Michael Jackson is one of the most well-known entertainers of all times. Not only does he have an incredibly unique and beautiful voice, but the singer’s dances moves are also out of this world. For years, people have been trying to imitate his awesome moonwalk, but really, no one does it quite like Jackson, not to mention all his other mind-blowing performances.
Together, all of his combined accomplishments have colloquially earned him the nickname, “King of Pop”, and rightfully so.
Jackson is one of the few artists to have ever been admitted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice.
However, with the release of HBO’s new documentary, Leaving Neverland, it seems that many people would now like to see Jackson stripped of his title.
The documentary dives deeper into the child molestation allegations that were made against him starting back in 1993 that ultimately led to decades of controversy. It’s certainly making a lot of waves… Once again the controversy that many had long since forgotten about is being brought back in front of the public eye, leaving Jackson drowning in scrutiny.
Many radio stations have even pledged to stop playing his music, including three major ones from Montreal.
“We are attentive to listeners’ comments, and last night’s documentary created reactions,” Christine Dicaire, director of marketing and communications for Cogeco told City News 1130.
The protests haven’t been limited to North America either.
Taking Jackson off of the airwaves is turning out to be a global phenomenon with at least two major stations in New Zealand shutting down his music also.
“We aren’t deciding whether Michael Jackson is guilty of pedophilia or not. We’re just merely trying to make sure that our radio stations are going to play the music that people want to hear,” Leon Wratt, content director for MediaWorks told Magic Talk in an interview.
No one is quite sure if this is just a temporary shutdown until the controversy stirred up by the documentary dies down or if this is going to end up being a long term thing. The reality is that it largely probably depends on public opinion. There were mixed reactions on Twitter.
Some people adamantly supported the decision to stop playing Michael Jackson songs.
Watched #LeavingNeverland and being a fan of MJ for most of my life, I tried so hard to defend it all, but my conscious knows better. How devastating. Ruining so many lives in silence while bringing joy to the world as an entertainer. Master manipulation.
— Jessica R Bayly (@jesskettisauce) March 10, 2019
However, not all Twitter users agreed.
The arguments from both sides basically came down to whether or not you believed in the allegations, as well as whether censorship of an artist can ever be justified.
If you are banning Michael Jackson’s music amidst these allegations(which he is completely innocent of) I would also like for you to ban the National Anthem of the United States of America for its documented actions of genocide, racism and discrimination. #MichaelJackson
— Michael Williams (@mwilliamswrite) March 8, 2019
Original reports said that the BBC had quietly banned Jackson’s music also, but a representative from the British network denied that was the case in correspondence with Variety.
“The BBC does not ban artists,” the rep said. “We consider each piece of music on its merits and decisions on what we play on different networks are always made with relevant audiences and context in mind.”
Just like politics, this is surely something that not everyone is going to agree upon, but if one thing is for sure it’s that child molestation is an extremely heinous act.
Whether you buy into the Leaving Neverland or not, at the very least it has certainly gotten a lot of people thinking about how we can prevent child abuse from taking place in the world.
#LeavingNeverland is so important; showing the serious impact that child sexual abuse can have on individuals and their families for years following the abuse taking place. It is so vital that survivors are heard and believed, Thank you to the men who have bravely spoken out!
— BColeman (@BColema37792172) March 10, 2019
Bringing awareness to the serious issue of child sexual abuse is never a bad thing and we can only hope that in the future it is a problem we can all work together to solve.
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