Throughout much of his adult life, Michael Jackson chose to be in the company of young unrelated children, mostly boys, some of whom spent extensive one-on-one time in his private quarters and bed. This situation alone should raise concerns for any normal, civilized adult. However, there exists a distinct group known as Michael Jackson stans, or more specifically, the cult of celebrity.
These individuals not only admire Jackson, but they are fixated on glorifying every aspect of his persona. They find it inconceivable that Jackson could have committed any wrongdoing, including sexually exploiting children. To them, he was simply reliving the childhood he never had.
Instead of facing the truth, or at the very least, acknowledging that Jackson was a deeply flawed individual, they choose to propagate conspiracy theories and false information to uphold the idealized image of their dead idol. Any accusation against him or any evidence gathered by law enforcement is either downplayed or twisted into a conspiracy.
In their perspective, everyone except Jackson is a liar attempting to extort him or the estate. For instance, Jordan Chandler, Jackson's initial accuser, has been targeted with degrading conspiracy theories and misinformation. This includes allegations that he was drugged by his father with Sodium Amytal and implanted with false memories of abuse. Additionally, the multimillion-dollar settlement, funded directly by Michael Jackson himself, is portrayed as being coerced by a mysterious insurance company, effectively preventing Jackson from clearing his name. Furthermore, despite law enforcement's confirmation that Jordan's description of discoloration on Jackson's genitalia matched, staunch supporters insist that it was a complete mismatch without any credible evidence.
Shifting focus to Wade Robson, James Safechuck, and the documentary Leaving Neverland, these men have been subjected to an insane amount of baseless claims. These have not only originated from Jackson's fervent supporters, but also from the Jackson estate and family. It is implied that they are solely seeking a large monetary settlement in the region of hundreds of millions of dollars. However, factual evidence demonstrates that both men have spent nearly a decade struggling to bring their cases to court, facing numerous obstacles along the way. Even if James and Wade do eventually succeed in proving that they were sexually abused by Jackson, any monetary compensation would be decided by a judge and jury, not themselves.
These supporters also argue that Jackson's 2005 acquittal of molesting Gavin Arvizo, due to reasonable doubt, implies his complete innocence. However, proving sexual assault in court is extremely challenging, especially when key figures refuse to cooperate. Additionally, Jackson's refusal to undergo cross-examination and the 2013 admission by key witness Wade Robson that he falsely denied the abuse because he was unable to disclose after years of grooming and seduction, raise doubts about relying solely on that verdict.
Another baseless and erroneous assertion is that the FBI conducted a thorough 10-year investigation of Michael Jackson before declaring him completely innocent. However, a brief review of the introductory page on the FBI's website confirms that they never investigated Jackson, but only offered technical assistance to local law enforcement when needed. The hypocrisy lies in the fact that Jackson's defenders willingly cite the FBI, a government law-enforcement agency, to exonerate him, while disregarding the opinions of the Santa Barbara and LA police departments, which regarded Jackson as a predatory child molester.
Perhaps the most egregious assertion is the use of other boys (now men) who claim their relationship with him was entirely innocent, thus insinuating that all other accusers must be lying. It is possible that Jackson did have inappropriate yet completely innocent relationships with other boys, or there could be a strong possibility, similar to James and Wade, that these men are either physically unable or unwilling to publicly admit any wrongdoing by a man they admired. In either case, since they were not present when others reported abuse, their opinion holds very little weight.
It is truly disheartening and regrettable that certain segments of society are more inclined to venerate and idolize Jackson rather than acknowledge his shortcomings and highly questionable conduct with children, even long after his death. This platform aims to shed light on the conspiracies and misinformation propagated by Jackson apologists, but most of all, to educate people about the extreme complexities surrounding child sexual abuse.
