A Few Thoughts on Michael Jackson

by jamiebowers 8 Replies latest jw friends

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  jamiebowers

  The talking heads on television are busy lamenting Michael Jackson as a tragic figure regarding his lack of a childhood due to his super stardom. That all may be true, but MJ was destined to somewhat lose out on childhood by virtue of his birth into a jw family.

  I'm not a born in, but I've read enough of their posts to know what torture it is to be one. My "worldly" aunt called me this evening to say that MJ must have been "mental" due to being an "in born". She hasn't quite got the lingo down yet, (LOL).

  What is sad is that the vast majority of the planet doesn't understand that MJ's problems started well before his stardom. By the time the allegations of child molestation surfaced against him, I had been df'd for about 6 years. Although I didn't know the complete truth about the "truth", I had a gut feeling that his troubles started with the jws. Knowing now the full truth about the "truth", I understand why he expected all of his oddities and wrong doing to be swept under the carpet. After all, any oddities or wrong doing that may have been done against him were more than likely swept under the carpet to protect the image of Jehovah's organization.

  So many of his songs, "Thriller", "We Are the World", "Man in the Mirror", etc., flew in the face of the organization's teachings. It's too bad that he couldn't contain his Watchtower experience to his art. So, I wish that he now has peace and that anyone he may have hurt has peace as well.
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  truthsetsonefree

  Jamie, this is exactly what I feel. No real mention is made of his JW roots. But that must have affected him. We will never know how and to what extent. But it can't be coincidence that someone so strange in many of his ways, was a born-in dub. Dubs who are "half in, half out" as they probably were sometimes suffer more as they try to reconcile a double life.
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  Mickey mouse

  My thoughts too Jamie - from one who was born in.
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  shopaholic

  I clearly remember several special announcements being given at the Service meeting on Thursday nights not to listen to 'Man in the Mirror'. It was acknowledged as an apostate song and a message to the FDS. Not sure if its was just the local elders or a directive from the FDS\GB. I loved that song and it was few years before I allowed myself to listen to it.

  One of his spiritual leaders in a great interview on CNN said Michael was purposeless, in the sense that he wanted to do so much to save the world but was overwhelmed by not knowing how he was suppose to help. That is classic ex-jw behavior. Once you find that the JW doctrine is man-made and a lie...thats how you feel...like you are without a purpose. Unfortunately, he didn't have the emotional support he needed and got stuck in a perpetual downward spiral.

  Being raised a JW and having a heavy-handed dad that wanted to live his life through is kids is a recipe for disaster.

  Michael Jackson 1958 - 2009
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  BurnTheShips

  I wish MJ peace.
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  jamiebowers

  Deepak Chopra, MD said on CNN that beng raised a jw was very traumatic for MJ, because he was afraid of the door to door work. If people only knew the truth about the "truth".
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  Pistoff

  It is hard to know how being raised a JW influenced him; it obviously was not a typical JW upbringing or they would not have pursued entertainment in the public eye, that is not a typical witness value.

  His father was a bully and by most accounts abusive; mix it all up and it is not surprising that at least one of the family was really dysfunctional.

  I read long ago that he felt he was only really alive onstage, and would live onstage if he could. He was great at his art; not so good at life.
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  WTWizard

  It's bad that he had to die, at that when he was just about to attempt a comeback (which should serve as a warning not to abuse painkillers--Elvis Presley also died from too many painkillers). But, at least he died trying to live the life he wanted so much.

  Had he remained a witless, and especially if he had been a strong witless, he would have been much worse off. I believe he would have been just as likely to abuse children, if not more, had he remained at the Kingdumb Hell (and more likely to silence them through coercion, which is even worse). That is at least partly the religion's fault--the religion encourages parents to beat their children for petty infractions like not sitting still, plus creating tension by keeping them out in field circus.

  At least, despite those cockroach witlesses, Michael's talent to create real music was not squashed. Off The Wall and Thriller are two of the greatest albums of all time, and Bad and Dangerous are not that far off track. I have all of these albums plus History, Invincible, and his boxed set along with much of the Jackson Five works as boxed sets and individual albums. (Despite being told not to support "that apostate" by listening to his music.)

  Now, if only the new Kingdumb maladies would be as good as Michael Jackson's music...
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  brinjen

  I feel for all the Jacksons. It's a nightmare in itself growing up as a dub, nevermind all the additional crap they had to suffer which is something that too many born-ins are all too familar with.

  RIP Michael.