The question about Michael Jackson being an anti-semite or not was often discussed before his tragic death in July last year. What was this really all about? What made Michael feel such anger? And which Jews was he refering to, because obviously he knew quite a few people in the jewish community whom he considered as very good friends?
I stumbled over this very nice article by jewish writer Dvir Abramovich, which goes through the whole story again, from his own point of view:
By Dvir Abramovich | The Age | 13. January 2010
The Michael Jackson soap opera keeps bubbling along with reports that his doctor Conrad Murray will soon be charged with involuntary manslaughter for the pop star’s death. And in less two weeks, This Is It, the film showcasing his pre-concert rehearsals that has become the top grossing music-documentary of all times will be released on DVD, reaching millions of additional teenage viewers.
One song performed by Jackson in the movie is They Don’t Care about Us, a 1995 release that features the racially notorious lyrics, “Jew me, sue me, everybody do me/ Kick me, kike me, don’t you black or white me.” It reminded me of the hubbub that flared then and the ongoing controversy of whether Jackson was an anti-Semite.
The self-proclaimed King of Pop immediately denied the accusations, telling Diane Sawyer of ABC News that the song is a cry against bigotry and that “It’s not anti-Semitic because I’m not a racist. I could never be a racist. I love all races. My accountants and lawyers are Jewish. My three best friends are Jewish: David Geffen, Jeffrey Katzenberg and Steven Spielberg. These are friends of mine. They’re all Jewish. How does this make sense?”
Yet, even close friends such as Steven Spielberg publicly stated they were not happy about Jackson using such a hurtful slur and found the track offensive. In fact, Spielberg was so angry at Jackson that he refused to join him at an apologetic press conference that the singer planned to do at the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles.
Consider this: in a song that has “They” in its title, clearly indicating a group rather than an individual, and is supposedly about all kinds of prejudices, the fact that Jews are the only group that is singled out casts doubt on Jackson’s denial that he was pointedly critical of Jews. In response to the barrage of criticism, Jackson apologised for using the anti-Semitic slang and recorded a new, re-worded version. However, the insensitive lyrics were reinstated for the video release, even though Jackson gave his assurances that the song would not appear again with those offending words.
Moreover, the apology wasn’t enough for Dawn Steel, former president of Columbia Pictures who wrote in the LA Times: “Oh, please, Michael! Why does your apology feel so facile, so much a part of a strategy to clean up your image? I for one don’t buy it. The images and words and sounds you create don’t just go away. They are indelibly etched into our consciousness, the damage is done. Your public relations problem might go away, but how can I forgive you for teaching my child the word kike . . . You are an adult. You must act like one. Stop blaming everyone else. Stop seeing yourself as a victim who has been misunderstood.”
In various ways, the claim by Jackson that he was unaware that these lyrics would have such a distressing impact was a defence that many found hard to believe. Patrick Mcdonald of The Seattle Times observed: “It makes you wonder: Is there no one in the Jackson camp who confronts him when he does something stupid? He may have lived a sheltered life, but there really is no excuse for using terms like “Jew me” and “kike” in a pop song, unless you make it clear you are denouncing such terms, and do so in an artful way.”
This was not Jackson’s last brush with allegations of anti-Semitism. In 2005, telephone answer machine messages left by the singer to his former adviser Dieter Wiesener were aired on American TV, in which Jackson blames the Jews for his financial woes and declares “They suck. They’re like leeches . . . I’m so tired of it . . . they start out the most popular person in the world, make a lot of money, big house, cars and everything. End up penniless. It is conspiracy. The Jews do it on purpose.”
Jackson never publicly responded to the revelations, though his attorney at that time Brian Oxman did not dispute that Jackson left the “leech” message”. Jackson’s former spiritual confidant Rabbi Shmuley Boteach was disgusted by the comments and issued a statement that said, “I watched in sadness the tragic and catastrophic decline of Michael Jackson since disowning him more than four years ago. But even I never believed that he would fall so low and become a racist, bigoted anti-Semite. I pray that Michael finally seeks out the serious spiritual and psychological help he needs to rediscover the inspiration he once brought millions.” At the same time, Jackson’s Israeli fan club told the press in 2005 that they did not believe the tapes reflected the true nature of Jackson’s beliefs.
Interestingly, these scandals did not prevent the Jewish Museum in Vienna from displaying a life-size photograph of Jackson in a 2009 exhibition titled “Typical! — Cliches of Jews and Others,” examining the use and abuse of ethnic stereotypes in popular culture. Jackson’s 2002 image was used to show how the performer, through his surgical transformation demolished stereotypes and, literally cut himself away from the restrictions of physical definition.
And the Jewish connection does not end here. A continuing mystery is whether his two children, Prince Michael and Paris, are indeed Jewish? Given that their mother Susan Rowe, who was married to Jackson, is Jewish, according to Jewish law, the 12 and 11-year-olds are Jews. In 2005, Debbie Rowe did in fact disclose that she and the children were Jewish, releasing that information because she was concerned Jackson was embracing the teaching of The Nation of Islam.
And the saga continues . . .
http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/blogs/chutzpah/was-michael-jackson-a-racist/20100113-m5gd.html
Popularity: 4% [?]
For me, it definitely looks like an amazing coincidence that Michael Jackson was blamed for child molestation and anti-semitism; two of the most harmful allegations for a person’s reputation.
He weathers all the storms, but then, on the way to his comeback, suddenly he dies.
Like when someone doesn’t want to hear the warning words. . .
“He weathers all the storms, but then, on the way to his comeback, suddenly he dies. Like when someone doesn’t want to hear the warning words.”
Michael should have followed the example of Roman Polanski, a Jew hounded by fanatic Jewish leadership for 42 years, ever since he made the movie, “Rosemary’s Baby.” It’s obvious what happened to Polanski if anybody takes the time to watch that movie. The movie strongly suggests that many Jews practice a Satanic form of witchcraft where they worship the Devil and engage in *blood libel*, the sacrifice of babies. (NOTE: The blood libel charge is very clear in the movie, except it is presented as witches who kill babies as a sacrafice to the Devil; and most of the actors playing witches in the movie are obviously Jewish.) In the movie, Rosemary’s fetus/baby is stolen by a cove of witches, but returned later for the mother to raise. Reality was less forgiving. Polanski’s child was ripped from the mother’s womb as his wife was murdered, then the crime was pinned on Charlie Manson, all because Manson had the nerve to ask for royalties for two Beach Songs that he claims to have written, but Brian Wilson et al took credit for. In the late 80s, Manson conveyed to Geraldo Rivera that he wrote “In My Room” and “Good Vibrations.” He requested royalties from Beach Boys producer Terry Melcher who threatened to have the New York mob take care of him if he kept making waves. Manson replied that he knew mobster Frank Costello personally from prison, and he could do the same thing to Melcher if royalties were not paid for the songs he wrote. All this was set into motion by Roman Polanski’s movie, Rosemary’s Baby. Within a few years he was accused of statutory rape, a charge that follows him to this day (even though the so-called victim has expressed no interest in prosecuting Polanski). Polanski quickly fled the country and has remained a safe distance from his enemies for decades. Had Michael done the same thing, he would likely be alive today. Michael’s big mistake was going to LA to rehearse for the pending European tour. He stepped right into the heart of darkness, and that was the end of his story.
Salvador: Thankyou very much for this comment. I was always curious to know more about Roman Polanski and the allegations against him. Do you mind if we have a conversation about it in our forum? I know it’s still very empty in there, but it offers far more options for an in-depth conversation than the comments section here
I copied your comment over there. This link will get you to the music & film industry section of the forum: http://forum.mjfiles.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=30
Regards,
Steve
Interesting that the ADL screamed bloody murder when Michael’s only real reference to the group in question was the word “they.” Couldn’t “they” be skinheads, middle-class whites, Native Americans, Arabs, Chinese, Nigerians, Mexicans? Why is it a certainty that “they” means Jews? The K-word was obviously meant in a similar context as the N-word is frequently used in many rap lyrics, comic sketches, movie scripts, and so on. So it seems complaints about the K-word had little merit, within that context. But to the ADL, “they” can only mean one thing: “us”
Here is a statement, that you will run into, if you are hanging around with “connected” old time, New York wise guys. “the Italians own the street. the Mic’s do the work, the Jews take care of the paper work, and the Blacks, buy the drugs and the numbers”. This is not My words!! [don't blame the messenger] This east coast “OC” viewpoint, has a similar concept, often found in entertainment. The power structure will not let someone like Michael Jackson, really be the Boss, or make and keep a billion dollars, This is just a fact. I’am sure Michael was aware of this.