Rhondab said:

Why does my statement saddens you? I didn't say MJ shouldn't do anything but his timing...as others have stated...is questionable. You should be sadden that someone would use a cause like HIV to get the spotlight off of his situation.[/quote]


1) you brought up the fact that your in that particular field

2) tis give a fuck what peoples motives are..i dont know the man/woman...i could care less...as long as the end result is less people dying from this horrible disease..

and as someone who has had to death with its sad effects, you should too!!

Cloudbuster said:

Oh puh-leeze Cloudy! U really think this is ALL about HIV? Of all the people that could have leant their face (although I guess he can do that QUITE literally unlike everyone else) they chose Mikey?

The whole 'that wasnt loud enough' thing wasnt even funny let alone appropriate. As 4 being involved with AIDS charities, probably as a private donor (which most of the time is all about how they can avoid getting slammed tax-wise by being seen 2 donate 2 charitiable causes. All the Red Hot & Blue fund raisers...never saw Mikey there. All the Elton John AIDS foundation fundraisers, gigs, parties etc...never saw Mikey there, all the Mercury Phoenix Trust gigs (whom I worked 4 4 sometime) - no involvement W-H-A-T-S-O-E-V-E-R. Im not saying he hasnt AT ALL - im just saying it's VERY low key, and right now, he's the worst person they could have picked - it's been PROVEN that the charities he set up (Heal the world, Heal the kids etc etc) were making a huge loss - bearly making enough 2 pay their staff salaries (Case in point: his 'Heal The World' charity made a 'donation' 2 another charity 2 keep it afloat: 'Heal The Kids.' He hasnt a CLUE Cloudy, sorry!.


Like Rhondab said: JUST DO IT!
[This message was edited Fri Apr 2 12:02:12 2004 by bananacologne]

Cloudbuster said:

PS: I love it when u do that thing u do with your eyes...u know, the whole nonchalant 'rolling' thang...

sosgemini said:

1) you brought up the fact that your in that particular field

2) tis give a fuck what peoples motives are..i dont know the man/woman...i could care less...as long as the end result is less people dying from this horrible disease..

and as someone who has had to death with its sad effects, you should too!!

[/quote]


so what I said what my field is....I'm speaking on MJ's intrigity. Intrigity use to be something people cared about. That is my point. All this "the ends justifies the means" stuff is bullshit and points to the problem in which manner of how people handle things anymore. So with that said....I'll continue to fight HIV in the manner I have been and I will continue to speak against anyone who wants to use HIV and/or any other issue for some sort of personal gain.

oh yeah...Thank you banana!!! Exactly my point!!

Rhondab said:

Agreed. This is akin to Philip Morris donating millions to fight cancer then patting themselves on the back (after years of suppressing research indicating that the chemicals in ciggies were powerful, addictive carcinogens). Michael is being opportunistic and exploiting this disease. He likely won't have to attend his trial because of his "charity commitments". Good one there, Mike.

Rhondab said:

and all i care about is a cure..like i said, im not going to waste my time worrying about people's intentions...

its not worth the it.....and this issue is far to important.....because the fact of the matter is, mj brings tons of attention....he brought the fight back to the front pages...i could give a squat what his motives are....

Are we talking about HIV at all? or Michael Jackson...who is getting the attention?


I understand your position but I completely disagree....

Rhondab said:

I totally and wholeheartedly agree with you.

Rhondab said:

"we" here are talking about mj....but think about how fundraising works...the topic is brought up.....attention is paid and additional revenue is earned....sure mj gets publicity..but like i've said, i could give a squat....and if raises one dollar im a happy man..cause thats one more dollar to fight..thats one step closer to me not having to see one of my friends die..

sure, its easy to be cynical when it comes to entertainers and the media..but for fucksake...there are real peoples lives behind this fight..and the decease is winning...

screw the typos..dont have time to fix em....gotta get back to work....

REAL QUICK..i do agree to disagree on mj..its silly..but i refuse to disagree on the fight with aids..

toddles!!!!

The guy doesn't have a clue how to play ping pong, but he's gonna lead the fight against AIDS. Riiiiight. The timing of MJ's latest stunt is curious. Janet's album was released this week. Prince's tour started this week (OK, Saturday to be exact, but Monday was the BIG day). And his accuser testified before the grand jury this week.
Actually, maybe MJ could do some good. Print up posters with his mug shot and the caption "If you have unprotected sex, you could end up looking like this". If death doesn't scare people into safe sex, that picture could do it.

GIVE THE GUY A BREAK

There's nothing wrong in being sceptical about his actions, but SOSGEMINI has pretty much hit the nail on the head. And while The Usual Suspects such as shygirl and VoicesCarry have expunged their usual slanted views, I'm no longer weary of celebrities' motives when they pledge themselves to a worthy cause.

Talk about a freak of nature with no shame. A shame; he could be so talented.

damn..i'm glad ya'll understood what i wrote...and to think I was a journalism student..lawd@ me

VoicesCarry said:

Eccentric? Yes. Stupid? Hell no! He knows exactly what his situation is and how serious it is. Michael's head is not always up in the clouds you know. He's actually a pretty intelligent cat. He's obviously feeling confident about the upcoming case. If you have been following the case closely, you would see why.

Bottom line is: Michael Jackson works with charities EVERY YEAR. Why should this year be any different?

VoicesCarry said:

Don't talk crap! I think a lot of MJ's behaviour is questionable and at odds with supposed conventional lifestyles, but then what's conventional to one is alien to another. He's different, but that doesn't mean he's deserving of constant persecution, despite what some people would like you to believe.

bananacologne said:

Cloudbuster said:

Im VERY dissapointed in u young man. Go 2 the back of the class.

papaa said:

Yet you conveniently forget to mention Cloudbuster's slanted views (rose coloured glasses). I wonder who has a bias .
[This message was edited Sat Apr 3 11:38:27 2004 by VoicesCarry]

bananacologne said:

VoicesCarry said:

Did you not read my comments about five posts above?

Cloudbuster said:

You can deny it all you want, but I've never seen you present a balanced view on Michael. I don't think he's deserving of persecution, either, but you continue to make excuses for his face, lifestyle (AKA erratic and unacceptable behaviour, like dancing on the roof of your SUV at your own trial) and lack of wisdom.
[This message was edited Sat Apr 3 13:20:07 2004 by VoicesCarry]

VoicesCarry said:

Okay.

its been a while since i popped up to defend michael so here goes....first off i think the main thing to remember is that MJs actions will benefit others, so is it really that important that you could argue that mjs doing this for himself ?
secondly, if this was the first time mj had acted charitable then yeah it does suggest the timings a bit more than a coincidence, however mjs always been involved in charities so i dont think this is the case. I don't see why MJ should stop these genuine acts of kindness because he is facing some allegations. if he didn't do anything people would take that as a sign of guilt anyway, someone said earlier that mj can do no right and thats true.
and whos to say mj lacks wisdom ? personally i always thought quite the opposite but i guess thats just a personal opinion...

Sorry, I'm a bit confused. Though I understand both schools of thought. It seems a bit frightening to say I don't care what problems a person causes to the overall fabric of society just as long as he raises money for my cause, seems slated. Bucking the judicial system just to say one is working for a higher cause, is shady. In truth, would MJ's presence open more wallets, wouldn't his presence also close a lot of wallets, you mean there is no one else in the whole wide world who could bring attention to this devastation. You mean Elton John doesn't have the world wide recognition, with integrety intact. MJ can do more for the AIDS epicdemic than the AIDS epidemic can do for him?

Another very bad idea imo , MJ's concerts cost lots of money who will pay?
there are only a few countries in Africa with a large middle class, South Africa, Israel ( I don't see people there welcoming a friend of the NOI)
maybe Tunisia, Mauritius /la Reunion which is a french overseas departement...
will he give concert in Arabia where there is death penalty against gays?
or will he tour in Zimbabwe ? a country ruined by his president Mugabe
+ fighting against aids in Africa is more complex than "just" to find money like in Ethiopia in the mid 80s famine was intentionnaly used by the then Communist dictatorship as a weapon against the civil war
will MJ open his mouth or fall again in his we are the world/ heal the world usual childish cliché?

WildStyle said:[quote]MJ in DC:





Isn't there a Seinfeld show where Jerry's girlfriend is having two faces? I don't care much about his appereance but that knocked me off.

I have to admid that timing wasn't smart, but he is always promoting some kind of charity stuff so why stop? He knows what Mark and Ben are preparing to present and thats why he doesnt hide or is ashamed. Back in the days it was called confidence.

Whats the latest? MJ donating/raising money for a good thing, good or bad? Hairsplitting, isn't it?

I bet him giving his new cds away at concerts or charity events would cause a 'he has to give the shit away, cause nobody cares about him anymore'.

BlueNote

So he should stop supporting charities now? WTF? He is famous for charity work/donations LET HIM BE!!!

This statement was made during his Washington visit:


_____Mr. Jackson, who in the 2000 edition of the Guiness Book of World Records, was listed as breaking the world record for the "Most Charities Supported By a Pop Star," has given over $50,000,000 worldwide to charities in his lifetime, including The United Negro College Fund, Childhelp USA, Elizabeth Taylor Aids Foundation, The Carter Center's Atlanta Project, AIDS Project L.A., Make-A-Wish Foundation, TransAfrica, The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, the Brothman Burn Center, Cities and Schools Scholarship Fund, Children's Institute International, and Juvenile Diabetes Foundation. The "We Are The World" project, which he spearheaded with Quincy Jones and Lionel Richie, raised millions of funds which were sent to feed the hungry in Africa. In addition, he has at times given all of the proceeds from his personal concerts to charity. On one concert tour in England, Michael presented to the Prince of Wales, and his wife Diana, a check for 150,000 pounds for the Prince's Trust, and a check of 100,000 pounds for the children's hospital at Great Ormond Street.

In Africa, Mr. Jackson has financially supported programs to build and equip hospitals, orphanages, homes and schools. He has also financially supported programs relating to Child immunization, HIV-AIDS, Education and Apartheid.

He is known for his random acts of giving, and has bought homes, paid for medical treatment, and other acts of financial kindness to perfect strangers.

Mr. Jackson is well aware that some of the foundations that he created are non-functional at this time. Because of what have become common problems in celebrity-run foundations, mismanagement and high administrative costs, he decided to suspend his involvement, and give to the charities of his choice directly._____


PEACE!
Peace!
peace