by Dr Victoria PhD

Created on: July 12, 2009

Some of you may not know this about me, but I'm a HUGE Michael Jackson fan. Thriller was the first album I ever had. We had it on vinyl, and my whole family played the hell out of it. Even my grandma liked him, and when we saw Captain EO at Disney World, she talked about it for years after that. What's even more amazing is that my grandma asked my mom and dad to call her during the 1993 Super Bowl so that she wouldn't miss his performance! Needless to say, Michael Jackson was a big part of my life since age 7.

Michael Jackson was a phenomenal performer whose influence knows no bounds. His death is a great loss to the entertainment world. He was an amazing songwriter, singer, dancer, and choreographer.

He was also a very troubled person whose father robbed him of his childhood. Not only that, but imperfection and error were not acceptable in the Jackson household. Michael Jackson commented that when he and his brothers would make a mistake in their singing, they could hear the sound of their father's belt twirling over his head. So yes, I feel sympathy and pity for Michael Jackson.

Now, that is not to say that he wasn't eccentric and made bad choices. It wasn't a good idea for him to have sleepovers with children during which they slept in the same bed as he. That just doesn't look good, especially in a society where anyone showing compassion to children is suspect by default, but I don't think it was mal-intentioned. I think that since he missed out on his childhood, he tried to compensate for it in his adult life. He never got to play like other children, go to amusement parks, etc., so he was trying to make up for the lack. At least that's how I see it.

Yes, he had a motion sensor outside his bedroom, but he's Michael Jackson. If I were a celebrity, I'd have one to protect me from stalkers and keep out people I don't want in my bedroom. I don't think the existence of the motion sensor itself is evidence of pedophilia or anything else suspect, however.

It's the parents' motives that I question. If I were a mother, there is no way in HELL I'd settle out of court with the abuser of my children. I woudn't rest until justice was served and I knew my child was safe. There would be no amount of money in the world that I'd accept or even want if it were my child.

But that's just my opinion. I'm not trying to change anyone's mind or impose my opinions on anyone. I'm just explaining how I see things.

RIP, Michael. I miss you and hope you've found peace and happiness.

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