I feel so grateful to you for writing this emotional and impactful piece. I am one of those people who later in life, after his death, started to question the media narrative. I have a degree in journalism and I should have known but I did the research way too late, and I am just furious with myself for ever being so ignorant. Researching the life of MJ really opened my eyes to the patterns of media and power taking place. Especially in the entertainment business, but also just all around us. All the time. Its like once you see it, the mediacentered world becomes like a huge fibonacci-sequence of exploitation. You can’t un-see it. People are really capable of doing the most dispicable things for money. And I don’t get it. WHY are journalists not telling the real stories about the repeated exploitationattempts when those stories are SO much more relevant to society, to us?! The reality is just so much more interesting than the narrative that is being copied over and over again?!
And everything you so forcefully put into words here is exactly what Ive wanted to scream to the world. I feel like I can relax a little in your words, and just continue to calmly ask people to do the research.
His story is not just about him, he was just singled out as a cruel example of racist media legacy, of exploitation and power and of how the world STILL starts a witchhunt when we dont understand someone who is ”other” than us. We demand clarity, boxes and categories and when we don’t get it, we must destroy.
Sorry this became a whole novel. I just.. thank you for sharing this again!
Loved your novel, Amanda! I feel like we're healing each other with this immense pain we feel about how unfortunate his life unraveled, so please have at it, always, at my online space here, happy to read your thoughts. Having said that, the reality of what actually happened with him: allegations, extortion, John Branca, Sony, Beatles catalog, Mijac catalog (his own music), death, will -- it's so much worse than we could have imagined. I did a super deep dive into documents for my final third piece, and I'm scarred, literally, I'm in pain from what I discovered. Will finish it in the next few days. And I will need therapy after I'm done.
Still, ”looking forward” (?) to read it. It might be painful but I feel like knowing the truth is the least we can do for him and his legacy. Just to be informed. I don’t want to compare it to the horrible things happening in the world, but its the same basic principle: the absolute least we can do is witness. Im glad to have found this space of yours! Just to share the anger and sadness is a kind of therapy.
You lost your idol to devils (inshallah, they will be held to account). I lost mine (Madonna) via a years-long revelation - by shaking off my own denialism about her vampirism (narcissism gone full demonic). Reading these homages makes me also grieve how insidiously misdirected - on so many fronts - we the people are from taking inspiration from true exemplars and heroes. Glory to Michael. May the world finally be ready for the embodied glory he exuded. Let us locate it within ourselves, amongst one another, then collectively demand justice (yes, on so many fronts).
Sinister forces who do not possess a creative force. All they know is how to leech on talent and destroy it for the rest of us, when not dancing to their tune. Candace Owens said it best: “They can lie, they can steal, they can deceive, but they can never create because these people do not have the creator force within them. Because Michael Jackson was right when he said that these people are devilish. All they can ever do is try to dissuade the masses via lies.”
I feel so grateful to you for writing this emotional and impactful piece. I am one of those people who later in life, after his death, started to question the media narrative. I have a degree in journalism and I should have known but I did the research way too late, and I am just furious with myself for ever being so ignorant. Researching the life of MJ really opened my eyes to the patterns of media and power taking place. Especially in the entertainment business, but also just all around us. All the time. Its like once you see it, the mediacentered world becomes like a huge fibonacci-sequence of exploitation. You can’t un-see it. People are really capable of doing the most dispicable things for money. And I don’t get it. WHY are journalists not telling the real stories about the repeated exploitationattempts when those stories are SO much more relevant to society, to us?! The reality is just so much more interesting than the narrative that is being copied over and over again?!
And everything you so forcefully put into words here is exactly what Ive wanted to scream to the world. I feel like I can relax a little in your words, and just continue to calmly ask people to do the research.
His story is not just about him, he was just singled out as a cruel example of racist media legacy, of exploitation and power and of how the world STILL starts a witchhunt when we dont understand someone who is ”other” than us. We demand clarity, boxes and categories and when we don’t get it, we must destroy.
Sorry this became a whole novel. I just.. thank you for sharing this again!
Loved your novel, Amanda! I feel like we're healing each other with this immense pain we feel about how unfortunate his life unraveled, so please have at it, always, at my online space here, happy to read your thoughts. Having said that, the reality of what actually happened with him: allegations, extortion, John Branca, Sony, Beatles catalog, Mijac catalog (his own music), death, will -- it's so much worse than we could have imagined. I did a super deep dive into documents for my final third piece, and I'm scarred, literally, I'm in pain from what I discovered. Will finish it in the next few days. And I will need therapy after I'm done.
Still, ”looking forward” (?) to read it. It might be painful but I feel like knowing the truth is the least we can do for him and his legacy. Just to be informed. I don’t want to compare it to the horrible things happening in the world, but its the same basic principle: the absolute least we can do is witness. Im glad to have found this space of yours! Just to share the anger and sadness is a kind of therapy.
You lost your idol to devils (inshallah, they will be held to account). I lost mine (Madonna) via a years-long revelation - by shaking off my own denialism about her vampirism (narcissism gone full demonic). Reading these homages makes me also grieve how insidiously misdirected - on so many fronts - we the people are from taking inspiration from true exemplars and heroes. Glory to Michael. May the world finally be ready for the embodied glory he exuded. Let us locate it within ourselves, amongst one another, then collectively demand justice (yes, on so many fronts).
Amen! "Let us locate it within ourselves, amongst one another, then collectively demand justice" -- Thank you for this reminder 🖤
Michael Jackson was everything they weren't. They hated his talent and his smarts....
Sinister forces who do not possess a creative force. All they know is how to leech on talent and destroy it for the rest of us, when not dancing to their tune. Candace Owens said it best: “They can lie, they can steal, they can deceive, but they can never create because these people do not have the creator force within them. Because Michael Jackson was right when he said that these people are devilish. All they can ever do is try to dissuade the masses via lies.”