The Leaving Neverland documentary has caused a lot commotion to say the least. The documentary has mostly received negative reviews, from a general public that still loves Michael Jackson. Wade Robson, and James Safechuck have received much backlash. A popular opinion from Jackson fans is that they lied for the money, but seems to be a strange way to try to get some cash. Even if they would've won and gotten millions from Jackson's estate (which they didn't), their reputations are in shambles. Who knows what backlash they receive from Jackson's fans, but you have to think it's really bad. With all the video they have of themselves hanging out with Michael Jackson there had to have been an easier way to cash in. Robson, and Safechuck are not icons. That is what Michael Jackson is, and it will be his image that will take the biggest hit over time. I believe Michael Jackson molested some boys, but even for some who don't believe, or who aren't sure, it might be easier to just avoid the controversy.
We are already starting to see it. His music has been removed from some streaming services. An episode of the Simpsons from 1991 that features Jackson's voice, has been pulled. For Michael Jackson's fans, things are going to get worse before they start to get better. I don't expect these accusations to just go by the wayside, and be forgotten about a few months later. Now Michael Jackson is dead, so, you can't get justice on a dead man, but I want to compare Jackson's situation to others like Harvey Weinstein, Bill Cosby, and R. Kelly. While the Cosby thing got big before the Metoo era, it follows a similar course. When it rains it pours. While there have been some instances of people being accused of one case of sexually inappropriate behavior, when we've had someone facing a number of accusation of sex crimes, it doesn't stop at a few here or there. In the case of Cosby, comedian Hannibal Burress called Cosby a rapist in October of 2014. Cosby already had allegations against him before that, but it was Barbara's Bowman's article from November 2014, that really inspired more women to come forward. Before the end of November a number of other women had come forward with their own allegations against Cosby. In fact a number of them came out within a week of Bowman's article. The Weinstein thing started out with stories of sexual misconduct, and then went on to include charges of rape, as well as other charges of sexual misconduct. Not long after Surviving R. Kelly, the singer was accused of sexually abusing four girls. Then lawyer Michael Avenatti said he had a sex tape of R. Kelly with a 14 year old. Leaving Neverland is the type of powerful documentary that could inspire more people to come forward with claims against Jackson. The attention around this document is going to lead to more details being exposed.
We'll have to see what happens. What will happened the immediate future. Will the negative news on Jackson calm down soon, or will this be the tip of the iceberg.
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