Warning: This post contains descriptions of physical child abuse.
There is absolutely no excuse for the deplorable acts of child abuse Michael Jackson allegedly committed as an adult.
It is, however, clear that Michael Jackson experienced abuse as a child.
The beatings he received from his father, Joe Jackson, have long been reported. But according to various sources, including the man himself, the trauma Michael experienced as a kid extended far beyond what you might have heard.
“He was rough.” Joe Jackson’s regular beatings.
Cracks may had already formed, but the facade of Michael Jackson and his siblings’ idyllic family life came crashing down in 1991 when La Toya Jackson published her memoir Growing Up in the Jackson Family.
In the book, and in subsequent media interviews, Michael’s sister shared how she was sexually abused by her father Joe Jackson, and her brother was beaten.
“You know all those big awards shows? Michael would go, get all these awards and go home and get beaten up by Joseph. It was embarrassing,” La Toya told Associated Press in 1991. “It didn’t matter how old you were. If he’s mad, my father would just punch you.”
Top Comments
Oh, seriously! He had a better (and more luxurious) childhood than many. I know of people who were whipped and beaten ferociously, whose father was an alcoholic, who had to rely on St Vincent de Paul to get boxes of food, some whose parents spent all their money on drugs, some whose parents were so dysfunctional that one of the boys brought a frozen pie to school to eat for breakfast. I am so sick and tired of the pooooor MJ, 'have you seen his childhood?' I've seen many childhoods, and he didn't have it too bad, considering. It was just a cover, an excuse so he could a) gain access to children, and b) molest them in plain sight - because he had spun the "Have you seen my childhood?" narrative so tightly, so elaborately, so manipulatively that people believe he couldn't have done it. And he fooled a lot of people.
Some of the childhoods I have heard of? well, I bet Michael wouldn't have lasted 2 days in the real world.
Plenty of privileged people suffer abuse - it's not as though one must be dirt poor AND abused in order to qualify somehow.
Michael grew up into an abusive monster whose behaviour was inexcusable, but I also have no trouble with acknowledging that as a kid, he was the victim of abuse. Yes, he was rich. But yes, he was also abused.
Surely you can admit that being in the public eye continuously from the age of 6 can have adverse effects and totally outside the experience of almost every other kid growing up?
You can throw a stone and the chances are you will hit someone with the everyday hardships you mention as part of growing up.
I don't even like Michael Jackson nor defend him, but the unique surreal upbringing he had and then to try comparing it to the crap many kids face is not really the same thing.
Does that apply to the kids that MJ abused too?
I guess the way he abused them wasn't that bad, many people have it much worse....
I think its possible to acknowledge that Jackson was abused as a child and had a horrible childhood and also acknowledge that it isn't an excuse to abuse other people or children.