Leaving Neverland Is An Intense Smear Campaign

 The 2-part  HBO documentary  Leaving Neverland   on  the legendary Michael Jackson’s  alleged  misconduct  with children,  left me  sickened in  the stomach, and not  only because  of  the unforgivably sexual nature  of  the contact  Jackson  is  alleged  to have made  with the two men,  now in their  30s and  40s who speak about their  fascination and abuse by the musical icon.

My  more immediate response was, why  now? Why are these  men,  obviously feeling some  kind of  cathartic pain as they relive(and relieve)  their childhood  trauma,  sitting and telling us how  Michael Jackson  abused HIS   hospitality. And this happened when  Wade Robson and  James Safechuck were  very young children, so young that they  should’ve  have never been allowed  out of their mother’s  eyesight.

Out  of the womb, and into  Michael Jackson’s room… this is  the  journey that  Robson and Safechuck describe, the latter  decidedly more traumatized  in  appearance than  the  former.The two men sit for  close to four hours  describing how they idolized  Jackson and accepted his sexual abuse because….well… you don’t say no to God.

Or  …do you?  This  documented  smearing campaign left me  unconvinced. Both these  men have earlier testified under oath that Michael Jackson, never—repeat, never—touched  them physically or violated them.What  could have  prompted them to do this volte face  now? The  explanation they give on  camera  are unconvincing.

You decide one  day that  you need  to get  it all out because  you have  children  of  your own? You do  know that  Michael Jackson  is  no  longer alive and  that his estate is worth  billions? I am not insinuating anything. You are.

Leaving Neverland  is  the  worst kind of character assassination. There is  no  voice from the  other  side.  No  one to defend Jackson from these  obscene charges. Did  the  director  think Michael to be indefensible? He  derives  almost sadistic pleasure in demolishing  Jackson’s  image  from  childlike entertainer to  child molestor .

The  documentary tries to  wrench  Michael Jackson’s mythical reputation out of its  musical context and imputes  a monstrous  secretlife to his  persona  wherein he lured little boys into his luscious  lair  and  made them do  unmentionable  things.It’s  an incongruous image, and one that challenges  our very notion of deifying showbiz  figures.

Why must  societies forever in search of  caped crusader,   look at musicians and actors as heroes?And when they are proven to have feet of clay we  want  to punish them  for being all too human.

What  I saw on Robeson and Safechuck’s faces as  they spoke  into the camera  about the dirty doings  of their deity was  more anxiety than  true selfrealization. Anxiety for them  to  take their relived pain seriously. They  know they  don’t sound very convincing.I also saw greed or maybe I just imagined it.But  when I heard  the  mothers of the two alleged  victims speak  about how they turned  a  blind eye  to their  benefactor’s suspicious  doings, I  saw  what the lure of fame  and money  can  do to ordinary workingclass folks.

 Here were  these two bright  little boys, filled with dreams  of becoming stars, patronized and mentored  by  the biggest pop-rock star ever. It’s obvious to all  how  much  such star-power can corrupt and compromise  those who come  into  range  of activity.Wonder how the two boys’ parents  didn’t see what was coming.