Thoughts
He Doesn't Have To Be a Saint
There's something I've noticed when it comes to Michael Jackson: there are people who say horrid things about him, and there are fans who treat him as a saint. This page will address the latter (I'll have plenty to say about the former in other pieces).
Here's the thing: I've been a fan since 1978 (when I was born), but I will freely admit there were "odd" things about Michael. The Jackson family as a whole is "different," for that matter (other than maybe Ms. Katherine). Secret children, secret marriages, brothers having mothers of their children in common... that sort of thing.
Love, or Denial?
When I interact with other fans online, I see the same things: denial and rage. Denial over things like plastic surgery: "he never had anything done other than fixing his broken nose in the 70s."
You're joking, right? I mean, come on! We can love him without being blind to facts. He clearly had many cosmetic procedures. Do I think any less of him for that? No. I'm only saying it is true. How anyone can deny it is mind-boggling.
Then the rage comes. "How DARE you?? Michael was innocent and perfect, like an angel!"
No. He was a man. A very empathetic, compassionate, inhumanly talented and loving man, but a man.
He doesn't have to be a saint to be loved.
Fight When it Matters
I have loved Michael all of my life, but I still accept him as human. Believe me, I understand the desire to defend him. Really, I do. And I do defend him. Against the things that are completely fabricated, things there is little to no evidence of, or things that simply don't matter (like who is related to whom by blood).
We Should Be United
Why feel the need to attack other people who love him, simply because they accept his humanity and you refuse to? We should be banding together against the ones saying slanderous things about Michael, not fighting amongst ourselves in the fandom. I think all of us would rather be loved in spite of imperfections, rather than being placed on a pedestal as perfect... where we can only fall.