In defense of Jacko
Martin Bashir's documentary of Michael Jackson (broadcast last night on ABC TV's 20/20) was one of the most egregious examples of character assassination I've ever seen broadcast. It's the second example inside of a week of ABC News trying to pass off utter tripe as news, and it's pissing me off.
Maybe it's just that bad television journalism is a lot more blatant and apparent than bad print journalism, I dunno.
Listen, I don't question for a second that Jackson is eccentric. And it's obvious that he suffered a lot as a kid -- both as a celebrity and as the child of an abusive, manipulative parent. But a lot of the public criticism I see of him is book/cover superficial judging. He looks weird. He acts weird. Therefore he must be different enough to be ostracized.
It's gradeschool politics, and we collectively as a society ought to rise about it. Oh yeah, though, that would require Americans (and, well, most of western civilization) NOT to be idiots.
Bashir complains that Jackson has built a fantasy world for himself. The guy is worth $300 million. I have news for Bashir -- if I had that much cake, I'd have a fucking fantasy world of my own -- hell, I'd buy a couple of fantasy worlds for friends and family, too.
Admittedly, it'd be a bit more hardcore than what Jackson has, but even as an adult I can understand how much fun it would be to have your own private zoo and amusement park (and anyone who knows my kids knows how much they'd like stuff like their own go-karts and a private choo-choo train). And left to my own devices, I'd probably have as little to do with the outside world as possible.
While Bashir didn't come out and say "Michael Jackson rapes children," by talking out of both sides of his mouth like that, Bashir might as well have. Bashir repeats over and over again that he never once saw Jackson do anything to his own or other kids to raise suspicion that Jackson was a child molester, yet he says in the same breath that underprivileged youth shouldn't be left unsupervised at Neverland Ranch.
Bashir said that one of the things he found so remarkable about it is that in England, the authorities would never let Jackson get away with raising his children unsupervised. Bashir's suggestion is essentially that Jackson's wealth has bought him privacy, even from the government. That's funny, and here I thought it was Amendment IV to the Bill of Rights. Silly me. We Colonials sure have some strange ideas, like personal freedom.
As far as the plastic surgery thing goes, who gives a shit? Jackson can afford to do whatever he wants. If he wants to have his nose redone to look Bajoran, more power to him -- hell, I think that look is pretty hot. Just because the guy has had his face resculpted once every couple of years doesn't make him a bad guy. Lord knows I'd have some lipo done and some hair transplanted if I could afford it.
Well, as it turns out, it looks like Jacko is gonna have the last laugh after all. The Santa Barbara County DA basically told hysterics who think Jackson is having pre-teen orgies to fuck off, which should hopefully encourage that pasty-faced trollop Gloria Allred to take Jacko's advice.
The best part is that the public seems as disgusted with Bashir as I am. Record stores report that Jackson's albums are selling like hotcakes -- even selling out in some locations. That reminds me. As soon as the snow stops, I'm gonna go to Hyannis and pick up copies of Off the Wall and Dangerous on CD.
Comments
I agree with you about the Bashir interview, but sorry, Flargh, the ABCNews story on the Porn industry is not "utter tripe". In addition, it has a link to this article which is worth a stomach-turning read: http://abcnews.go.com/sections/business/SiliconInsider/SiliconInsider_030128.html
First Amendment rights, uh huh, and fish turds are caviar.
Posted by: Capecoder | February 8, 2003 05:21 AM
The piece on kiddie porn is indeed interesting and horrifying. But it's wholly irrelevant to the emotionally manipulative and exploitative piece that PrimeTime Live ran recently.
What the PrimeTime Live piece had was nothing more than a string of vignettes designed to make viewers feel sympathy for a woman who should have known better -- she went into the industry with eyes wide open, and if she was too naive to understand what she was getting into at first, she certainly was enthusiastic enough by the time the awards show came around to get VERY excited when her movies won.
I have absolutely no sympathy for her mother, who protests that the executives whose companies profit from the porn industry should ask if their own children should be involved -- and how they feel about their kids' ivy league education getting paid for by porn stars. Well, according to the report, that porn star's own sister is having *her* college education paid for on the back of her sibling. Cry me a river.
And when you substitute the word "porn star" for "professional athlete" or "dramatic actor" in the mother's response, the moral relativism of her argument is brought to bear. Companies like DirecTV or ABC or HBO or AOL/Time Warner make money off the backs of all sorts of people who want fame, who want to be on TV, or simply want to make money for doing something that other people won't do. All you have to do is look at shows like Fear Factor or The Bachelor(ette) to find people who are willing to denegrate themselves on camera for a bit of cash and their requisite 15 minutes of fame. If you think that's morally any different than porn, you're deceiving yourself.
No one's holding a gun to that girl's head to make bondage films or do anal sex on camera. If she finds it that horrible, she's welcome to go take a mundane job in an office someplace. Adult porn, at least in the United States, is not a slave-trade.
I think the problem that I have most with PrimeTime Live's coverage of the US adult porn industry is the complete powderpuff treatment they gave what is IMO the interesting angle -- the financial one. Apparently they worked on this piece for two years, yet they could only devote about five minutes to trace the money trail?
If they can trace the dollar in my pocket to Al-Qaeda via drug dealers in South America or the Golden Triangle, I find it very hard to believe that investigative journalists worth their salt can't do a better job of figuring out how much money porn is raking in every year.
Rather than tug on heartstrings by trying to make some emotional connection with a porn star who's having second thoughts, I wish that the show's producers had looked at the larger picture: Who's buying porn, and why.
The whole societal perspective on porn has shifted over the past three decades: For some boomers, porn's associated with run-down locations in seedy neighborhoods populated by filthy, degenerate men masturbating furiously in darkened theaters. For Gen Xers, it's a video, in our living room, available at clean, well-lit shops a short drive from our houses or just for order via Pay-Per-View. That stigma is gone.
Posted by: Flargh | February 8, 2003 08:47 AM
I have seen a lot of bad journalism and t.v. reporting in my lifetime, but known as bad as those who want to ostracize and crucify Michael Jackson. These reporters seem to have a herd mentalty and they seem to want to capitalize on the fame or infamy, whichever way you would want to look at it, of M.J.The man has broken no law, his weaknes I suppose, is wanting to see children live their lives to the fullest, and because of his staunch upbringing in the Jehovah Witness Faith, spread love around the world regardless of race, creed religion etc.If you go back and retrace his past interviews and insights, you will see that this is what he has always espoused, never once wavering from it. It is unfortunate that there are those in our society who because of greed and jealousy,would attempt to assasinate this man's character, never understanding that regardless of his upbringing, he has been blessed with talents that few of us will ever know.
I suggest to the haters and the WANT TO BE VENDICATERS, to go and get your own fame and or infamy, capitalize on your own strength, and stop USING Michael to get put or keep your name out there, but then again, for some of you, he's probably your only ticket to stardom and if you want to talk about sad, that is very sad. Michael is such a gentleman and so kind, that perhaps he won't say it , so I'll say it for him, no I won't say that, I'll keep it clean, but you people should be ashamed of yourselves. Do as Michael has suggested, go and hug your children, do something nice for neighbors,make the world a better place, each of us, one by one, That's his challenge and it is also mine and the university that I attend, X. U. a wonderful Jesuit School.
For some, I don't think they will be happy until they have completely destroyed him and that is fellow readers is DEMONIC.
Posted by: deb | February 10, 2003 01:26 AM
I hate Martin Bashir. Michael Jackson is loved all over the world and media trys to ruin it. i Michael Jackson is great and i just wished that Michael wouldnt have opened the gates to neverland for him.
Posted by: Anonymous | February 26, 2003 01:58 PM
I hate Martin Bashir. Michael Jackson is loved all over the world and media trys to ruin it. i Michael Jackson is great and i just wished that Michael wouldnt have opened the gates to neverland for him. Michael is truely great, kind, Talented and he dosnt deserve bad publicty
Posted by: Zahra Hussain | February 26, 2003 01:59 PM