I can understand most of the points about Joe beating the Jackson kids, because until the very late 1980s here in New Zealand, beating your kids was considered normal. Corporal punishment in schools was not outlawed until 1989 and even now some Christian schools still do due to a "Special character" charter.
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The smacking and whacking of kids by parents is of course most common amongst non white and working class communities in New Zealand. It was banned by law in 2013, but it still happens. Yet when I was growing up in the 1980s, hidings as we called them were a regularity. Kids came to school showing each other bruises and who got the biggest "hua" of a hiding. Getting them was brownie points as it showed you were a man.
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What changed this attitude, which was pretty much, don't ask don't tell for whites and the rich and no one was shocked as stereotypes of Maoris and Islanders (Our versions of Blacks and Mexicans) was that they always thrashed their kids and wives. The Once were warriors movie from 1994 reinforced these stereotypes, but it was only at this stage, that such behaviour was now seen as unacceptable. The killing of a 2 year old Maori girl who was thrashed to death by her unemployed step father in 1990 turned the nation against child abuse cases. As the media was prurient and racist it only showed several high profile cases with Maori and Pacific island families which all had the following stereotypes.
1. Non natural fathers/partners doing the abuse and birth mother blidn to it
2. Family had many kids and were under 20 when they had the first
3. Family were poor, undeducated and likely on some form of benefit
4. History of violence
5. Ghetto names like Delcelia Whittaker, Jhia Te Tua, Olympia Jetsen, Genesis Mahanga etc, these nameswre driven home by the media to prove how different these child abusing scum were to 'Us:
6. Family lived in a broken down state house, that was dirty and ruinous with ancient car wrecks on front lawn
7. Family referred to as "dysfunctional"
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However more abuse is common amongst rich people than poor, but the media loves easy targets and get headlines. The fact remains abuse with smacking etc has almost disappeared now and its generally only hard core Christians, Islanders, Maoris and poor people who still do it.
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I grew up with hidings, but only got 4 major ones in my life and a few dozen lighter smacks and kicks. However itw as not abuse, as it only came after multiple warnings and my aprents always said it was a last resort and hit me on the buttocks where the bruises could not be seen, they only ever used a stick or a cord and never used fists or laughed. Often they said "This is going to hurt me more than it will hurt you". The most I got was a light bruise on my butt, never got blood or black eyes or any of that shit. And afterweards I had a bath so my butt could settle. It worked as I never played up that way again. Two of the times I got the hiding was when I stole money out of mums wallet to play a pokie when I was 11 and the other when I was 9 and told the teacher to get fucked.
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To me those are whipping offences (I was never whipped). My parents even apologised for it about 10 years ago, saying they did not know any better back in those days and would not have done it now on reflection. My brother never hits his kids (I don't have any, but can't comment). Both of my parents came from abusive homes and my real father actually hit my mother a lot, so it was a long process for them. They did that stuff, because they grew up with violence all their lives, but our generation broke that cycle. If you read books about MJ, it was obvious Joe was also abused by his own father Samuel Jackson the teacher.
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But my point is that, my experience is like many poorer and browner people growing up in the 70s and 80s, a family that wanted to appear respectable and stop me from doing anti social behaviour like theft, lying and being rude toauthority figures. It works I would never do anything of those things now.Like the Jacksons, my family was written off by society as being poor, brown, illiterate and seen as having no moral turpitude. Through these types of punishments we proved them wrong and showed we could become productive members of society without societys help.
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But that is where the similarities end. Joe like many other fathers went too far with this discipline, he whipped the kids and whacked them for offenses that my parents would never even bat an eyelid at. Joe was not only strict and disciplinarian, but he instilled fear in his kids and probably even Katherine. My parents never did that, they tried to show us they were people there to help and advise, and occasionally discipline us when they needed it. They also gave us love, something Joe didn't to the Jacksons.
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I don't believe the stories about sexual abuse and oiling people up for whippings, but I believe he whopped their asses a lot and he was a sadistic father.
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Didanyone else have an upbringing like mine?
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Michael said the same, he is where he is but he would never treat his kids the way Joe treated him.
I not saying that the family did nothing to help Michael, Michael was a vagabond and constantly around a circle of doctors and other kinds of people. I'm sure the Jacksons loved and wanted the best for Mike, but the fact is they too were wanting him to tour back then! 
