Boy Behind The Mask, Sarah Weaver, acrylic on gessoed illustration board, 18'' x 24''

I feel like there were a few parties at play.

  • Those who stood by MJ, despite all accusations (a small group)

  • those who hated MJ (a small group)

  • everyone else in the world, who had no idea how to react without knowing the full story about the king of pop (99% of the universe, other galaxies included)

No news had really come out at the time about his "criminal issues", so everyone who has appreciated his music felt justified in praising his life. For the same reasons, those who sought to decry him said nothing. "Neutrals" also said nothing out of respect for the dead.

I remember thinking the same thing as you, with the severe shift in public opinion on a suddenly dead man, but I think it's understandable.

I still don't know what MJ's deal was. I know he was an abused and exploited child, which sucks, and I know a lot of (financially based) accusations against him were dropped or regretted, but I feel like a lot of it was/could have been true. If the guy wasn't the source of a ton of great classic songs, I feel like his scrutiny would have been far less ambiguous.

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