Thumbs up for "Leaving Neverland"!
Very instightful it is!
shareCare to elaborate? I haven't seen it, only have Netflix and Prime.
shareWell, at times it goes into disturbing detail about what the guys endured from Michael when they were kids.
shareIs that what made it insightful for you?
I'm not sure what to make of all of this, so I'm curious to know if there's something that can help shed some light.
I guess you'd have to see it for yourself.
shareWell, I'll probably have to wait quite a while then, since I have no plans of getting HBO.
I've been searching YouTube, but it's difficult to find much that seems objective.
Very best of luck to you and hope you'll get a chance to see it.
shareThanks, Washingtonnative. I've located a couple of informative videos on YouTube now, but it hasn't been easy.
I wish you felt freer to discuss Leaving Neverland. I don't know anyone who's seen it. Wish I could see it myself, but will have to be patient.
Alright, i'll try to be more elaborate. I'll be back with you shortly.
shareThanks :)
shareMichael was completely unnatural and sexually abusive to boys who stayed at his house. One time, he had a wedding ceremony with one of them, slept in the same bed with him and other boys. He also penetrated them. Two of the boys who are of course grown men now narrate this documentary, explain how Michael badly affected their lives and everyone around them as well.
shareThank you. I've learned about most of that, but not the wedding ceremony. Edit: Oops, the reviewer I linked to below just now briefly mentioned the wedding.
I found this review, which you might find interesting and will probably agree with. I did, although admittedly, I still haven't seen it myself. But you have.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpCJVDwv9xA
Sure thing, im glad I helped the best I could. You can catch the documentary on in demand.
shareI don't have cable, just Netflix and Prime. I wonder if it's available on Prime by demand. I'll look, thanks again!
shareLuckily for me, there's a free 7-day trial of HBO through Amazon, so I got it and am about half an hour into the first part.
It's easy to understand what heady stuff it was for these boys, meeting Michael Jackson, who was Wade's idol, and MJ paying attention to and befriending them.
YAAAAAY, Im glad you get to see it after all! Yes, it's easy to understand how the boys were really drawn in. It all started out with the seduction of the stars life and so fourth.
shareI feel like I'm watching the beginning of a horror movie. You know how some of them start out happy, hopeful, and benign, but you know something bad is coming? This feels like that.
shareYes, I myself knew I was getting into that, before I watched it.
shareWell. I'm almost finished with part 1. Had to stop to take a break. This is hard to watch. Heartbreaking. Seeing how it all unfolded ...
Now I understand the reactions of people at Sundance, and some of the YT videos. I don't even know how to describe how I feel. Stunned, I guess.
You were right. This is something people have to watch for themselves.
I agree. If it will help to lift your spirits up after your finished watching it, put on a comedy afterwards.
shareJust finished part 2. Yikes. I no longer have any doubts, and things about him now make more sense to me than they did before. But I've got some processing to do. Seems weird because I didn't know any of these people, and wasn't a big fan of MJ, although I certainly acknowledge his talent.
It's that I mostly bought his "I love everyone, I love children, I'm a good and kind person" act. Maybe it wasn't entirely an act, it was something that got twisted and perverted.
Ugh, Imma try to find a good comedy as you suggested, or better yet something uplifting and life-affirming.
I suffer from depression and have had suicidal thoughts.
You know what always lifts my spirits when nothing else does, and I'm feeling borderline suicidal? Good uplifting music, like, say, The Jackson Five or Michael Jackson...
Oh... :(
I'm sorry you suffer from depression and suicidal thoughts. I've suffered from depression before too, and not long ago when I had way too many traumas and losses happen within a short period of time, also had suicidal thoughts.
I'm also sorry that one of the things that's helped to uplift you has been MJ's music, and now you feel conflicted about it.
I don't know how I'm going to feel about his music after I've processed this. Right now, I'm feeling shaken and, frankly, nauseated. I had no idea this was going to have this kind of impact on me.
But, we are all in control of our thoughts, ultimately, which is a very very good thing. Most of us don't know that, were never taught it, and so feel we're at the mercy of our thoughts and emotions.
I do have some go-to music that uplifts me. Think I'll go put some on right now. Thanks for the reminder.
I do have some go-to music that uplifts me. Think I'll go put some on right now. Thanks for the reminder.I wish I could switch on and off as you evidently can.
But once a favourite music artist has been tarnished it makes it difficult for me to appreciate all music (and I'm not even that big a Michael Jackson fan - it's just that his music permeated so much of 70s, 80s and 90s pop music and pop culture in general).
Likewise, I find it very hard to appreciate films the way I once did, after everyone started talking about Woody Allen's alleged child abuse.
But it's weird and curious that all these exceptional artists are child abusers...maybe there's a gene linking immense artistic talent to paedophilia...hmm...doesn't seem likely though, does it?
Or maybe, just maybe, very famous people are more susceptible to allegations, and arouse more speculation and scrutiny, than Joe Bloggs. share
"I wish I could switch on and off as you evidently can."
? You said listening to music, specifically MJ's music, uplifts you. I replied that I too have some go-to music that uplifts me. How did you get from that that I can switch anything on and off any more than you can? Hopefully this is one of the things you meant when you apologised to me for being insensitive.
If one favourite artist, be that of music or film, can make it difficult for you to appreciate the same art by the many, many other artists in that genre, you're setting yourself up for failure and your life being diminished by things that you very much enjoy.
It's not rational. It's like if someone who was wearing a red coat said or did something bad, and then assuming everyone who wears a red coat will say or do something bad. It has nothing to do with red coats. It had everything to do with that particular individual, who happened to be wearing a red coat.
There are plenty of exceptional artists who aren't child abusers or rapists, or whatever.
I'm sorry if my words sounded rude and blunt.
They weren't meant as a dig at you.
You're the norm. I'm the weird one here.
I'm just saying that my mental illnesses and overall neurosis makes it difficult for me to compartmentalise as well as others do, including I presume yourself.
That does in effect mean that I struggle to 'switch on and off' as others do. That isn't a criticism of those people with the capacity to do so; just an observation, and, if anything, a self-rebuke.
If you haven't already you could probably sign up for a free week of HBO through Amazon prime (that's where I subscribe through). It's actually super easy to cancel and if you cancel within the first week you won't have to pay anything.
Disregard, I didn't read far enough into the thread and I can see you've already gone this route haha
Thanks, Sam :)
I am going to cancel before the 7 days are up. Good to know it's easy to do. I had a HBO subscription a long time ago, but found 99% of what they have isn't what I enjoy watching.