The denial of MJ superfans is staggering
With the Leaving Neverland doco set to air this weekend, loyal Michael Jackson fans have unleashed an aggressive campaign to attack anyone who dares side with the victims, myself included, writes Cameron Adams.
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Last week I wrote a column previewing the documentary Leaving Neverland that busts some of the self-created mythology built around Michael Jackson.
The film is the story of two men, Australian Wade Robson and American James Safechuck, who — over several hours of TV — methodically explain how, they allege, Jackson groomed and then sexually molested them when they were children.
It’s a documentary Michael Jackson fans have known was coming for several years.
And the most rabid Jackson fans have gone into the kind of frenzy you see in those doomsday prepper reality shows.
My story was fairly passive — literally pointing out the documentary is going to shock many people as their accounts are seriously graphic and destroy any myths about Jackson being asexual.
And if you think those stories from the staff on 60 Minutes and Sunday Night were spicy, they were Play School by comparison to what’s in Leaving Neverland.
But the fans, who have been labelled Michael Jackson Truthers — the same way there’s 9/11 Truthers — have rallied around and bombarded me with emails and tweets for simply daring to suggest Michael Jackson was anything other than just a big kid who loved little kids. But not in *that* way.
The problem is, most of these were sent before any of them had seen Leaving Neverland.
And many of the most devoted MJ fans pride themselves on the fact they’re boycotting it.
Ten points for defending your idol. You can’t deny the passion, even in the face of an incoming storm.
It’s a tough one. Any Michael Jackson stan (the term for superfans coined after the Eminem song) has had a lifetime of defending the artist’s various eccentricities. As odd as he was, there was always the incredible music to negate whatever problem people may have had with his lifestyle choices.
MORE FROM CAMERON ADAMS: Why I’m done with Michael Jackson
But a documentary where two men detail what they allege actually happened behind closed doors? The most famous superstar in the world being the most famous paedophile in the world? That’s a deal breaker for most people.
It’s hard to separate the guy that sang Pretty Young Thing and Smooth Criminal from the alleged predator who traded in boys for a younger model when they reached puberty.
The MJ Truthers have a script — trust me, I’ve seen it plenty of times from plenty of accounts. And they’re all friends with someone in the Jackson family or have some connection to them.
Wade Robson is a liar, they say. He testified for Jackson in court. He took too long to reveal his sexual abuse. Jackson was found innocent in a court. The documentary is too one sided, they claim.
You can choose whatever side of the narrative you want. You can choose to victim shame Jackson (he’s not here to defend himself, let him rest in peace) or Robson and Safechuck (they just want a payday from the estate).
MORE FROM CAMERON ADAMS: When do you give up on your favourite artist?
No one is perfect on either side of the debate, and the Michael Jackson estate hasn’t exactly covered itself in glory when it comes to treating his fans with respect. A posthumous album was released with a Michael Jackson soundalike on several tracks.
Jackson, like many stars, was surrounded by an entourage who used him as a walking ATM. The man tragically died a drug addict, which makes you wonder about what was going on around him in his final years.
The reason the MJ stans are in such damage control is also because they know, deep down, that there’s plenty of people who don’t buy the myth he was just a 30-year-old man who liked to have sleepovers with seven-year-old boys.
In America, where the movie has now aired, there’s already been a split reaction. The worst case result for the MJ stans is that a lot of people believe Robson and Safechuck. Even Oprah is on board supporting Jackson’s victims — which means she too has been targeted, and has been subjected to these fanatics digging up vintage photos of her with Harvey Weinstein and circulating them. It’s almost like they watched the Scientology documentary Going Clear for tips on how to control a narrative you don’t like.
MORE FROM CAMERON ADAMS: To stand or not to stand: the great concert question
Like it or not, while 2019 should have been the year we marked 10 years since Jackson died, unfortunately for the superfans, Leaving Neverland will change a lot of people’s opinions of Michael Jackson, and there’s nothing their bitter Twitter campaign can do about it.
And don’t be surprised if Michael Jackson songs and videos start moonwalking out of pop culture. At least we’ll always have Janet.
Leaving Neverland airs on Channel 10 this Friday and Saturday at 8.30pm.
Cameron Adams is a national music writer for News Corp. @cameron_adams
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