Sorry, Jackson admirers - you're outnumbered

Something strange happened last week. I wrote a column in which I questioned the endless mourning of Michael Jackson and received in return an unprecedented 320-to-3 reader reaction in my favor.

[Hiroshi]

Bogert, you are an imbecile.

The "worship" of jackson is largely spawned by YOUR media.

Now here is the twisted part...the media prefers to focus on all the weirdness surrounding the entertainer and not his accomplishments.

If it involves money, race or sex you can bet the vermin media will milk the story for all they can get.

So please spare us with your lame "analysis" of MJ's death.

[Seriously]

Hiroshi wrote:

Bogert, you are an imbecile.
The "worship" of jackson is largely spawned by YOUR media.
Now here is the twisted part...the media prefers to focus on all the weirdness surrounding the entertainer and not his accomplishments.
If it involves money, race or sex you can bet the vermin media will milk the story for all they can get.
So please spare us with your lame "analysis" of MJ's death.

While I am not a Boggy fan per se, you do have to give the guy credit for at least making his point and truly reporting what a freak show this whole thing is. I was over the Michael Jackson death about 10 seconds after I heard it. Now it is incredibly old news! Next story.
I guess you like to judge groups all together as one, instead of giving the standout his due.

[rip mj]

hmmm... 500 million hits for the lottery for the memorial...vs your 320-3 reader reaction,,,wow fans really feel "shaky" in their boots.

[WENDY]

HE WAS NOT A CHILD MOLESTER. JUST STOP IT. LIES - ALL LIES. READ THE FACTS ON THE CASE - MICHAEL JACKSON WAS NO MOLESTER.

[Fan yes but nothing more]

Here Here !! I understand for people to feel sadness for a life ended to soon or even the loss of a person who at one time entertained us .. BUT to be sitting outside Michael Jackson home CRYING like it was a personal relative it's absurd in my opinion. My heart goes out to his family who are the ones truly feeling this loss.. everyone else is acting foolish.

[CaliforniaNative]

I am not a Michael Jackson fan and there should not have been a moment of silence for him.But to set the record straight,he didn't deny being black.He suffered from a skin condition where you lose the pigment in your skin.He had the pigment taken out, as did my Aunt, who is Caucasian.He never had a childhood,to speak of,thanks to his parents.However,he was a great entertainer and on the flip side a pedophile.The media is having a feeding frenzy over his death.I can't stand being assaulted every morning with his picture on MSN.It's time to move on.

[Stanley Engel]

In another discussion forum Angela Weibel made these comments:

Angela Weibel wrote:

Der Mangel an Empathie, welcher gar in Zynismus abgeschmackt wird, erschüttert und stimmt nachdenklich. Mit welchem Recht wagen gewisse "Schreiberrüpel" in Momenten des Leides Urteil zu fällen?
Die schriftliche Dokumentation Michael Jacksons Ableben entpuppt sich als letztes Gericht für den King of Pop und schmückt sich dabei mit Bildern, die pietätloser nicht sein könnten.
"Ou est la morale, ou est le tact?"

I think all viewers of this site would concur with the thoughts of Angela Weibel. Media scum are taking advantage of Michael Jackson's death to make more money for themselves. Yup, let's plaster photos of the corpse everywhere we can; it's somehow newsworthy. The lack of empathy that Angela alluded to is quite disgusting to me.

But not to John Bogert of the Daily Breeze. See his hard-hitting (to him at least) editorial in his obsolete publication where he smeared Jackson with those child-molestation charges. Oddly enough, Bogert failed to mention that the "victim" was Gavin Arvizo (Arviso) and he and his thieving mother Janice Arvizo got caught lying on the witness stand. I guess the Santa Barbara District Attorney doesn't think perjury is a crime if it works to the prosecution's benefit.

Why does this John Bogert continue to hold a job at the Daily Breeze? His editorials aren't particularly profound or interesting. I was never a fan of Michael Jackson's music but he had talent and his song Billie Jean was kind of nice. John Bogert is totally bereft of any talent or even a speck of decency. "Ou est la morale, ou est le tact?" asked Angela about the media in general. Morality? Tact? John Bogert has neither.

[Pittakos]

WENDY wrote:

HE WAS NOT A CHILD MOLESTER. JUST STOP IT. LIES - ALL LIES. READ THE FACTS ON THE CASE - MICHAEL JACKSON WAS NO MOLESTER.

YES HE WAS.

[Residing in Torrance]

How ironic of all the negativety about MJ, summed up in your final phrase: "the biggest threat to this country is the ignorance of its citizens." Let the truth about everything come out, and THEN make your judgements. In fact, why not just let GOD do that, and allow his passing to be mourned for the good that he did while he was alive?

[Loyal Follower]

Fabio wrote:

I dont get it, it's like every news station turned into TMZ.

That is due to the fact the comedy tour in congress is out on their 4th break and this is the only news intown ...so sad about mikey but he is where he wanted to be so i am haooy for him how timely

[Illegals are Illegal]

WENDY wrote:

HE WAS NOT A CHILD MOLESTER. JUST STOP IT. LIES - ALL LIES. READ THE FACTS ON THE CASE - MICHAEL JACKSON WAS NO MOLESTER.

What would you call the average 35 year old that sleeps in the same bed as children? Its disgusting that people can look past that just because he was famous.

[Get over it]

Why are you all filled with hate? The man died. He had many many many fans. We get it, you don't like him.

What if every person who didn't like your mother or father started blasting the crap out of them on these boards after they died?

Let people remember him positively, just like you pretend that your loved ones were perfect at their funerals.

[Pittakos]

Get over it wrote:

Why are you all filled with hate? The man died. He had many many many fans. We get it, you don't like him.
What if every person who didn't like your mother or father started blasting the crap out of them on these boards after they died?
Let people remember him positively, just like you pretend that your loved ones were perfect at their funerals.

Would you have said the same thing about Hitler's death? Just look past the 6 million Jews he put to death and the countless millions of others lives he cost the world? So, let's just remember Hitler positively and let's remember Michael Jackson positively. Forget the lives of the kids he molested. Just remember MJ positively.

[VCB]

WENDY wrote:

HE WAS NOT A CHILD MOLESTER. JUST STOP IT. LIES - ALL LIES. READ THE FACTS ON THE CASE - MICHAEL JACKSON WAS NO MOLESTER.

Wrong... I signed up for the tickets just to see what would happen... I suspect many did the same... I had no intention of getting near what will be a fiasco tomorrow... what is more, I am not real keen that Acing Mayor, Ms. Perry, keeps claiming there are reserve funds for this kind of event... Baloney... those reserve funds need to be saved for a real emergency...

[Gwen]

Your audacity nauseates me. I think the truth of the matter here is, none of us knew Michael Jackson. Every accusation that had been thrown at him, is something that you don't know whether it's true or not. It's the media... do you really think that when you're at a magazine stand reading about MJ's child molestation cases, that it's really the truth? It's hype. And if it were true, the sick mother f***ing parents of those children would have had him in a straightjacket before even thinking about settling for his money. What parent in their right mind would send their child to go have a play date with Michael Jackson after all the media coverage he got for child molestation? Someone with a hidden agenda. Don't be so naive, he was just an easy target. I don't think MJ was a child molester, I think what he wanted to do was make children happy, to try and protect them from the childhood he had. And as a result, some pervert parent made this into more than it ever was for their own gain.

By the way, I have the right to mourn over whomever I please, so don't try and feed off of his fame with your 320-3 ratio of shit. You Sir, fit the definition of "fool" to a T. You are entitled to your opinion, but please, instead of trying to create meaningless controversy over dead Jackson, go do something productive.

[DSR]

who cares wacko jacko is gone. Lets be honest-who here would let me be alone with their young kids.

[Stanley Engel]

SSCARZZ wrote:

<quoted text>24 Million dollar out of court settlement freed his willy. The second time around the victims mother got greedy.

Yes, Janice Arviso got greedy and what's more she told lies on the witness stand. Yes it's true that Michael Jackson paid a goodly sum to another extortionist but that only proves he was frightened of the possible outcome of a trial. No competent attorney will tell a client that a favorable result is inevitable in any legal proceeding. There's always a chance you can lose. Michael Jackson didn't want to take that chance.

[Huh]

Stanley Engel wrote:

<quoted text>
....No competent attorney will tell a client that a favorable result is inevitable in any legal proceeding. There's always a chance you can lose. Michael Jackson didn't want to take that chance.

'Cause in jail, there's none of that young booty he liked so much.

[formerly really]

CaliforniaNative wrote:

I am not a Michael Jackson fan and there should not have been a moment of silence for him.But to set the record straight,he didn't deny being black.He suffered from a skin condition where you lose the pigment in your skin.He had the pigment taken out, as did my Aunt, who is Caucasian.He never had a childhood,to speak of,thanks to his parents.However,he was a great entertainer and on the flip side a pedophile.The media is having a feeding frenzy over his death.I can't stand being assaulted every morning with his picture on MSN.It's time to move on.

Then let's really set the record straight, shall we? You can't have the normal pigment removed from your skin medically. Medical skin bleaching only works with abnormal pigmentation and only interferes with the production of melanin temporarily and often at high risk. Vitiligo doesn't leave you looking even. Jackson wore makeup. He clearly wore makeup. Why he chose such a light and unnatural makeup color is debatable, but there is NO debate that it was makeup.

[e simmons]

Obviously many of you were not Jackson lovers and that's fine. I didn't have the love that many people had and still have for Elvis. However, the man was never convicted of child molestation. It was simply white parents with sick kids cashing in on someone else's money.