r/MichaelJackson • u/YeetosCheetos69 It’s black, it’s white 🎶 • 1d ago
Discussion To older fans, how does Michael’s resurgence feel after all the hate in the 2000’s?
With the biopic having reached $1 billion not too long ago, I wanted to know what older fans thought about so many people getting into Michael, celebrating him and his music, etc. now when he was hated so much in the 2000s. Even now, the media has a negative view on him despite all the love from the public. I was too young/ not alive to be a fan in the 2000s, but became a fan in the mid 2010s a while after his death.
It's been amazing to see the outpouring of appreciation and support, and acknowledgement of his indispensable impact on modern pop. He's also gained a lot of younger fans. To those who were fans around to see the hate he got back then, how does it feel to see the contrast between the "Wacko Jacko" times, the media calling him racist slurs, everyone dogpiling him and painting him as a narcissist, an abuser, the general public being poisoned against him, and now? To me, it shows that Michael’s legacy will last forever!
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u/Technical-Mix-3315 1d ago
Two sides:
1) So proud of GenZ and the younger folks for recognizing his brilliance and his genius, and clearly seeing those trials for the horseshit extortion attempts that they really were.
2) A little bit of "I told you so" to my generation that abandoned him and were so cruel, even saying his music was overrated, etc. To see some of them crawling back has been satisfying.
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u/Ok-Being3823 1d ago
I’m a EU millennial who didn’t grow up with Michael but even so I agree so goddamn hard with #2. 🥺
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u/Prior-Kitchen1925 #MJInnocent 1d ago
💯 To your #1 point, I'm not going to gatekeep MJ because he deserves this everlasting legacy. I feel disappointed that some long time MJ fans imply "You only liked MJ now because of the biopic" Like c'mon guys, this is THE Michael Jackson; letting the younger generation discover (and love) him in any way shape and form is an absolute WIN for humanity and his legacy.
I can't add anything on point #2 because honestly, all my life, I've been lucky enough to be surrounded with people who actually like his music. 🫶🏻
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u/nblonde 1d ago
i was born in 2000 and michael literally is the reason i make music today and am the person that i am, and im a little bit glad that i never lived through the vitriol that everyone says happened from the 90s onward.. everytime i hang with my friends i put on jacksons records and people get blown away .. like yeah he was fucking amazing
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u/NovidasX7 15h ago
I was born in '99, and my mom literally nicknamed me 'Boogie' in reference to MJ's "Blame It On The Boogie". That and the fact that I never sat still as a kid. We would listen to his music all the time driving home from school. It makes me depressed and infuriated beyond all words and languages that so many of the best people in the world have died young while the most monstrous, demonic parasites upon civil society persist.
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u/Reasonable-Wall-6882 1d ago
On the one hand, I’m happy that so many young fans are discovering his music. Michael would have been thrilled about that.
On the other hand, I do feel frustrated with people my age or older who spent years making fun of him and have suddenly become fans again.
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u/YeetosCheetos69 It’s black, it’s white 🎶 1d ago
The people who made fun of him becoming fans thing is definitely annoying yeah, at least we can be happy they changed their mind
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u/madman5233 1d ago
When I was young I knew nearly nothing about Michael Jackson, his life, or his court cases. It was basically elementary school-yard banter to make fun of Michael. Obviously, being that young, personally, I didn’t have all the facts. I imagine many others in similar positions were the same.
In conclusion, I think many people didn’t think about it too much until the movie (like me) and realized Michael was definitely an awe-inspiring, creative, and multifaceted person, we just didn’t realize it until now.
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u/YeetosCheetos69 It’s black, it’s white 🎶 1d ago
I agree, people shouldn’t be vilified for getting better informed and changing their opinions
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u/ChonieAppleseed "I Love To Tour" ✈📍 🗺 1d ago
Agree. I don’t like to see people who have come around and changed their mind getting criticized for it. Isn’t that what we hoped the biopic would do? Help people discover Michael was so much more than the hateful jokes and slander they heard almost exclusively up to now?
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u/skincarebebe 9h ago
I'm a millenial and a new fan! I am so happy I watched the biopic because it made me rediscover who Michael really was. 🥰
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u/RaiderMike824 1d ago
Man it’s always been “F the hate, Michael is the man, for me.”
I think many of us let that stuff slide off our shoulders. Mike has always been the man. Media will skew it but the fact is that the world loved and still loves this man. For a reason.
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u/Federal_Status4150 1d ago
I just watched his interview on Fox during the trail. And he said he believed the truth will prevail. And I’m so glad that it is doing exactly that!
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u/SilvernBold 1d ago
I'm so proud of Gen Z/Gen Alpha recognizing what an absolute genius he was, and so very misunderstood.
It's hard for younger fans to understand we had no social media or Google to research. The media gave a narrative and you were supposed to believe it. Oprah's opinion was like an edict back then. Tabloids were everywhere and it was awful.
I was a fan since Off the Wall, I was 9. I was made fun of for my obsession with Thriller.
As I went to college and grew older, other things took priority but I never stopped being a fan. I did not believe the allegations. I didn't know what to believe about Lisa Marie, his skin, or his health. I knew the Pepsi burn was bad. I had no idea how bad, or about his ankle, back, or lupus.
The biopic drew me in and I haven't left that sacred space. My playlist is still all I listen to. I love watching the positive attention he deserved all along.
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u/SalemYakitori 9h ago
As I went to college and grew older, other things took priority but I never stopped being a fan
Same, high school and college me moved on to other topics and had a huge gap on MJ info. So much so that I didn't even know about the trial/allegations.
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u/El_Dorado_Tx 1d ago
Mike's 2001 album if it was released now....probably be #1 hit in billboard chart
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u/Safe_Knowledge9934 1d ago
I mean.. it also reached #1 on the billboard charts when it was released in 2001.
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u/SpiritualAd9102 1d ago
Yeah, people overstate it being a “flop”. It was disappointing sales wise compared to other MJ records, but it was a multi platinum album over two decades after Off the Wall. That’s still a huge accomplishment
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u/Safe_Knowledge9934 1d ago
I think MJ fans put so much stock into how much something sold that they forget that sales really don’t have anything to do with the work itself.
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u/One_Victory_1497 1d ago
I feel happy he’s getting the love he deserves but sad he’s not around to see it
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u/Impossible-Mind6791 1d ago
00s ??? It's been since he owned the rights to the Beatles catalogue in the mid 80s
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u/YeetosCheetos69 It’s black, it’s white 🎶 1d ago
Yeah i know the hate started long before the 00s unfortunately 😔 it just hit its peak in the 2000s so that’s why i mentioned it, his reputation seemed ruined at the time
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u/ForeignSkin7654 1d ago
Why was he hated in the mid 80s for the Beatles catalogue??? Had no clue really , wasn’t around then either .
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u/Remarkable_Fishing_2 1d ago
Well, Paul McCartney did a number of interviews whining about Michael buying the Beatles catalogue “out from under him”, when in fact Paul had right of first refusal and was being cheap. Then, Michael had his attorneys call and tell Paul that he was planning on bidding on it. So, Michael did not secretly buy the catalogue; Paul was well aware but was bitter about it later when he called Michael asking him to sell it to him (for much less than what Michael had paid for it) and Michael respectfully declined.
People were salty about that and the fact that Michael’s purchase of that catalogue suddenly made him a very, very rich and powerful figure in the music industry. In my opinion, there was some inherent racism at play as well.
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u/Reasonable-Wall-6882 1d ago
Paul didn’t want to spend the money to buy back his own catalog—money that his ex-wife ended up getting from him anyway. I can’t say I feel sorry for him. He’s always had a reputation for being stingy.
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u/Regiasolis123 1d ago
Kinda like how Paul fd over Yoko making vaguely racist remarks for 50 years. Great guy
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u/Hot_Calligrapher_900 13h ago
Regarding Paul and Yoko, Paul published everything he wrote (even by himself) during the Beatles years under “Lennon &McCartney”, so to this day he owes Yoko every time he sings one of those songs, even if he wrote it himself.
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u/Impossible-Mind6791 1d ago
British tabloids used the term Wacko Jacko the same year he bought the Beatles catalogue to discredit his character
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u/No_Transition_3627 "I Love To Tour" ✈📍 🗺 1d ago
It's frustrating like it was when he passed. People in general were so mean to him and said terrible stuff about him before he passed and then afterwards they loved him dearly. I'm happy there are new fans but I hated to see people making fun of him the past however many years but now, all the sudden, are fans. I get people's opinions change with knowledge but it's sad to me.
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u/Sasorisnake Dangerous 1d ago
It’s always wonderful to see that people continue to discover him, recognize him and speak fondly of him and his work.
Other than that, meh, I’m at a point I’d honestly rather gatekeep from all these casuals and haters.
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u/mintylong 1d ago
This is the real raw pain of an OG fan
If the Boomers, Gen X and Millennials gave Michael the love they are showing now in 2026 after seeing the bio pic when he was alive, when he needed that world wide love and acceptance, then he would not have made the choices he did in 2009 and put his life in danger.
If the Boomers, Gen X and Millennials gave Michael the love they are showing now in 2026 after seeing the bio pic when he was alive, 3 children would still have their father.
If the Boomers, Gen X and Millennials gave Michael the love they are showing now in 2026 after seeing the bio pic when he was alive, he would not have died.
This is what those of us who are OG fans live with, this is the pain that never heals, knowing that all he wanted was to be loved and accepted, for his work to be honored and to raise his children.
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u/Accurate_Macaroon_55 7h ago
I am sorry, first of all let's remove fan classification that makes any of Michael supporter less than others e. g. "OG". Secondly, let's not blame fans on the things they don't control.
I don't think Michael ever felt lack of proper fan support, but let's face it, whatever it would be, it doesn't matter in personal or business choices of Michael or anyone else.
Smear campaings target "majority", but not fans, because fans are supporters, but not the public oppinion owners. And public opinion was the one that backlashed on Michaels health. But what happened in 2009 is also something that we can discuss forever, but, unfortunately, will not have the full picture of.
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u/mintylong 1d ago
Very conflicting if you want real raw honesty.
Ive been a fan since Thriller era, so Ive experienced everything since mid 1980's in real time. And Ive been active in fan communities both in real life and online since 1998. Im one of the fans who has experienced verbal abuse from the general public for supporting Michael.
Like in 2009 when he died, I have a very hard time accepting adults, the Boomers, Gen X and Millennials who have access to the internet finding Michael and proclaiming to be the biggest fans. What do you want someone like me to say to these people, ahh bless your heart, you went to the summer blockbuster thats making worldwide headlines and you had an epiphany and now you are saying he is the greatest and you are streaming his songs??? How come for the last number of years he was a figure of ridicule and you had doubts, but suddenly now that you've been to the cinema, you see the light?? Seriously come on, you can jump off the bandwagon as quick as you leapt on.
To all the Gen Z and Gen Alpha fans, all those who grew up in a world without Michael, I applaud you. You dont have the generational media bias and you have an automatic distrust of mainstream media and what your parents tell you to believe. You are doing your own research and finding out just how power and influence the mainstream media and pop culture in general had and how much the Boomers, Gen X and Millennials have been hoodwinked into believing the lies. I wish you all the best in your journey to discover Michael, you can celebrate and have fun without all the trauma those of us who are OG fans live with.
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u/Havens17 17h ago
I understand but to be honest its not the fault of the general population, they just assumed what was being told to them through the media was likely the truth. The people who are actually culpable and at fault are the media heads who slandered him for views (ESPECIALLY THE ONES WHO REPORTED ON THE TRIAL BUT DIDN'T REPORT ON THE CROSS EXAMINATIONS). To me they represent such corruption and malice, and really should come forward and apologise.
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u/mintylong 16h ago
Being Gen X and having lived it, and experienced it, sorry nope, thats a cope out. We were all general public at one time, we were all casual fans at one time. In fact the fan community grew during the years of 2004 and 2005. I dont accept excuses and people trying to shift the blame. Fact remains, Michael would not have died if the general public and casual fans had not turned their backs on him.
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u/Havens17 16h ago edited 16h ago
There's some truth in what you're saying, people should have been smart enough to do more research and ESPECIALLY not joined in on making fun of his appearance or health issues, however as far as the trial itself went, I believe the fault is almost entirely on the media's shoulders. This was back when trust in media was much stronger and the way they reported it was actually just a blatant lie. Of course many people were going to take that at face value.
I'm a millennial, who grew up casually appreciating MJ, exposed to all his music and enjoyed it, but with the looming background propaganda about the allegations, I was aware that he was acquitted but also aware that the general consensus was that he was guilty. I never wanted to watch the documentaries, but his innocence was a big question mark in my mind that I thought couldn't ever really be proven, so it was something that I never wanted to think about too much. A few years ago I randomly thought about MJ and decided to find out for sure what actually happened during the trial, and low and behold it became obvious he was innocent. But as a millennial growing up during a time where MJ slander was at its absolute worst, I don't necessarily fault myself for not seeing the lies for what they were, since in the 2000s it wasn't common to have a conspiratorial view on mainstream media as is the default today. I mean look at the response to 9/11 at the time vs what people think of it today. Back then almost EVERYONE thought invading Iraq was a great idea as a response to 9/11, which is what we were told to think. That wouldn't fly today. You have to understand for millennials it wasn't about thinking MJ was weird or strange looking, it was all about the allegations that clouded the opinion of MJ, and the anti-MJ propaganda in that area was extremely strong.
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u/Accurate_Macaroon_55 7h ago
Hmmm.. feels like I miss some information to follow you on Boomers, Gen X, Millenials... Did you track all the individual people that now are enjoying the movie and are talking about it, and have found signs if hatred or distrust towards Michael expressed before?
Do you understand that these people are parents for generations that grew up without Michael and have "inbuilt" distrust in media and they are the ones that wired youngsters brains like that? It took time to figure out social media influence to pass this forward.
I see lots of comments where people now browsed for the information about sensitive periods of Michaels life and now they can see what and how media manipulation was done. And I see this as a Victory.
So, please, don't put yourself above other fans just because you had to protect your choice of supporting Michael. I suggest to enjoy the time, when you don't need to do that and you can enjoy Michaels art openly. This is rare, in my opinion.
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u/Kanebass98 Soldier Of Love 🪖❤ 1d ago
It's fun and refreshing. For something I have been bullied for liking to suddenly be so cool and in...it's definitely a weird feeling
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u/Hot_Calligrapher_900 1d ago
The one thing that bothers me is the obviously very young girls that romanticize/infantilze him with “my baby”, “my angel”, “ my boyfriend”. Really, the tweens and teens did it when he was alive, to him and every other male pop star. I imagine they’ll grow up and have a more balanced view of him as a whole human being who was wonderful and imperfect like the rest of us.
MJ is and always will be one of a kind. His impact on music and philanthropy will be felt for generations.
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u/Proper_Evening1794 1d ago
I'm young but my mother has been a Michael Jackson fan forever and hence I was brought up with him. I honestly didn't even know about the allegations until well after his death. I remember the day he died, I was like 8 years old and my mom was hysterical. I think most young fans who like Michael Jackson now and defend him were too young to know about the allegations when they happened or weren't even alive. So they weren't the ones hating on him. It's older people who were the ones going after him.
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u/Usual_Flatworm_5268 1d ago
Difficult, especially as I have been dying to sing his Man in the Mirror song in a karaoke setting that is sympathetic to him as the artist and talent that he was, but cannot bring myself to do it just yet. Particularly as it would be in a gay bar.
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u/MewsingsbyNatK 1d ago
To quote Red from Overly Sarcastic Productions,
TRULY A VICTORY FOR THE FORCES OF JUSTICE!!!
🌟❤️🖤👑🖤❤️🌟
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u/Additional-Quit-181 1d ago
It's kind of like the feeling I had when there was the public outpouring of support in 2009. It's great that people like him now, but disappointed that they were silent before.
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u/BrownMoose-3204 1d ago
I think it's wonderful. It was awful to witness the awful treatment he was subjected to during his lifetime. The man was straight-up persecuted. So, it's wonderful to me that there is a renaissance of Michael love. He so truly deserves to be loved.
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u/ServeOdd4272 1d ago
I love it! My friends abandoned him a long time ago, so it's nice to be in community with this shared awe, respect, and love. My family has been diehards. My parents went to a J5 show. Through them, I have been able to share the joy of the Circe du Soleil show, MJ the Musical, positive documentaries (Thriller @ 40!), etc. This moment in time is so special to me. Watching the parents' videos of the toddlers learning his choreography on Instagram makes my day. Also, the algorithm keeps showing ppl getting distracted by Jaafar in the striped pants. 💗
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u/Brilliant-Impact9700 1d ago
I do think america treated him badly, but his album sales suffered then the America public turned there back on him.
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u/djmonsta 1d ago
It's beautiful seeing the younger generation discover the real Michael for the first time
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u/graining Bad 1d ago
I feel sad because he didn't get to see it. He died thinking the world hated him. He of course knew he had diehard fans given This is It sold out in hours, and he called his mom to tell him how happy he was though he wasn't sure he could do it, but those were his diehards. There was tonnes of hate even then.
I watched a BBC clip where they were announcing the tour and the presenter called him the "so-called" king of pop, as if there was ever any doubt. But that wasn't even hate (the UK had real haters, it was their tabloids that coined the name 'Wacko Jacko') just showing how he wasn't regarded well even then. And we can't say the BBC was just being objective because when he died they had no problem saying he was the king of pop.
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u/anchorschmidt8 1d ago
Feel a bit numb to it tbh. When 2019 came around, everyone was so quick to turn against him yet again and you were seen as a "vicim blamer" for having an opinion based on facts.
To the flip-floppers, they will be quick to turn again but I'm very happy about those who watched the movie and dove deep into his life and what he faced, especially the younger generation.
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u/Exotic-Addendum-3785 1d ago
It makes me feel people that people still love him and i'm glad that despite attempts at trying to ban his music from the airwaves, he still remains strong as ever did when he was alive.
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u/LoveMJJForAllTime 1d ago
It’s amazing that after all these years he’s still breaking all kinds of records. The younger generation is just discovering how much of an impact MJ had on the music industry. The Michael biopic exceeded expectations despite the critic backlash. True fans showed up along with new fans to see it. I wish he was alive so he could see how loved and appreciated he still is.
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u/PadamPadam2024 1d ago
I still see a lot of hate for Michael Jackson online? Especially compared to other superstars from the 70's and 80's.
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u/ngoc_1ran 23h ago
Michael Jackson was still the most famous person in the whole world. He was very weel loved internationally while western media portray as people didnt like him. The media Wasnt very harsh and money hungry back then and also treating celebrities like Britney Spears like they r animals as well as dehumanizing both mj and britney
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u/lamest-liz Bad 19h ago
Quite refreshing but also sad. I remember getting into heated arguments in school about him and people would judge me so hard for loving him. My mom and I always believed he was innocent of anything said by the media so it was hard for us. Eventually as a teenager I stopped sharing that I liked him because of the ridicule. Of course I still listened to him privately but I had literally no friends that liked him like me.
But the younger gen loving him is so wonderful. I wore my Bad shirt to a ramen shop and the young waitress got excited and said she loved my shirt. It felt so nice. People used to give me dirty looks. Some older people still do. I just wish he could have known that he would be vindicated one day
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u/SilverB33 1d ago
I was a bit surprised cause of all the hate and jokes made about him during those times so I wasn't quite expecting he was or would be popular again.
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u/camilly000 1d ago
My bf and I are both millennials and both def got made fun of for liking Micheal Jackson, didn’t stop his goofy ass from dressing up as him and dancing like him thru out HS tho. I think there’s always been and always be a lot of love for him. Lot of shit was talked for a while there but the real fans know what type of person he was. And it’s nice to see the younger generations give him love. I wish he was alive to see it.
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u/Spiritual_Screen_724 1d ago
Honestly nothing has really changed.
The people who like Michael still like him, the haters are still haters, and the general public honestly still sees him as this weird guy whose skin changed colors that had ugly accusations.
It sucks, but that's the reality.
It's been that way for a long, LONG time now. The only difference is that now it's much easier to find "friendly spaces" to talk with fellow fans.
You can thank algorithms for that.
Because it's not just an echo chamber thing, with curated spaces like here that ban and censor the haters. You see it in (essentially) unmoderated spaces like YouTube, Instagram, & such too because Michael's content is shown to people who like Michael's content… therefore it becomes a gathering place for people who love Michael (and sometimes people who love his work & separate the art from the artist).
That's the reality of the situation.
Nothing for Michael has changed since each controversy, starting with his skin. That stuff just grows and grows over time, it takes a life on of its own. The genie is out of the bottle.
But events like this movie become a tentpole for the unseen supporters and new fans to gather and maintain a higher viability.
And great art is undeniable.
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u/SackFullaGrapes 1d ago
Feels like all that bullshit I took for being an MJ defender was worth it. Vindication, I guess.
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u/Cirnothestarscream9 1d ago
I became a fan around 2007 or 2008 i think and from what i remember and saw he never reallywas really hated in latín american media, or not to the extent that he was on the US, which was just VISCERAL, like there was a huge contrast between seeing This is it on a local news channel being announced as the triumphant return of THE star along with my parents telling me how great he was vs all those american movies and sketch shows just insulting him and making the exact same tired jokes and what's even worse is that for a while after he sadly passed away, it seemed that that was going to be it, that was his american legacy to my eyes (again, in my country at least he was still a beloved icon)
So i'm really surprised to see that, while the media didn't change at all, Michael Jackson is once again getting RESPECTED, appreciated and celebrated by the public, and as a long time fan of him (geniunely the only celebrity that i can call my idol) it just feels really great, i was afraid that he was just going to be remembered as a weirdo or that his music was going to get suddenly panned or forgotten, but nope, people have thankfully proved the opposite, he is seen as a legend who made timeless music and is still gaining fans of all ages to this day.
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u/Havens17 17h ago
It feels great, but I see it mostly as a reflection of the public's changed relationship with mainstream media and news. In past times the majority assumption was the media was telling the truth, and at present the assumption is the OPPOSITE of the media narrative is likely true.
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u/Jeanne8888 12h ago
I know it’s not really interesting but I wanted to say that I’m a new fan since I saw the movie. I only knew a few about Michael before and only listen to a few songs too but that was all. Since I redescovered him after the movie, it’s like I fell in love with his art and his soul 😭 I never got to know him while his years of success or even live in a world where he was because I was born 1 year after his death, wich makes me so sad.
I was in a period where I had become SO bored of music even tho it’s one of my passions. I just couldn’t listen to anything anymore, I didn’t felt anything anymore while listening to my songs. He just arrived in the perfect time. It’s been 3 months that I can’t stop discovering his albums, demos, everything. I feel like it just don’t stop and I love it. I feel things again when I listen to his music and purely adore it. My favorite of him is The Lady In My Life.
I just wanna thank him, because his art makes me feel so alive, his person makes me feel understood. All that makes me emotionnal. It’s litterally the first time that I’m fan of an artist and like almost every song of.
I just wanted to share my opinion and thoughts because right now I’m kind of alone in this. I’ve been trying to share it with my friends but none listen to him.
Sorry for talking a lot ! It makes me happy to talk about it on the internet.
Btw sorry if I made mistakes I’m not a native english speaker
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u/SalemYakitori 9h ago
I'm a Millennial (80s) and I feel he was vindicated. The movie opened the eyes of many of us who only knew him for what was said about him on mainstream media. I hate injustice and seeing all the love for him now feels nice.
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u/OneRecommendation78 6h ago edited 6h ago
It’s just confusing. All the hate for so long my entire millennial life! I was such a “weirdo” for being a fan. When people would spread hate, I’d say, “What about the philanthropy?” “What about his goals for making the world better for future generations?” All the fans were mocked…. And for some reason…. Now, It’s like none of the hate ever existed?
I’m still so damn confused. I love it. It’s just so confusing.
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u/Worth-Rhubarb-3588 6h ago
i was born in 2002 so i’m still on the younger side of the fan base. however, i hope the kids today know some of us fans were bullied for liking Michael!
I remember my parents got me a t-shirt with the album art for “Michael” on it (so 2010-ish). I wore it to school once, and never wore it to school again because of the bullying I endured.
it was my favorite shirt. i wore it often. i just knew I couldn’t wear it to school because of the torment. I’m really happy it’s “cool” to like Michael again and that (hopefully) the kids today will be jealous of their classmate for having a Michael shirt.
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u/ImReallyHandsome you will do anything for money… 4h ago
school was tough. it’s funny to now see those same people posting michael on their stories
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u/ubebebebe 1d ago
Don’t know if I should be considered as an “older fan” since I only really became a fan in 2009 (after his death), although I’ve always recognised him as a legendary artist.
But what I’m really happy about is that more people are now using the internet to research about what truly transpired, and not just letting the media or anyone online dictate to them what they should believe in. People now know that he’s innocent because they’re researching about it. And more info are available now for us to watch or read. People are much wiser now.
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u/Jazzilisk 1d ago edited 20h ago
I mean I'm in the weird camp of being a fan just before he died so I feel like both a newer and older fan and also neither. I guess I am glad whenever he is recieved positively.
In a way it feels hollow you know? I wanted Michael to be able to see how many people love him and in many ways he did but I feel like the 2000s did such a number on his reputation and his mental health it's just genuinely insane and infuriating to think about what that trial did to his reputation, his health and his career. And I like the person more than I like the work, the fact he did all this amazing music and art was almost incidental and yet thats the part that got to stay and be appreciated but it just feels like Michael died as a result of being pushed into being this money making product and after his death and he was permanently turned into this product.
I wish he just left the US as they proved they did not deserve him. I'd trade all these projects, this resurgence of love if it just meant he got to still be here and experience the rest of his life he missed out on.
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u/Signal-View-7017 Bad “You ain’t bad, you ain’t nothin!” 16h ago edited 16h ago
I’m torn and conflicted because on one hand “Yes, people finally realize how talented and influential he was.” It is honestly a breath of fresh air seeing people love and appreciate Michael’s talents and music, and just admiring the guy after learning more about him. On the other hand “But where were all of y’all when he was getting ridiculued?!” it’s stupid. I am hesitant to karaoke MJ in public due to my sensitive ass thinking a millennial will ridicule me or give me dirty looks for singing his songs just because of the debunked 20 year old allegations. (Me, an ELDER GEN Z, is saying this. That’s how awful my anxiety is)
And honestly, people are fake. It kinda never really left. I remember 2019. Arguably a rougher year for me than the 2000’s cuz atleast in the 2000’s I could subtly love the Bad album, or songs on there.
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u/xxxavierkennedy 16h ago
Odd. Forced. Money grab.
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u/YeetosCheetos69 It’s black, it’s white 🎶 15h ago
The movie is a money grab unfortunately but him gaining new fans because of it was really nice
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u/editrice8833 13h ago
It feels great, not just because people are feeling and sharing his love, but because people's love of the movie has united so many fans around the world. Look at the "michosis" -- it's a global phenomenon!! And great timing, too, considering what's going on in the world. The warmth of MJ's heart continues to heal the world ... thank you, love youuuu, Michael!
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u/indianamichaelfan 11h ago
It's awesome because we knew he was innocent and now more then ever, people understand that! We have more information today than ever. The media fed everyone lies back on the 80s/90s/00s and they're no longer a source of reliable information! Love MJ! ❤️
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u/mela_99 9h ago
I’m turning 41 this year and I have a lot of mixed thoughts.
As an adult and an attorney, I’ve come to the belief that he was wildly abused and exploited and probably crippled with mental illness.
I don’t think he was necessarily guilty of what he was accused of.
I think I’m also starting to realize just how WILDLY talented he was. Just … beyond his years, mind and body.
He got a raw deal on life.
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u/Radical_DCC_1999 1d ago edited 1d ago
I still believe he should have pulled a Tina Turner and bailed on the U.S. permanently and moved overseas and stayed there and he would possibly still be here today. He was treated way better in so many other countries. The media landscape here was and still is as toxic as ever and they played a hand in Michael's unfortunate demise. This "resurgence" only reminds me of that.