Graycap23 said:

Move the thread but why lock it? This really isn't about MJ, it is about his dude and his allegations.

Let's be honest, no one cares about Wade Robson.
This thread has 5 thousand views in a couple of days because it is about "pedophile MJ."

rules: "Music: Non-Prince is forum to discuss music, albums, tours, songs instruments by musicians entertainers singers (non 'related' to Prince ie (ex) band members (ex) protege members

Any gossip, lifestyle, domestic issues, general discussion of an entertainer musician or singer that isn't about their music, albums, tours, songs, instruments should be posted in the General Discussion section "

I do believe the sticky - infringement of the rights of members of the forum, but if it exists, the rules should be common to all ..

Graycap23 said:

I'm not really sure why folks can't have a reasonable discussion on the net. I'm out. Y'all have a great day.

Aww come on Gray

I dont think there is anything wrong with discussing this topic but I dont think this is the appropiate forum, so thats a mod issue. Now there are ALOT more posters that make non music threads here ALL the time so this is a big issue here even beyond this particular thread I think the moderators should move it to general discussion and even if Wade is an artist it still has nothing to do with his music so it should still be moved.

I just feel like the moderators should move the topic. Based on the length of the thread people are obviously interested in it so it should just be moved to General Discussion.

I just feel like its not fair. If they are willing to leave this thread here then there are other threads that should stay here as well or vice versa. It just seems this board has a unfair prejudice toward anything negative toward Michael Jackson and enjoy throwing eggs at him even when its not warranted.

There have been threads here where it has NOTHING to do with MJ and they all have been locked and directed to the MJ sticky. Now although this thread is about Wade, MJ is involved and a moderator has yet to do the same thing.

Hypocritical much?

My thing is just be fair. The mods are not fair here.

[Edited 5/19/13 11:17am]

mjscarousal said:

I just feel like the moderators should move the topic. Based on the length of the thread people are obviously interested in it so it should just be moved to General Discussion.

Why? I never go to GD. The only two sections I check out here is Music: Non-Prince and Concerts. I'm sure I'm not the only one never checking out GD. It should not be in the sticky though, as people, who want to talk about Michael, should not be objected to that lying piss of shit's claims.

PatrickS77 said:

mjscarousal said:

I just feel like the moderators should move the topic. Based on the length of the thread people are obviously interested in it so it should just be moved to General Discussion.

Why? I never go to GD. The only two sections I check out here is Music: Non-Prince and Concerts. I'm sure I'm not the only one never checking out GD. It should not be in the sticky though, as people, who want to talk about Michael, should not be objected to that lying piss of shit's claims.

Because it has NOTHING to do with music.

The moderators over the last couple of months have been moving NON MUSIC threads to general discussion, why cant this one be moved?

^^Well, Wade Robson is, next to being a con artist, a choreographer, dancer and musician (Quo). Michael is a musician. So it's not like it's totally out of place here. If there is no seperate thread here, people, who also don't check out GD, will talk about it in the sticky. I rather have a seperate thread here, than have it pollute the MJ sticky.

You don't know 'bout QUO?!

[Edited 5/19/13 12:30pm]

So just because you dont go to GD the thread should stay here?

Rules are rules

The thread could be about Wade flying a kite, it still wouldnt have anything to do with music.

If this thread was about Wade talking positively about Michael it would have been locked and directed to the MJ sticky, period.

We are living in such litigious times. It's all about $ and personally, I think he's fulla shit. There's nothing in his eyes that supports repeated and/or repressed memories of childhood molestation on the part of Michael Jackson. Wade is clearly a little sociopath. Sad if not downright disrespectful to a family that continues to grieve the loss of their father, son and brother.

mjscarousal said:

If this thread was about Wade talking positively about Michael it would have been locked and directed to the MJ sticky, period.

Yes, because you just changed the topic. This one is about Wade Robson.

even if his music to someone really was the case, it does not change the fact that this discussion of his personal life, not professional moments.

"Music: Non-Prince is forum to discuss music, albums, tours, songs instruments by musicians entertainers singers.
Any gossip, lifestyle, domestic issues, general discussion of an entertainer musician or singer that isn't about their music, albums, tours, songs, instruments should be posted in the General Discussion section "
-------------------------

the latest joke that I remember is when the moderator closed the thread and sent to the sticky to discuss the tour of The Jacksons in 2012
The Jacksons - is an independent musical act that Michael left in the mid-80s, MJ died 4 years ago .... but they still want it to be discussed in the sticky.

[Edited 5/19/13 13:19pm]

Cinny said:

mjscarousal said:

If this thread was about Wade talking positively about Michael it would have been locked and directed to the MJ sticky, period.

Yes, because you just changed the topic. This one is about Wade Robson.

So are you saying that mods in the past have not locked threads that mentioned MJ?

There have been Jackson 5 threads, Janet threads (threads that DONT EVEN MENTION MICHAEL JACKSONS NAME) that have been locked and directed to the MJ sticky.

This thread is clearly related to MJ one way or another and based off what the mods have done in the past it should be locked or moved

BUT since this thread is negative towards MJ they dont want to lock it.

Graycap23 said:

GoldDolphin said:

Wade isn't an artist, so MODS LOCK THIS DAMN THREAD ALREADY! lol. If people want to continue talking about this mess, there's already an MJ sticky. :/

So who is the artist on the wade Robson cd I have?

How does anyone own a Wade album? That's like having a Justin Bieber album... :/

A pack of lies, that's all it is. Shame on him for lying on a dead man.

LIAR .....

I'm in a way very gald that MJ is no longer here with us to see this mess , seeing one of the key witnesses during the 2005 trial changing his tone to get some money must be devastating and someone who was also considered a friend ....YUCK , what a liar ! y

wade , you are an ugly filthy , greedy motherfucker

Graycap23 said:

GoldDolphin said:

Wade isn't an artist, so MODS LOCK THIS DAMN THREAD ALREADY! lol. If people want to continue talking about this mess, there's already an MJ sticky. :/

So who is the artist on the wade Robson cd I have?

Wade Robson is not an "artist"...he is a CON ARTIST

SoulAlive said:

Graycap23 said:

GoldDolphin said: So who is the artist on the wade Robson cd I have?

Wade Robson is not an "artist"...he is a CON ARTIST

Soul!

whitechocolatebrotha said:

We are living in such litigious times. It's all about $ and personally, I think he's fulla shit. There's nothing in his eyes that supports repeated and/or repressed memories of childhood molestation on the part of Michael Jackson. Wade is clearly a little sociopath. Sad if not downright disrespectful to a family that continues to grieve the loss of their father, son and brother.

It is extremely sad that Wade is doing this,at a time when MJ's family and children are still going through the grieving process.He's a real lowlife,isn't he?

SoulAlive said:

Graycap23 said:

GoldDolphin said: So who is the artist on the wade Robson cd I have?

Wade Robson is not an "artist"...he is a CON ARTIST

Yep

GoldDolphin said:

SoulAlive said:

The wilful blindness of MJ fans on this matter is truly sinister. They think they are decent; in reality they are the opposite. Anyone who dares to speak the truth about MJ is automatically subjected to vicious attacks and character assassinations from MJ fans who have no interest in reality.

It's normal for victims to take years (usually decades) to come to terms with what happened and speak about it so I knew it was only a matter of time till we heard from Robson. I'm glad for him that he's now thawing out and can start to heal. The MJ fans who are attacking him are manifesting evil though they don't know it.

This is now the fifth one of Michael's young pretty-boys to accuse him of abuse and, contrary to the claims of blaqueknight, not a single one of them has recanted. The signs of MJ's nature were all over the place if you were willing to look. No-one should be surprised at all that's emerged since his death. It was eminently predictable.

^^^Aah, midnightmover creeps out of his hole and rears his ugly head again. And of course, he's jumping on the "MJ is a child molester" bandwagon and condemns all people who don't believe the bs. The only character that is being assassinated is the one of MJ, by a parade of lying, scheming, shady lowlifes. None of these stories they are using to profit off make any sense, are plausible or even at the slightest believable. Show me one case, where a supposed victim, stayed friends with the abuser for 20 years, invited him to his wedding, defended him in court, defended him in the press after death, participated or wanted to participate in tribute shows and then claimed that the same person molested him.

And on Michael's part, had he truly molested him, to put Wade on the stand of a court trial regarding child abuse would be like beating someone to a pulp and then handing him a loaded gun before proceeding to finish him off. That would be total madness.

Michael Jackson, Delayed Allegations and Witch Hunts

by JOE VOGEL on MAY 17, 2013

When Michael Jackson died unexpectedly in June of 2009, then-26-year-old choreographer Wade Robson – who has recently made headlines for accusing the pop star of molestation – wrote about his longtime friend and mentor:

Michael Jackson changed the world and, more personally, my life forever. He is the reason I dance, the reason I make music, and one of the main reasons I believe in the pure goodness of humankind. He has been a close friend of mine for 20 years. His music, his movement, his personal words of inspiration and encouragement and his unconditional love will live inside of me forever. I will miss him immeasurably, but I know that he is now at peace and enchanting the heavens with a melody and a moonwalk.

Such a gushing statement came as no surprise to those who knew Robson’s backstory. During Jackson’s Bad World Tour in 1987, five-year-old Robson won a local dance competition in Australia. The reward was attending a backstage meet-and-greet with the King of Pop and the opportunity to join his idol on stage at the end of the concert.

Two years passed before Robson saw Jackson again. This time he was performing at Disneyland when his mother, Joy, decided to reach out to Jackson’s secretary to see if they could meet again. Jackson allowed the Robson family to visit him at the recording studio at Record One where he was working on his Dangerous album. He also invited them to stay at his Neverland Ranch. This hospitality was not unusual for Jackson. Around this same time, Jackson also spent countless hours at his Ranch with AIDS victim, Ryan White, who had been shunned, taunted and bullied at his school in Kokomo, Indiana. “Those trips to California kept me going,” Ryan White said. Similar positive experiences have been shared by hundreds of others.

Not long after their visit to Neverland, the Robson family decided to move to California to allow Wade and his sister, Chantal, more opportunities in the entertainment industry. Over the subsequent years, a friendship blossomed between the Robsons and Jackson. Wade Robson was ambitious and talented, and Jackson took on the role of mentor, teaching him the nuances of his craft and signing him to his MJJ Productions label. Jackson also gave him small parts in his music videos, including “Black or White.”

Robson went on to have a successful career in the industry, choreographing for the likes of Britney Spears and ‘N Sync, and later having his work showcased on shows like So You Think You Can Dance. In 2005, he married Hawaii native Amanda Rodriguez.

That same year, Robson, who had every reason to avoid the circus that was the 2005 Michael Jackson child molestation trial, decided to testify under oath about his experiences with the singer. First questioned by Jackson’s attorney Thomas Mesereau and then under rigorous cross-examination, Robson matter-of-factly gave his account of his time with the artist. Robson repeatedly and adamantly denied being molested or of any other inappropriate sexual activity.

After Jackson was acquitted of all charges a few months later, Wade Robson’s mother Joy spoke of their family’s relief about the verdict. “We were crying and screaming and crying and screaming…We all believed ultimately the truth would come out…I’ve always said to Michael, ‘I wished the world could know the Michael we do.’”

Wade Robson invited Jackson to his wedding later that year, but Jackson decided not to attend because he did not want to turn the joyous occasion into a media circus.

Jackson and Robson, however, remained good friends. Whenever asked, Robson continued to praise Jackson as his biggest inspiration.

They last met in Las Vegas in 2008. Jackson was living there with his three children and Robson was working on a show in the city. “Me, my wife and him and his three kids had a barbecue,” recalled Robson. “It was the most normal thing in the world.”

It had been over twenty years since they first met, and Robson was still, by his own admission, completely unaffected by any past abuse or trauma. His life and career were thriving. He also seemed to have no concerns about Jackson’s own young children.

According to initial reports, Robson’s attorney, Henry Gradstein, claimed the reason his client lied under oath and continued to praise the pop star following his death was because the alleged abuse was a “repressed memory.” Repressed memories — instances in which an individual believes they have blocked or forgotten a traumatic event before “recovering” it years or decades later — has become a highly controversial subject in the field of psychology. According to the American Psychological Association, “experienced clinical psychologists state that the phenomenon of a recovered memory is rare (e.g., one experienced practitioner reported having a recovered memory arise only once in 20 years of practice).” The overwhelming consensus by experts is that such “memories” are not reliable without corroborating evidence. Dr. Richard McNally, Professor and Director of Clinical Training in the Department of Psychology at Harvard University, describes the phenomenon of belatedly recovered memories as “the most pernicious bit of folklore ever to infect psychology and psychiatry.”

In his interview with Matt Lauer on the Today Show, however, Robson claimed that that his memories of abuse were not repressed; he was simply unable to process them emotionally or psychologically. Robson claims that he was fully aware Jackson was a child abuser at the time of his 2005 trial, but decided to lie under oath because he didn’t yet realize what happened to him was wrong. Robson was 22 at the time. But perhaps, one might assume, in the months or years to come he regretted his decision and went to authorities — at least to prevent further “victims.” Nope. Instead, he was barbecuing with MJ and family in 2008, and praising him without any pressure or prompt in 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012.

It goes without saying that accusations of abuse must always be taken seriously. When an individual has told one story very credibly and convincingly as an adult, however, and then suddenly changes it with no corroborating evidence (letters, photos, phone conversations, witnesses, etc.) to file a creditor’s claim, it deserves a healthy dose of skepticism. Believing such claims on faith can be dangerous, destroying lives and reputations with absolutely no proof beyond the accusation.

According to Wade Robson’s attorney, Henry Gradstein, it was sometime in 2012 when the choreographer had a mental breakdown, and “collapsed under the stress” of his recovered memory. Robson’s career had also taken a downturn with the choreographer mysteriously dropping out of many projects. Soon after, Robson decided to file a creditor’s claim against Jackson’s estate. Robson also filed a civil lawsuit in L.A. County Superior Court, in which he is reportedly targeting companies associated with Jackson. Whatever one makes of his allegations, then, they are not simply to heal. Robson clearly wants a payout.

In a statement, Howard Weitzman, an attorney representing Jackson’s estate, called Robson’s accusations “outrageous and pathetic…This is a young man who has testified at least twice under oath over the past 20 years and said in numerous interviews that Michael Jackson never did anything inappropriate to him or with him. Now, nearly 4 years after Michael has passed this sad and less than credible claim has been made. We are confident that the court will see this for what it is.“

Jackson’s attorney, Thomas Mesereau, feels Robson’s claims are shamelessly motivated by money, given the timing (a high-stakes trial between Jackson’s mother and concert promoter AEG Live, is currently being litigated) and the enormous amount of wealth the Jackson estate has generated since the singer’s death.

Regardless of one’s views of Jackson, Robson’s case raises serious questions about the nature and validity of decade-delayed allegations, especially when attached to money.

Dr. Elizabeth F. Loftus, a renowned cognitive psychologist and human memory expert from the University of Washington, notes that these memories can often be triggered by therapist suggestion. “Some contemporary therapists have been known to tell patients, merely on the basis of a suggestive history or symptom profile, that they definitely had a traumatic experience…Once the ‘diagnosis’ is made, the therapist urges the patient to pursue the recalcitrant memories.”

Wade Robson, then, could very well believe he was abused even if it never happened.

In any case, objectivity and fairness should compel at least some burden of proof. Robson’s own family members have repeatedly defended Jackson over a period of twenty years. Were all of them completely oblivious to what happened until just months ago?

Numerous other individuals who were close to Jackson as children continue to defend him with no apparent incentive for doing so. Since the latest allegations, several people who visited Jackson’s Neverland Ranch as children, have once again spoken out in support of the artist, including Alfonso Ribeiro, Frank Cascio, Brett Barnes, and Jackson’s nephews, Taryll, T.J. and Taj Jackson.

In defense of his uncle, Taj Jackson wrote movingly on Twitter:

I will not sit back and let someone flat out lie about my uncle. PERIOD. I am writing these words knowing that the minute I press send, my life will never be the same afterwards…I was sexually abuse[d]. By an uncle on my mom’s side of the family when I was a kid. My uncle [Michael Jackson] was a support system for me and my mom. He wrote a letter to her that many have seen already, u just didn’t know what it was about. That is how I KNOW Wade is lying. Because I AM a survivor. My hands are still trembling. Don’t forget I was living at Neverland when Wade testified during my uncle’s case. I sat there and ate dinner with him and his family. I will not let them smear my Uncle’s legacy. I don’t want to go on TV. I don’t want publicity, I just want the truth. I hate that Wade made me do this, this way. But since my uncle Michael is no longer here to defend himself. I will.

The letter Taj Jackson referred to was written by Jackson some time in the 1980s. It reads:

Dee Dee Please read this article about child molestation and please read it to Taj, T.J., and Taryll, it brings out how even your own relatives can be molesters of children, or even uncles or aunts molesting nephews or nieces, please read. Love MJ.

Later faced with the public perception that he himself was a child molester, Jackson wrote these lyrics to an unreleased song, called “An Innocent Man”:

If I sail to Acapulco

Or Cancun, Mexico

There the law is waiting

And God knows that I’m innocent

If they won’t take me in Cairo

Then Lord where will I go?

I’ll die a man without a country

And only God knew I was innocent now.

As an eccentric, wealthy man who opened his home to thousands of people, including disadvantaged and ill children, Jackson was an undeniably easy target. But is it conceivable that of the hundreds of children who spent time with him, only a handful were abused? Is it possible that after two unannounced, scouring searches of his homes, in 1993 and again in 2003, resulting in no child pornography or other corroborating evidence, that the artist was nonetheless masterfully hiding criminal behavior?

Or have we, as a society, conflated Jackson’s difference and eccentricity with criminality? In 2005, infotainment pundit Nancy Grace infamously deduced Jackson’s guilt from his strange appearance and childlike sensibility. It was inconceivable to her that a grown man would want to spend so much time with children without wanting to have sex with them.

No doubt, after hearing these latest accusations, some will likewise conclude that “where there is smoke there is fire.”

Jackson, of course, is no longer here to defend himself. But the unacknowledged tragedy the fair-minded person must at least consider is this: the life and career of one of the most talented and creative artists of the past century was derailed and ultimately destroyed by allegations, innuendo, sensationalism and speculation, but no concrete evidence and no witnesses or accusers who didn’t want money.

The term “witch hunt” is often used to describe the moral panic and hysteria caused by individuals who threaten our sense of normalcy, order and social assumptions. They must be disciplined or punished to allow people to feel safe, regardless of actual guilt or innocence. So, for example, in the Salem witch trials, women were profiled, accused and sentenced to death for a range of perceived “suspicious” behaviors or traits. Or, historically, African American men have been unfairly targeted and lynched because of myths and culturally-ingrained hysteria about their “predatory” intentions with white women (see D.W. Griffith’s The Birth of a Nation).

Over his lifetime (and now in death), Michael Jackson faced more frivolous lawsuits than any individual in American history. During the Thriller era, dozens of women claimed he was the father of their children. As recently as 2010, a woman named Billie Jean filed a $600 million paternity lawsuit against Jackson’s estate.

In 2010, part of Jackson’s FBI file was released under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) at the request of media, including British journalist Charles Thomson. “A lengthy report,” writes Thomson, “shows that when Jackson’s Neverland Ranch was raided in 2003, the FBI went over every computer seized from the property with a fine tooth comb looking for any incriminating files or internet activity. Jackson’s file contained individual summaries of the FBI’s findings for each of the 16 computers. Scrawled in capital letters across each of those 16 reports – ‘NOTHING’.”

Rolling Stone‘s Matt Taibbi, an incisive cultural critic with no investment whatsoever in Jackson’s legacy, described the 2005 court case against Jackson like this:

Ostensibly a story about bringing a child molester to justice, the Michael Jackson trial would instead be a kind of homecoming parade of insipid American types: grifters, suckers and no-talent schemers, mired in either outright unemployment…or the bogus non-careers of the information age, looking to cash in any way they can. The MC of the proceedings was District Attorney Tom Sneddon, whose metaphorical role in this American reality show was to represent the mean gray heart of the Nixonian Silent Majority – the bitter mediocrity itching to stick it to anyone who’d ever taken a vacation to Paris. The first month or so of the trial featured perhaps the most compromised collection of prosecution witnesses ever assembled in an American criminal case – almost to a man a group of convicted liars, paid gossip hawkers or worse…

In the next six weeks, virtually every piece of his case imploded in open court, and the chief drama of the trial quickly turned into a race to see if the DA could manage to put all of his witnesses on the stand without getting any of them removed from the courthouse in manacles. Sneddon’s hard-on for Jackson was a faith-based vengeance grab every bit as blind and desperate as George Bush’s “case” against Saddam Hussein…

Jackson, of course, was acquitted of all charges in 2005 after two grueling years of investigations, testimony and proceedings. Four years later, in 2009, after years of living as a cultural pariah, a vagabond drifting from country to country, he died at the age of fifty in Los Angeles. The silver lining, one assumed, was that at least his many troubles would end and the focus could return to his rich artistic legacy. But as long as big money is involved, it seems, the relentless stream of grifters will continue.

And in the court of public opinion, the Michael Jackson witch trial goes on.

SoulAlive said:

Michael Jackson, Delayed Allegations and Witch Hunts

by JOE VOGEL on MAY 17, 2013

When Michael Jackson died unexpectedly in June of 2009, then-26-year-old choreographer Wade Robson – who has recently made headlines for accusing the pop star of molestation – wrote about his longtime friend and mentor:

Michael Jackson changed the world and, more personally, my life forever. He is the reason I dance, the reason I make music, and one of the main reasons I believe in the pure goodness of humankind. He has been a close friend of mine for 20 years. His music, his movement, his personal words of inspiration and encouragement and his unconditional love will live inside of me forever. I will miss him immeasurably, but I know that he is now at peace and enchanting the heavens with a melody and a moonwalk.

Such a gushing statement came as no surprise to those who knew Robson’s backstory. During Jackson’s Bad World Tour in 1987, five-year-old Robson won a local dance competition in Australia. The reward was attending a backstage meet-and-greet with the King of Pop and the opportunity to join his idol on stage at the end of the concert.

Two years passed before Robson saw Jackson again. This time he was performing at Disneyland when his mother, Joy, decided to reach out to Jackson’s secretary to see if they could meet again. Jackson allowed the Robson family to visit him at the recording studio at Record One where he was working on his Dangerous album. He also invited them to stay at his Neverland Ranch. This hospitality was not unusual for Jackson. Around this same time, Jackson also spent countless hours at his Ranch with AIDS victim, Ryan White, who had been shunned, taunted and bullied at his school in Kokomo, Indiana. “Those trips to California kept me going,” Ryan White said. Similar positive experiences have been shared by hundreds of others.

Not long after their visit to Neverland, the Robson family decided to move to California to allow Wade and his sister, Chantal, more opportunities in the entertainment industry. Over the subsequent years, a friendship blossomed between the Robsons and Jackson. Wade Robson was ambitious and talented, and Jackson took on the role of mentor, teaching him the nuances of his craft and signing him to his MJJ Productions label. Jackson also gave him small parts in his music videos, including “Black or White.”

Robson went on to have a successful career in the industry, choreographing for the likes of Britney Spears and ‘N Sync, and later having his work showcased on shows like So You Think You Can Dance. In 2005, he married Hawaii native Amanda Rodriguez.

That same year, Robson, who had every reason to avoid the circus that was the 2005 Michael Jackson child molestation trial, decided to testify under oath about his experiences with the singer. First questioned by Jackson’s attorney Thomas Mesereau and then under rigorous cross-examination, Robson matter-of-factly gave his account of his time with the artist. Robson repeatedly and adamantly denied being molested or of any other inappropriate sexual activity.

After Jackson was acquitted of all charges a few months later, Wade Robson’s mother Joy spoke of their family’s...he verdict. “We were crying and screaming and crying and screaming…We all believed ultimately the truth would come out…I’ve always said to Michael, ‘I wished the world could know the Michael we do.’”

Wade Robson invited Jackson to his wedding later that year, but Jackson decided not to attend because he did not want to turn the joyous occasion into a media circus.

Jackson and Robson, however, remained good friends. Whenever asked, Robson continued to praise Jackson as his biggest inspiration.

They last met in Las Vegas in 2008. Jackson was living there with his three children and Robson was working on a show in the city. “Me, my wife and him and his three kids had a barbecue,” recalled Robson. “It was the most normal thing in the world.”

It had been over twenty years since they first met, and Robson was still, by his own admission, completely unaffected by any past abuse or trauma. His life and career were thriving. He also seemed to have no concerns about Jackson’s own young children.

According to initial reports, Robson’s attorney, Henry Gradstein, claimed the reason his client lied under oath and continued to praise the pop star following his death was because the alleged abuse was a “repressed memory.” Repressed memories — instances in which an individual believes they have blocked or forgotten a traumatic event before “recovering” it years or decades later — has become a highly controversial subject in the field of psychology. According to the American Psychological Association, “experienced clinical psychologists state that the phenomenon of a recovered memory is rare (e.g., one experienced practitioner reported having a recovered memory arise only once in 20 years of practice).” The overwhelming consensus by experts is that such “memories” are not reliable without corroborating evidence. Dr. Richard McNally, Professor and Director of Clinical Training in the Department of Psychology at Harvard University, describes the phenomenon of belatedly recovered memories as “the most pernicious bit o...psychiatry.”

In his interview with Matt Lauer...Today Show, however, Robson claimed that that his memories of abuse were not repressed; he was simply unable to process them emotionally or psychologically. Robson claims that he was fully aware Jackson was a child abuser at the time of his 2005 trial, but decided to lie under oath because he didn’t yet realize what happened to him was wrong. Robson was 22 at the time. But perhaps, one might assume, in the months or years to come he regretted his decision and went to authorities — at least to prevent further “victims.” Nope. Instead, he was barbecuing with MJ and family in 2008, and praising him without any pressure or prompt in 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012.

It goes without saying that accusations of abuse must always be taken seriously. When an individual has told one story very credibly and convincingly as an adult, however, and then suddenly changes it with no corroborating evidence (letters, photos, phone conversations, witnesses, etc.) to file a creditor’s claim, it deserves a healthy dose of skepticism. Believing such claims on faith can be dangerous, destroying lives and reputations with absolutely no proof beyond the accusation.

According to Wade Robson’s attorney, Henry Gradstein, it was sometime in 2012 when the choreographer had a mental breakdown, and “collapsed under the stress” of his recovered memory. Robson’s career had also taken a downturn with the choreographer mysteriously dropping out of many projects. Soon after, Robson decided to file a creditor’s claim against Jackson’s estate. Robson also filed a civil lawsuit in L.A. County Superior Court, in which he is reportedly targeting companies associated with Jackson. Whatever one makes of his allegations, then, they are not simply to heal. Robson clearly wants a payout.

In a statement, Howard Weitzman, an attorney representing Jackson’s estate, called Robson’s accusations “outrageous and pathetic…This is a young man who has testified at least twice under oath over the past 20 years and said in numerous interviews that Michael Jackson never did anything inappropriate to him or with him. Now, nearly 4 years after Michael has passed this sad and less than credible claim has been made. We are confident that the court will see this for what it is.“

Jackson’s attorney, Thomas Mesereau, feels Robson’s claims are shamelessly motivated by money, given the timing (a high-stakes trial between Jackson’s mother and concert promoter AEG Live, is currently being litigated) and the enormous amount of wealth the Jackson estate has generated since the singer’s death.

Regardless of one’s views of Jackson, Robson’s case raises serious questions about the nature and validity of decade-delayed allegations, especially when attached to money.

Dr. Elizabeth F. Loftus, a renowned cognitive psychologist and human memory expert from the University of Washington, notes that these memories can often be triggered by therapist suggestion. “Some contemporary therapists have been known to tell patients, merely on the basis of a suggestive history or symptom profile, that they definitely had a traumatic experience…Once the ‘diagnosis’ is made, the therapist urges the patient to pursue the recalcitrant memories.”

Wade Robson, then, could very well believe he was abused even if it never happened.

In any case, objectivity and fairness should compel at least some burden of proof. Robson’s own family members have repeatedly defended Jackson over a period of twenty years. Were all of them completely oblivious to what happened until just months ago?

Numerous other individuals who were close to Jackson as children continue to defend him with no apparent incentive for doing so. Since the latest allegations, several people who visited Jackson’s Neverland Ranch as children, have once again spoken out in support of the artist, including Alfonso Ribeiro, Frank Cascio, Brett Barnes, and Jackson’s nephews, Taryll, T.J. and Taj Jackson.

In defense of his uncle, Taj Jackson wrote movingly on Twitter:

As an eccentric, wealthy man who opened his home to thousands of people, including disadvantaged and ill children, Jackson was an undeniably easy target. But is it conceivable that of the hundreds of children who spent time with him, only a handful were abused? Is it possible that after two unannounced, scouring searches of his homes, in 1993 and again in 2003, resulting in no child pornography or other corroborating evidence, that the artist was nonetheless masterfully hiding criminal behavior?

Or have we, as a society, conflated Jackson’s difference and eccentricity with criminality? In 2005, infotainment pundit Nancy Grace infamously deduced Jackson’s guilt from his strange appearance and childlike sensibility. It was inconceivable to her that a grown man would want to spend so much time with children without wanting to have sex with them.

No doubt, after hearing these latest accusations, some will likewise conclude that “where there is smoke there is fire.”

Jackson, of course, is no longer here to defend himself. But the unacknowledged tragedy the fair-minded person must at least consider is this: the life and career of one of the most talented and creative artists of the past century was derailed and ultimately destroyed by allegations, innuendo, sensationalism and speculation, but no concrete evidence and no witnesses or accusers who didn’t want money.

The term “witch hunt” is often used to describe the moral panic and hysteria caused by individuals who threaten our sense of normalcy, order and social assumptions. They must be disciplined or punished to allow people to feel safe, regardless of actual guilt or innocence. So, for example, in the Salem witch trials, women were profiled, accused and sentenced to death for a range of perceived “suspicious” behaviors or traits. Or, historically, African American men have been unfairly targeted and lynched because of myths and culturally-ingrained hysteria about their “predatory” intentions with white women (see D.W. Griffith’s The Birth of a Nation).

Over his lifetime (and now in death), Michael Jackson faced more frivolous lawsuits than any individual in American history. During the Thriller era, dozens of women claimed he was the father of their children. As recently as 2010, a woman named Billie Jean filed a $600 million paternity lawsuit against Jackson’s estate.

In 2010, part of Jackson’s FBI file was released under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) at the request of media, including British journalist Charles Thomson. “A lengthy report,” writes Thomson, “shows that when Jackson’s Neverland Ranch was raided in 2003, the FBI went over every computer seized from the property with a fine tooth comb looking for any incriminating files or internet activity. Jackson’s file contained individual summaries of the FBI’s findings for each of the 16 computers. Scrawled in capital letters across each of those 16 reports – ‘NOTHING’.”

Rolling Stone‘s Matt Taibbi, an incisive cultural critic with no investment whatsoever in Jackson’s legacy, described the 2005 court ... like this:

Ostensibly a story about bringing a child molester to justice, the Michael Jackson trial would instead be a kind of homecoming parade of insipid American types: grifters, suckers and no-talent schemers, mired in either outright unemployment…or the bogus non-careers of the information age, looking to cash in any way they can. The MC of the proceedings was District Attorney Tom Sneddon, whose metaphorical role in this American reality show was to represent the mean gray heart of the Nixonian Silent Majority – the bitter mediocrity itching to stick it to anyone who’d ever taken a vacation to Paris. The first month or so of the trial featured perhaps the most compromised collection of prosecution witnesses ever assembled in an American criminal case – almost to a man a group of convicted liars, paid gossip hawkers or worse…

In the next six weeks, virtually every piece of his case imploded in open court, and the chief drama of the trial quickly turned into a race to see if the DA could manage to put all of his witnesses on the stand without getting any of them removed from the courthouse in manacles. Sneddon’s hard-on for Jackson was a faith-based vengeance grab every bit as blind and desperate as George Bush’s “case” against Saddam Hussein…

Jackson, of course, was acquitted of all charges in 2005 after two grueling years of investigations, testimony and proceedings. Four years later, in 2009, after years of living as a cultural pariah, a vagabond drifting from country to country, he died at the age of fifty in Los Angeles. The silver lining, one assumed, was that at least his many troubles would end and the focus could return to his rich artistic legacy. But as long as big money is involved, it seems, the relentless stream of grifters will continue.

And in the court of public opinion, the Michael Jackson witch trial goes on.

Thank you for posting this. It is refreshing to read a well-written journalistic piece by a journalist with integrity. It is also a breath of fresh air to read something from someone who did their research. Why can't we have other REAL journalist instead of these cretins who get paid for writing articles based on tabloid manure.

midnightmover said:

The wilful blindness of MJ fans on this matter is truly sinister. They think they are decent; in reality they are the opposite. Anyone who dares to speak the truth about MJ is automatically subjected to vicious attacks and character assassinations from MJ fans who have no interest in reality.

It's normal for victims to take years (usually decades) to come to terms with what happened and speak about it so I knew it was only a matter of time till we heard from Robson. I'm glad for him that he's now thawing out and can start to heal. The MJ fans who are attacking him are manifesting evil though they don't know it.

This is now the fifth one of Michael's young pretty-boys to accuse him of abuse and, contrary to the claims of blaqueknight, not a single one of them has recanted. The signs of MJ's nature were all over the place if you were willing to look. No-one should be surprised at all that's emerged since his death. It was eminently predictable.

Hmmn, I see that the sewer rats are crawling out of their holes. These tabloid munchers are truly a danger to society. These creatures are the ones who destroy society with their biased, one-minded, ignorant, brain-dead views. Anyone with even a semblance of common sense and an ounce of rational thinking would KNOW that Wade Robson is a liar and a coward. Anyone dumb enough to believe that this coward was molested would have to be a molester or abuser themselves. The pathetically guillible people who believe this liar are doing a horrible disservice to real victims of abuse; however, they are too weak-minded to know what they are doing.

I don't give a damn if these people hate Michael or not. I only wish they had the balls to do their research and use common sense. Wade Robson was in his 20's when he got on the witness stand(no one forced him) and adamantly denied UNDER OATH that he had ever been abused by Michael. He was old enough to know IF anything had happened to him. Not only did he deny anything happened., He CONTINUED to praise Michael for YEARS. He even said that he and his family cried tears of joy when Michael was acquited. Roboson did tributes, interviews praising Michael. He invited Michael and his family to HIS home for dinner. He defended Michael even after Michael was murdered.

You people insult the intelligence and AWARENESS of Michael Jackson fans and OTHER people who don't subscribe to bullshit. Only a complete moron would believe Wade Robson's cowardarly lies. Only someone who is a latent predator themselves would believe the shit coming from Robson's mouth. This coward KNOWS that he is lying, however, he is depending on morons like the one who just crawled out of the sewer.

SoulAlive said:

GoldDolphin said: So who is the artist on the wade Robson cd I have?

Wade Robson is not an "artist"...he is a CON ARTIST

Okay... that was funny

midnightmover said:

Brandi Jackson ‏@BJackson82
I cant believe this. Some people go so low when desperate.

Frank Cascio ‏@fdcascio
has come at a early age for W.R.His false claims are sick&pathetic MJ was NOT a phetophile. Please let him R.I.P. Michael Jackson Accuser W...Showbiz411
M.J

Taryll Jackson ‏@tarylljackson
Tired of the LIES. Disgusted by the BETRAYALS. Sick of people selling out 4 MONEY. Where is the love? Where is the loyalty

Lionel Richie :

"[Wade's] allegations are bogus. I put my foot down on one thing, I'm not going to be polite either ... I'm getting sick and tired of people trashing his name. The Michael Jackson I knew was a compassionate man, pure of heart. Repressed memory? You really believe that?! Really????

MICHAEL JACOBSHAGEN:

I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THE INCREDIBLE ALLEGATIONS WHAT WADE ROBSON SAY ABOUT MICHAEL JACKSON.

WADE ROBSON SAY ABSOLUTE BULLSHIT, I WAS FRIENDS WITH MICHAEL JACKSON FOR YEARS AND HAVE SPEND ALONE WITH HIM PRIVATELY AND ALSO TIME WITH OTHER CHILDREN.

IT NEVER HAPPENED SOMETHING INAPPROPRIATE BY MICHAEL JACKSON. HE WAS FOR US CHILDRENS, A FRIEND AND WE HAVE A LOT OF FUN ( WATERBALLONS ).

THERE WAS NEVER NEVER ANYTHING SEXUAL.

Brett Barnes:

Mac culkin in instagram:

" I liked MICHAEL JACKSON, before he was dead"

[Edited 5/20/13 2:50am]

claudiax said:

Lionel Richie:

"[Wade's] allegations are bogus. I put my foot down on one thing, I'm not going to be polite either ... I'm getting sick and tired of people trashing his name. The Michael Jackson I knew was a compassionate man, pure of heart. Repressed memory? You really believe that?! Really????

Glad to see Lionel supporting Michael.His ex-wife Brenda also had a few choice words to say about Wade and these bogus charges