Leaving Neverland on HBO
Has the self-proclaimed King of Pop finally been dethroned?
Leaving Neverland, HBO’s two-part Michael Jackson documentary, directed by Dan Reed, is out. It focuses on the stories of two Michael Jackson child protégé’s, James Safechuck and Wade Robson. There’s no way to unpack everything here, so here’s what you should know.
Safechuck’s and Robson’s stories are tough. In fact, they’re brutal. What the two boys were allegedly subjected to under the instruction of Jackson is . . . I’m not sure I have the right word for it. I’ll settle on grisly. What they (and probably far too many others young boys) were subjected to was grisly. Consider yourself warned.
You can blame the mothers. And you should. But be careful and be kind. Placed in perspective Michael Jackson was, literally, the biggest star in the world. Think about that. He was famous for his talent . . . not the number of his Instagram followers. And he was paying attention to their family! I’m not sure there’s a modern equivalent.
I defy anyone who wouldn’t be star struck by that.
You can puff out your chest and say, “I would never do such a thing.” I don’t know if that’s being completely honest. As a culture we have always been too easily star struck. And I feel it’s worse now.
And look, both mothers cop to the mistakes they made and admit to scratching their heads as Jackson’s predatory behavior began to intensify. Unfortunately, they were both so enamored with everything that they themselves were experiencing that they accepted things that no typical soccer mom would accept from a seemingly benign neighbor. And when both women find out what happened to their sons, there is very real pain and anger.
Some may say Jackson was never convicted of any impropriety with a child. True. He settled out of court in the 90’s for a rumored 20 million dollars. And he was found “not guilty” in the case against him in 2005. But let’s be very clear here, only Jackson and his legal team ever declared him “innocent”.
“Not guilty” is not the same as innocent.
Jackson’s behavior was always tossed aside with “he never had a childhood” or it was the “quirky benign behavior of a genius”. And sure, Jackson didn’t have a childhood, he was a musical genius and he could be quirky.
But he was also savvy and very manipulative. To accomplish everything that he did in life he had to be!
As good as this documentary is, it doesn’t solve anything. What can truly be solved? The best we can hope for now is to learn and to heal and those are both good things. I’m also not sure this documentary will change anyone’s mind. You’re either going to believe James Safechuck and Wade Robson or you’re not. I do.
Like Surviving R. Kelly what Leaving Neverland does is add more names to an ever growing list or stories about and ever growing list of horrible men. There is something to be learned in these stories and culturally, I hope we learn them.
Leaving Neverland is important because it adds more pieces of the puzzle to the life of Michael Jackson. It brings the picture of the man, not the artist, into better focus. And that man was a monster. Truly.
I’m still not sure what to do with the art.
Some will call him sick. Some will call his behavior unhealthy. Others will simply call it lies.
But there is a word for it and the word is pedophilia.
