American so what I am about to say comes from firsthand knowledge of what I witnessed all around me in the US as it pertains to Michael Jackson. In America, Michael was torn to shreds. Many longtime fans began to view him exactly as the writer states...a has-been. Radio stations did stop the heavy rotation of his music. He was made fun of and became the punchline for comedians and late-night talk show hosts. If someone wanted a quick and easy laugh, all they had to do was mention Michael Jackson's name. It became more popular to ridicule him and less popular to acknowledge liking or supporting him. It's not what people care to hear right now but that's what happened.

After June 25th, I dug up lots of youtube videos of MJ live performances. Most of the recent ones took place in other countries. It dawned on me that MJ had not performed a concert in the US since 1997. For those on the "Why the hoax" thread, you will recall my Marketing analogy where I referenced how promotion is needed to stay in the public eye and to reach target audiences. Since 1997, MJ was indeed out of sight thus out of mind for many. The only thing that Americans had were memories of past performances and older music. Keep in mind also that some music which came later i.e. Invincible didn't get the attention nor did it achieve the commercial succes in America as it did in other countries.

Now consider the publicity that Michael received during that time...ALL NEGATIVE. No one was reporting on donations to the UNCF or his Heal the World Foundation etc etc etc. Good news seldom makes headlines. Sadly the two-headed monster of tabloids and mainstream media make their money on reporting a lot crap. People eat it up too. Bad news, gossip and people's misfortune makes the front pages and is the lead in story on television. If you tell people a lie long enough they subconsciously and possible consciously start to believe the lie. Think about it. People were spoonfed nothing but negative images and information about Michael Eventually some of it was bound to stick. At the very least, many people just distanced themselves from him.

Many readers of my comment will declare their neverending support of Michael. I wholeheartedly believe you when you state that your support never wavered or strayed. However that is not the case with many of his other fans who gradually believed the lies and turned their back on Michael. There was an article in Sister2Sister Magazine where Raymone Bain ( I know she sued him and all but that is for another thread) shared a story of how Michael wanted to do a song for charity but he was basically ignored by fellow musicians who probably didn't want the stigma of being involved with "Wacko Jacko". I hate the term too so do not think that I normally use it when describing Michael. Plus... in the competitve and cut throat entertainment industry, some music people may have figured that Michael cannot do anything to advance their careers since his was perceived as heading downward. When he was perceived as "on top" they were probably calling and bothering the hell out of him regularly. Now that he was vilified in the media, they wanted nothing to do with him.

I do not know how much influence that the media has in other countries. I have worked for media outlets and fully understand the power that they yield in the US. A person's image is sacred and must be protected. Once it has been damaged, it is often difficult to repair. Public relations firms are paid handsomely to create images. We seldom see certain people when they are drinking, smoking or using politically incorrect language. That's for a reason. Michael was falsely accused of a most horrible crime...twice. In the back of many people's mind...once can be forgiven but twice causes doubt. Hence the downward spiral of Michael's public image. Let's not forget his previous image of shy, innocent, virginal and most important ...non-threatening. How could people believe such an extreme lie against Michael's character? Easily...Michael has always been such a mystery to people therefore they presumed that there had to be something wrong with him.

I like analogies so I'll toss one more to you. Is there a particular product that you especially like and you will only buy a certain brand i.e. Tide laundry detergent? What about a business where you will only patronize that place for certain services i.e. Hair Cuttery hair salon? You are a loyal customer and have been for many years. Suppose one day you go to the store and realize that Tide is no longer sold or that Hair Cuttery has gone out of business. Your first reaction could be "What happened since I purchased nothing but Tide for the past 10 years or I was a regular at Hair Cuttery for the past 15 years?" Guess what...many others stopped doing what you were doing. It could have been a slow, gradual decline for that product and business. For any number of reasons enough people... stopped buying the product and stopped patronizing the business. Now think about Michael. The same thing happened here.

GirlSaturday wrote:In my opinion, the article is quite accurate. The opening paragraph made me cringe because of it's accuracy.

"Where were all the weeping fans, the artists who hail him as their hero, the radio DJs who can't stop playing his music? Where were they 10 years ago? Oh right. Everyone thought Michael Jackson was a freak - a plastic surgery addicted child molester. His last studio album "Invincible," released 2001, failed to garner true hit single because radio stations refused to play the songs. Music critics tore him to shreds. He was blackballed. People made fun of him, he was considered a washed-up, has-been, crazy person. "

For a moment, try and objectively step outside of your own feelings for Michael. It can be done. I am an American so what I am about to say comes from firsthand knowledge of what I witnessed all around me in the US as it pertains to Michael Jackson. In America, Michael was torn to shreds. Many longtime fans began to view him exactly as the writer states...a has-been. Radio stations did stop the heavy rotation of his music. He was made fun of and became the punchline for comedians and late-night talk show hosts. If someone wanted a quick and easy laugh, all they had to do was mention Michael Jackson's name. It became more popular to ridicule him and less popular to acknowledge liking or supporting him. It's not what people care to hear right now but that's what happened.

After June 25th, I dug up lots of youtube videos of MJ live performances. Most of the recent ones took place in other countries. It dawned on me that MJ had not performed a concert in the US since 1997. For those on the "Why the hoax" thread, you will recall my Marketing analogy where I referenced how promotion is needed to stay in the public eye and to reach target audiences. Since 1997, MJ was indeed out of sight thus out of mind for many. The only thing that Americans had were memories of past performances and older music. Keep in mind also that some music which came later i.e. Invincible didn't get the attention nor did it achieve the commercial succes in America as it did in other countries.

Now consider the publicity that Michael received during that time...ALL NEGATIVE. No one was reporting on donations to the UNCF or his Heal the World Foundation etc etc etc. Good news seldom makes headlines. Sadly the two-headed monster of tabloids and mainstream media make their money on reporting a lot crap. People eat it up too. Bad news, gossip and people's misfortune makes the front pages and is the lead in story on television. If you tell people a lie long enough they subconsciously and possible consciously start to believe the lie. Think about it. People were spoonfed nothing but negative images and information about Michael Eventually some of it was bound to stick. At the very least, many people just distanced themselves from him.

Many readers of my comment will declare their neverending support of Michael. I wholeheartedly believe you when you state that your support never wavered or strayed. However that is not the case with many of his other fans who gradually believed the lies and turned their back on Michael. There was an article in Sister2Sister Magazine where Raymone Bain ( I know she sued him and all but that is for another thread) shared a story of how Michael wanted to do a song for charity but he was basically ignored by fellow musicians who probably didn't want the stigma of being involved with "Wacko Jacko". I hate the term too so do not think that I normally use it when describing Michael. Plus... in the competitve and cut throat entertainment industry, some music people may have figured that Michael cannot do anything to advance their careers since his was perceived as heading downward. When he was perceived as "on top" they were probably calling and bothering the hell out of him regularly. Now that he was vilified in the media, they wanted nothing to do with him.

I do not know how much influence that the media has in other countries. I have worked for media outlets and fully understand the power that they yield in the US. A person's image is sacred and must be protected. Once it has been damaged, it is often difficult to repair. Public relations firms are paid handsomely to create images. We seldom see certain people when they are drinking, smoking or using politically incorrect language. That's for a reason. Michael was falsely accused of a most horrible crime...twice. In the back of many people's mind...once can be forgiven but twice causes doubt. Hence the downward spiral of Michael's public image. Let's not forget his previous image of shy, innocent, virginal and most important ...non-threatening. How could people believe such an extreme lie against Michael's character? Easily...Michael has always been such a mystery to people therefore they presumed that there had to be something wrong with him.

I like analogies so I'll toss one more to you. Is there a particular product that you especially like and you will only buy a certain brand i.e. Tide laundry detergent? What about a business where you will only patronize that place for certain services i.e. Hair Cuttery hair salon? You are a loyal customer and have been for many years. Suppose one day you go to the store and realize that Tide is no longer sold or that Hair Cuttery has gone out of business. Your first reaction could be "What happened since I purchased nothing but Tide for the past 10 years or I was a regular at Hair Cuttery for the past 15 years?" Guess what...many others stopped doing what you were doing. It could have been a slow, gradual decline for that product and business. For any number of reasons enough people... stopped buying the product and stopped patronizing the business. Now think about Michael. The same thing happened here.

EXCELLENT POST! I am also American, and remember very well what you describe. Even after his "passing" for example on my facebook and I have hundreds of friends, I noticed that only a few of us were really expressing our heartbreeak and total love of Michael. Many others seemed afraid to do so - They would say "So sad" or "I will remember him for his genius" but I was constantly posting how Michael was INNOCENT or that I never believed the allegations against him - but many did not even comment to those posts.

I think that the writer of this article is DEFENDING MICHAEL and she is angry about how he is treated and how NOW it is COOL to be a Michael Fan again ... I dont know - people are very strange sometimes.

How many times did Michael beg us to please NOT believe what you hear in the tabloids? More times than I can remember. I remember how happy I was when Geraldo was so kind and stated that Michael was INNOCENT! I even wrote to him to thank him for that.

Im glad someone put that article out there and told the truth about how vicious people can be - because they believed a lie.

MyBelovedMJ wrote:OMG. I have had it. Thats it.

We did not kill Michael, and everyone knows that. They GOD DAMN media killed him. If we did anything, we loved and supportet him.
Michael has always known how much we love him. ALWAYS, He would always say, that he is who he is because of us. CHRIST hate those people. They will have very strong reactions around the world for that crap.
At least Michaels family also knows how much we love him

Im so done. Damn. Im going to do something drastic soon

The media doesnt have the power to do anything on their own - They only have that power if the public believes the garbage they feed them. Yes the media started it, but the public finished it. I do not mean those of us who always stood by Michael, Im talking about the others who didnt.

"Now it's fashionable to be a Michael Jackson fan. Radio stations now play his music on heavy rotation. His albums are flying off the shelves. Urban Outfitters even carries a commemorative vinyl collection that hipsters can frame and put on their walls. Suddenly the entire world has rediscovered Michael Jackson. He's dead damn it. Imagine what this kind of love would have done for him while he was living? Maybe then he wouldn't need drugs to sleep."

Thats your opinion!


Not mine!

{inserts some faul language}

Thanks.

Poor Geraldo caught hell for defending Michael. That's why I was pleased when he shared his feelings about the fake friends at the memorial. The same ones who probably shunned Michael when he need them most.

It got to a point especially during the 05 trial that I hated watching the late-night talk shows. Their entire monologue consisted of stupid jokes about Michael. It was an easy way to get laughs and their audiences ate it up and laughed at the crap too.

CantStopLovingU wrote:

GirlSaturday wrote:In my opinion, the article is quite accurate. The opening paragraph made me cringe because of it's accuracy.

"Where were all the weeping fans, the artists who hail him as their hero, the radio DJs who can't stop playing his music? Where were they 10 years ago? Oh right. Everyone thought Michael Jackson was a freak - a plastic surgery addicted child molester. His last studio album "Invincible," released 2001, failed to garner true hit single because radio stations refused to play the songs. Music critics tore him to shreds. He was blackballed. People made fun of him, he was considered a washed-up, has-been, crazy person. "

For a moment, try and objectively step outside of your own feelings for Michael. It can be done. I am an American so what I am about to say comes from firsthand knowledge of what I witnessed all around me in the US as it pertains to Michael Jackson. In America, Michael was torn to shreds. Many longtime fans began to view him exactly as the writer states...a has-been. Radio stations did stop the heavy rotation of his music. He was made fun of and became the punchline for comedians and late-night talk show hosts. If someone wanted a quick and easy laugh, all they had to do was mention Michael Jackson's name. It became more popular to ridicule him and less popular to acknowledge liking or supporting him. It's not what people care to hear right now but that's what happened.

After June 25th, I dug up lots of youtube videos of MJ live performances. Most of the recent ones took place in other countries. It dawned on me that MJ had not performed a concert in the US since 1997. For those on the "Why the hoax" thread, you will recall my Marketing analogy where I referenced how promotion is needed to stay in the public eye and to reach target audiences. Since 1997, MJ was indeed out of sight thus out of mind for many. The only thing that Americans had were memories of past performances and older music. Keep in mind also that some music which came later i.e. Invincible didn't get the attention nor did it achieve the commercial succes in America as it did in other countries.

Now consider the publicity that Michael received during that time...ALL NEGATIVE. No one was reporting on donations to the UNCF or his Heal the World Foundation etc etc etc. Good news seldom makes headlines. Sadly the two-headed monster of tabloids and mainstream media make their money on reporting a lot crap. People eat it up too. Bad news, gossip and people's misfortune makes the front pages and is the lead in story on television. If you tell people a lie long enough they subconsciously and possible consciously start to believe the lie. Think about it. People were spoonfed nothing but negative images and information about Michael Eventually some of it was bound to stick. At the very least, many people just distanced themselves from him.

Many readers of my comment will declare their neverending support of Michael. I wholeheartedly believe you when you state that your support never wavered or strayed. However that is not the case with many of his other fans who gradually believed the lies and turned their back on Michael. There was an article in Sister2Sister Magazine where Raymone Bain ( I know she sued him and all but that is for another thread) shared a story of how Michael wanted to do a song for charity but he was basically ignored by fellow musicians who probably didn't want the stigma of being involved with "Wacko Jacko". I hate the term too so do not think that I normally use it when describing Michael. Plus... in the competitve and cut throat entertainment industry, some music people may have figured that Michael cannot do anything to advance their careers since his was perceived as heading downward. When he was perceived as "on top" they were probably calling and bothering the hell out of him regularly. Now that he was vilified in the media, they wanted nothing to do with him.

I do not know how much influence that the media has in other countries. I have worked for media outlets and fully understand the power that they yield in the US. A person's image is sacred and must be protected. Once it has been damaged, it is often difficult to repair. Public relations firms are paid handsomely to create images. We seldom see certain people when they are drinking, smoking or using politically incorrect language. That's for a reason. Michael was falsely accused of a most horrible crime...twice. In the back of many people's mind...once can be forgiven but twice causes doubt. Hence the downward spiral of Michael's public image. Let's not forget his previous image of shy, innocent, virginal and most important ...non-threatening. How could people believe such an extreme lie against Michael's character? Easily...Michael has always been such a mystery to people therefore they presumed that there had to be something wrong with him.

I like analogies so I'll toss one more to you. Is there a particular product that you especially like and you will only buy a certain brand i.e. Tide laundry detergent? What about a business where you will only patronize that place for certain services i.e. Hair Cuttery hair salon? You are a loyal customer and have been for many years. Suppose one day you go to the store and realize that Tide is no longer sold or that Hair Cuttery has gone out of business. Your first reaction could be "What happened since I purchased nothing but Tide for the past 10 years or I was a regular at Hair Cuttery for the past 15 years?" Guess what...many others stopped doing what you were doing. It could have been a slow, gradual decline for that product and business. For any number of reasons enough people... stopped buying the product and stopped patronizing the business. Now think about Michael. The same thing happened here.

EXCELLENT POST! I am also American, and remember very well what you describe. Even after his "passing" for example on my facebook and I have hundreds of friends, I noticed that only a few of us were really expressing our heartbreeak and total love of Michael. Many others seemed afraid to do so - They would say "So sad" or "I will remember him for his genius" but I was constantly posting how Michael was INNOCENT or that I never believed the allegations against him - but many did not even comment to those posts.

I think that the writer of this article is DEFENDING MICHAEL and she is angry about how he is treated and how NOW it is COOL to be a Michael Fan again ... I dont know - people are very strange sometimes.

How many times did Michael beg us to please NOT believe what you hear in the tabloids? More times than I can remember. I remember how happy I was when Geraldo was so kind and stated that Michael was INNOCENT! I even wrote to him to thank him for that.

Im glad someone put that article out there and told the truth about how vicious people can be - because they believed a lie.

@GirlSaturday:

I agree with u in that Geraldo seems to be the only one who is really prepared to come out and defend Michael becoz he really care about him, no strings attached..
he was the one who supported him when he was facing hell in 2003 and now after his 'death', Geraldo swore that he will not stop until he uncovers the truth in his interview with that O'reilly creep who kept interrupting Geraldo and trying to bring him down

Wherever, whatever, have a nice day !

Bill O'reilly is a hypocrite and a bully. He tries to come off as so upstanding and righteous yet he had a lawsuit brought against him for sexual harrassment. If he is so righteous how did that happen. People who live in glass houses should not throw stones.

MJSmile4Us wrote:

@GirlSaturday:

I agree with u in that Geraldo seems to be the only one who is really prepared to come out and defend Michael becoz he really care about him, no strings attached..
he was the one who supported him when he was facing hell in 2003 and now after his 'death', Geraldo swore that he will not stop until he uncovers the truth in his interview with that O'reilly creep who kept interrupting Geraldo and trying to bring him down

"GirlSaturday"]

Bill O'reilly is a hypocrite and a bully. He tries to come off as so upstanding and righteous yet he had a lawsuit brought against him for sexual harrassment. If he is so righteous how did that happen. People who live in glass houses should not throw stones.

that lawsuit is a solid proof IMO that he knows no such thing about morals and is certainly not an upstanding and righteous person. everything happens for a reason and that man is going to pay as the saying goes - 'what goes around comes around'

@GirlSaturday and CantStopLovingU: Thank you very much for your great posts - you describe what I wanted to say - unfortunately I do not have the time to write down my thoughts in detail because I do nat have the time (and have to translate everything)...

Thank you very much - now I can close this topic for myself .

f*ck that shit i always loved and supported him and i always will till the day i die its the god damn medias fault if anything BURN IN HELL U COCKSUCKERS

SmoothCriminal wrote:f*ck that shit i always loved and supported him and i always will till the day i die its the god damn medias fault if anything BURN IN HELL U COCKSUCKERS

very well said. Thank you.

LMAO@ Ms Potty Mouth!

SmoothCriminal wrote:f*ck that shit i always loved and supported him and i always will till the day i die its the god damn medias fault if anything BURN IN HELL U COCKSUCKERS

My opinion, and please don't throw stones at me for saying this, is that for those who turned their backs on Michael and were ready to see him rot for a crime that we all know he didn't commit, but yet now after his "death" are raging fans and playing his music nonstop while singing his praises, they deserve this. This article, IMO, was directed at every hypocrit out there who has ever said anything negative about our beloved MJ and was not meant for us, his true fans!

It was ALWAYS fashionable to be a Michael Jackson fan and will continue to be for as long as his music lives.

kdkennedy74 wrote:My opinion, and please don't throw stones at me for saying this, is that for those who turned their backs on Michael and were ready to see him rot for a crime that we all know he didn't commit, but yet now after his "death" are raging fans and playing his music nonstop while singing his praises, they deserve this. This article, IMO, was directed at every hypocrit out there who has ever said anything negative about our beloved MJ and was not meant for us, his true fans!

I agree kdkennedy. That's what I got from this article as well. It also seemed to me that possibly the author of it was also feeling guilty, that she may have once been a fan, but had stopped and now regrets it. But, I do think the articles is meant to make the ones that jumped on the bandwagon AFTER June 25 feel guilty about it. IMHO, it was not meant for the true fans that stood behind him no matter what. I really don't think that was the intent.

GirlSaturday wrote:In my opinion, the article is quite accurate. The opening paragraph made me cringe because of it's accuracy.

"Where were all the weeping fans, the artists who hail him as their hero, the radio DJs who can't stop playing his music? Where were they 10 years ago? Oh right. Everyone thought Michael Jackson was a freak - a plastic surgery addicted child molester. His last studio album "Invincible," released 2001, failed to garner true hit single because radio stations refused to play the songs. Music critics tore him to shreds. He was blackballed. People made fun of him, he was considered a washed-up, has-been, crazy person. "

For a moment, try and objectively step outside of your own feelings for Michael. It can be done. I am an American so what I am about to say comes from firsthand knowledge of what I witnessed all around me in the US as it pertains to Michael Jackson. In America, Michael was torn to shreds. Many longtime fans began to view him exactly as the writer states...a has-been. Radio stations did stop the heavy rotation of his music. He was made fun of and became the punchline for comedians and late-night talk show hosts. If someone wanted a quick and easy laugh, all they had to do was mention Michael Jackson's name. It became more popular to ridicule him and less popular to acknowledge liking or supporting him. It's not what people care to hear right now but that's what happened.

After June 25th, I dug up lots of youtube videos of MJ live performances. Most of the recent ones took place in other countries. It dawned on me that MJ had not performed a concert in the US since 1997. For those on the "Why the hoax" thread, you will recall my Marketing analogy where I referenced how promotion is needed to stay in the public eye and to reach target audiences. Since 1997, MJ was indeed out of sight thus out of mind for many. The only thing that Americans had were memories of past performances and older music. Keep in mind also that some music which came later i.e. Invincible didn't get the attention nor did it achieve the commercial succes in America as it did in other countries.

Now consider the publicity that Michael received during that time...ALL NEGATIVE. No one was reporting on donations to the UNCF or his Heal the World Foundation etc etc etc. Good news seldom makes headlines. Sadly the two-headed monster of tabloids and mainstream media make their money on reporting a lot crap. People eat it up too. Bad news, gossip and people's misfortune makes the front pages and is the lead in story on television. If you tell people a lie long enough they subconsciously and possible consciously start to believe the lie. Think about it. People were spoonfed nothing but negative images and information about Michael Eventually some of it was bound to stick. At the very least, many people just distanced themselves from him.

Many readers of my comment will declare their neverending support of Michael. I wholeheartedly believe you when you state that your support never wavered or strayed. However that is not the case with many of his other fans who gradually believed the lies and turned their back on Michael. There was an article in Sister2Sister Magazine where Raymone Bain ( I know she sued him and all but that is for another thread) shared a story of how Michael wanted to do a song for charity but he was basically ignored by fellow musicians who probably didn't want the stigma of being involved with "Wacko Jacko". I hate the term too so do not think that I normally use it when describing Michael. Plus... in the competitve and cut throat entertainment industry, some music people may have figured that Michael cannot do anything to advance their careers since his was perceived as heading downward. When he was perceived as "on top" they were probably calling and bothering the hell out of him regularly. Now that he was vilified in the media, they wanted nothing to do with him.

I do not know how much influence that the media has in other countries. I have worked for media outlets and fully understand the power that they yield in the US. A person's image is sacred and must be protected. Once it has been damaged, it is often difficult to repair. Public relations firms are paid handsomely to create images. We seldom see certain people when they are drinking, smoking or using politically incorrect language. That's for a reason. Michael was falsely accused of a most horrible crime...twice. In the back of many people's mind...once can be forgiven but twice causes doubt. Hence the downward spiral of Michael's public image. Let's not forget his previous image of shy, innocent, virginal and most important ...non-threatening. How could people believe such an extreme lie against Michael's character? Easily...Michael has always been such a mystery to people therefore they presumed that there had to be something wrong with him.

I like analogies so I'll toss one more to you. Is there a particular product that you especially like and you will only buy a certain brand i.e. Tide laundry detergent? What about a business where you will only patronize that place for certain services i.e. Hair Cuttery hair salon? You are a loyal customer and have been for many years. Suppose one day you go to the store and realize that Tide is no longer sold or that Hair Cuttery has gone out of business. Your first reaction could be "What happened since I purchased nothing but Tide for the past 10 years or I was a regular at Hair Cuttery for the past 15 years?" Guess what...many others stopped doing what you were doing. It could have been a slow, gradual decline for that product and business. For any number of reasons enough people... stopped buying the product and stopped patronizing the business. Now think about Michael. The same thing happened here.

Excellent post, Girl

Yes, I remember also that all we were served was Michael's bad image. Though I never bought the child molestation story, most people that I know try to convinced me otherwise. I agree the journalist is putting Michael in a good light, and I thank her for that. Not everyone has the guts to come out and say these things, especially to the media, radio stations, and those "all of a sudden best friends". Despite her article's title, I believe she wasn't referring to the real fans who always believed him, that would have include her also.