What do OTHERS think of Michael?

FD1998

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Now I know in my school, some people have different opinions on him, so may like his music and some may see him as old and even weird. What do your friends think of him, I want to know about the stories from the 90s and 80s etc or anything really of your experience at school and other peoples attitude to Michael.
 
Well I'm homeschooled but I go to church and most people I meet give me a grimace when I tell them I love Michael, they call hi. Wierd, child molester, ect. I have to defend him all the time. When I tell adults they say "really?! Thats so cool" and sometimes I will get a story of when they were younger and had Thriller or something like that. If I get lucky they will mention how talented he is! But I mostly keep my love of him to myself because Its hard for me totake those nasty comments.
 
My friends and the people I know respect Michael and I never really associated with people who didn't in some way give him a chance.
For me, this was the same at school and through college and uni through to work.
I wore a homemade mj keychain\fob/key ring necklace around my neck throughout my teen and into early adulthood which most people found intriguingly creative.

At school and in further education I included a lot of Creative stuff to show my admiration for him and got A + in my art projects. I based mj around my exam projects in most subjects(when it was possible).
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I took a very creative and proud yet respectful approach to my love for this man so mostly everyone knew.
I didn't even have to open my mouth.
Most just knew. ^^
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In the very early 1990's at my school most of my year did like his music. They seemed Impressed with Dangerous videos yet more so with the BAD sound. Around 40 per cent of my year did not understand Dangerous.
The P.E teacher borrowed my JAM single cassette for a Psychical education lesson saying *it was good music
for her lesson today*

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCuUd_Lu1ds

Some who were not friends of mine, called him names and in 89/90/ that was mostly about skin colour.
In 1991/92 it was mostly about facial appearance and some of those were confused with his artful mind, his look, His structure and his mystery but I surrounded myself with the people who had time for him, who gave him a chance or could see beyond the fabrications and in London and the small city I lived in, there were enough of us.

From early 90s My gothic and my rock friends were highly impressed with the fact he worked with slash for *Give in To Me.*
Most people liked and questioned the cool fact that he could incorporate every genre every sound, so there really was something for everyone regarding his music.
My father called him a great showman.

When the media spewed out filthy lies in 1993 there was a lot of hate, rather more so predictable questions, which would be met with a sensible answer from my friends and me.My Gothic friends felt empathy for him in 1993 onwards.

At my College through to uni, you either liked Michael. Nirvana, Metallica or Naughty by Nature ...
Or Kate moss.
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In 97 most people I worked with (mainly nurses) either went or were going to the History tour.
Some of the people I knew "grew out" of Michael but most of my close friends love him to this day just like me. ^^
 
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Wow! That sounds nice! I guess I live in an "anti-MJ" state. But my mom loves incorporating Michael into my school work like creative writing. And I enjoy writing haikus dedicated to him.
when I was in public school I didn't know Michael but there was one guy who sang "I am Michael Jackson" all the time. not sure why but I guess he liked MJ.
 
When I was in school, most kids seemed to think he was weird. I really didn't care what they thought, I had pictures of him all over my 3-ring binder lol.
 
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Mostly everyone i know respects Michael, of course they understand my admiration for him! Which is rare, but I am thankful For that. Hope to soon build a shrine! Big plans, hehe
 
I'm old enough to remember him before people thought he was weird.

I frankly don't care what people think of him. I like him, and that's all that matters.
 
I have that problem Spyce, my family doesn't respect Michael at all. My grandpa once called him a "schmuck" I was so mad!

Aww, I'm sorry :(

I dunno about anyone else- I try not to let it bother me, I really do. But at the same time, it's just difficult. That's all.
 
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Every single person in my entire family has all hated my beloved Michael. 3 people in my family comes to my mind right now.

My marriage by only cousin who I thought was the only MJ fan in my family besides me. Turn out after the 93 allegations came out about him. She became one of the most biggest MJ haters you could ever want to meet. When this was the same exact person an year before show me her Dangerous Bucharest concert that she had taped. Because she knew how badly I had wanted to see that concert. Since I didn't have the HBO channel. After those allegations came out instead of her giving me her MJ items. She threw them all out. She hated the thought that I was still a fan of his even after those allegations. Well unlike her I had refused to believe those allegations about him. And I had always thought once an MJ fan always an MJ fan. I was so very wrong about that.

Another MJ hater in my family is my brother. I remember this one Easter over 10 years ago. I was sitting at my mother's dinning room table quietly eating my Easter dinner. When my brother called my Michael a child molesting freak. OMG was I ever so very angry when he called my Michael that. Me and my brother spent the next 5 minutes or so fighting. Our mother tried to get us to stop. But I turn to her and I very coldly told her to shut the hell up. You are no better than he is. The look she saw on my face made her back off. So she knew better to mess with me when it came to Michael Jackson. And me and my brother went back to our fighting. The fighting stopped with me storming off. I had to because I would have very likely would have done something to him. That I would have regret doing later on.

As for my mother she might come off saying that she likes him and stuff. But I really don't consider her a MJ fan. Not when she had said so many nasty things about him in the past. A true MJ fan does not do that. Like I remember just 2 days after it had happen with Michael. I had spent the entire Saturday in bed just trying so very hard to forget what had happen to him. It was around 7:30 that night my mother came in to my room wanting to know what I had wanted for supper. So she could go and order it. Well eating was the very last thing in the world I had wanted to do. But just to get rid of her I told her the first thing that came to my mind which was spinach pizza. So I thought that would get rid of her. So she could just leave me alone. But it didn't she suddenly wanted to talk about Michael and what had happen to him. When I had try so very hard to forget. Well what she did was she made fun of what had happen to him right in front of me. She said that she wasn't. But that wasn't the way I had taken it. And I finally very coldly order her out of my room. And not only did she do that later on that horrible summer. She totally defended that evil nameless monster that did what he did to him. It is those reasons why I don't consider my mother an MJ fan. I am still angry at her for liking the song Stranger In Moscow. When that song was something I had always consider sacred to me.

And as for friends that is something I never had where I live. It is because of the fact that I am a MJ fan in the first place. Is why I don't have any friends in the first place. It all has to do with the 93 allegations that came out about him. I remember back during my high school days during the HIStory Era. In my high school I was the only MJ fan in a school full of haters. I was teased and made fun of by the other kids. For liking someone like Michael Jackson. I try to not let it bother me. By them teasing and making fun of me for being an MJ fan. Well I let those MJ hating kids have their little fun with me for the next 2 years. It wasn't until my last 2 years in high did I finally fought back at them. That was when I finally became an attack dog. Defending it's owner's property. I remember back during my senior year I nearly put a girl in the hospital for making fun of my beloved Michael. I didn't mind the teasing and the name calling with the other kids for me being an MJ fan. But when you start making fun of my Michael. You seriously did not want to mess with me. Or you will suffer the consequences. And the funny thing when I was a senior in high school. I had never gotten in to any kind of trouble for doing that. For some reason at the time the seniors in my high school could not be touch. I am sure it has since change then. Since this going back 15 years or so ago.
 
BollywoodGirl: Whats with calling him "MY" Michael? Thats the issue... everyone thought they owned him. He wasn't yours, he wasn't mine... Michael was Michaels. No disrespect intended.
 
Aww, I'm sorry :(

I dunno about anyone else- I try not to let it bother me, I really do. But at the same time, it's just difficult. That's all.
Yeah its kind of hard, but I know he doesn't u derstand or even care to understand Michael, so its like you don't know him and you don't know what you are talking about. MJsBollywoodGirl I'm so sorry all of that happened, that must be so hard :( we are all here for you tho :)
 
Most of the time I don't really know because the conversation doesn't ever come up or I don't bring him up. But I can tell you how some people I know feel about him

My brother and his wife and my dad have made nasty comments about him, but I set them right and now they at least somewhat respect my love for Michael. I even got a MJ related birthday card from my brother and his wife last year. None of them are fans. The DJ played his music at my brother's wedding last year though. Ha.

My mom is a fan, but not in a huge way like me. She always believed he was innocent :)

My grandmother, I'm not sure. She seems to be the type to fall for some BS. She believes in some ridiculous things in general :doh: So...not a fan, but she never made any nasty comments either.

I met up with a 3rd cousin last month and he asked what music I liked so I said MJ, and he said he loved MJ and he plays his music for his adopted children, which is awesome :)

My friend, I have recently tried to convert him into an MJ fan. It sort of worked. I had him listen to Much Too Soon and he loved that. I recommended that song because he asked if Michael ever sang any country or folk music. He made a cool drawing for me too with MJ and me in it, but it's kind of personal, so I don't feel like sharing it lol. All that being said, I don't think he really gets Michael as a person, so I guess he would just be a fan of the music only. Can't have everything I guess.

So, that's been my experience with various people. Pretty mixed I'd say.
 
Most of the people I know have a sorta standard response when I asked them about Michael. It tends to go:

"Well, I have respect for his music and dancing but..." Which kinda speaks volumes how people often view him. People are still too willing to believe the weird things that were written about him. And while I think everyone can agree that Michael was "eccentric" (how can you not be when you lead a life like that?), many people still have that in focus instead of the music and the humanitarian efforts.

Plus, I think many people would be afraid to admit they like him or listen to him because to many people, he was forever branded the child-molester. It's stupid and incredibly frustrating.

Hello to everyone by the way, first post here. :)
 
a friend of mine is rly dumb: he's listening to Dubstep only (the most horrible Dubstep stuff) and hates mj for his music. cause it would be shit and horrible sounding. i once had mj in my car ('jam') and he said like 'oh gosh, how can someone listen to this shit? don't u have smth better?' i was like wtf... since that day I'm getting aggressive every time I meet a hater.

i can't understand anyway how someone could only listen to Dubstep und consider this as the 'only' good music


how could someone not like mjs deep lyrics, out of this world vocals and those superb beats / production? i don't get it
 
Most of my friends in primary school / high school (Dangerous / HIStory era's) were fans to the extend that they loved his music, short films and performances. They didn't care about what was written about him -- and didn't pay attention to it for as far as I could tell -- and many went to see him when he came to Amsterdam in '96 and '97 for the HIStory tour. The difference between them and me is that they simply outgrew their fandom as they got older and their priorities changed. You know that age, 14 to 18'ish, when you start being able to relate to songs about love and heartbreak and rebellion and anger and escapism and partying, and music seems the most important thing ever? I think a lot of my friends just loved his music when they were around that age but it never really turned into a fanatic obsession for them.

I don't know that it did for me, either -- I was fascinated for sure, and there was an unparalleled level of admiration, but I never felt the need to follow him around the world or anything (no offense to those who did). I wanted to know about what inspired him, his work ethic, his past, his life, his own fascinations and obsessions and those he admired -- anything and everything that factored into his ability to create these works of art that were unlike anything I had heard or seen before. He was SO unique. So I studied him. And I am still studying him, and it has been and still is one of the most rewarding parts of my life. He has been a massively positive influence and I am convinced that my admiration of him has made me a better person.

But anyway (side-tracked a bit there) my friends never really went beyond loving his music when they were teenagers and nowadays I think they're just indifferent. Everything that happened to him in the 2000's probably didn't help either. I think most of them still enjoy his music, and they probably have nice memories of the early to mid '90s but they're part of the "general audience" now.

My family is similar. My two younger sisters and my cousins like his music and, through me, know enough to not believe all the crap that is written about him. Same with my parents -- and they actually went to see Immortal with me last year and had a blast! I think most people in my life enjoy his music when it's on the radio but won't sit down and listen to his albums or anything. They might watch a music video or performance when they happen to come across them on TV (and then tell me about it afterwards) but won't go out of their way to buy a concert DVD or short film compilation. And I am not one to force that kind of stuff on them either... I don't think it's necessary, mainly because I feel happy and confident enough about my own feelings towards him that I don't need their validation.

My girlfriend and her best friend (who is also a close friend of mine) are both massive MJ fans, so I consider myself very lucky in that aspect, and they satisfy my need and share my joy in studying the details of his music and performances, and admiring and discussing his character, his philosophies and his life. In the end though, for me, it all comes back to a very personal connection to the music and, by extension, its creator. No one has come close to reaching that depth -- to connect to the emotional core of my inner self in such a profound way -- the way Michael Jackson does with his art. And that is something that has always been (and will remain) completely unaffected by what others think.
 
BollywoodGirl: Whats with calling him "MY" Michael? Thats the issue... everyone thought they owned him. He wasn't yours, he wasn't mine... Michael was Michaels. No disrespect intended.

Well that is just been a habit of mine ever since I was 12 years old. I am 34 now. And the only reason why I call him my Michael or my beloved Michael. Is that Michael has been the only guy I had ever truly L.O.V.E. ever since I was 12 years old. Before that was a 4 year long huge mad crush on him. Until I saw his In The Closet video. And fell madly in L.O.V.E. with him. Michael is the most perfect guy for me. Especially with the fact that I have so many things in common with him.
 
a friend of mine is rly dumb: he's listening to Dubstep only (the most horrible Dubstep stuff) and hates mj for his music. cause it would be shit and horrible sounding. i once had mj in my car ('jam') and he said like 'oh gosh, how can someone listen to this shit? don't u have smth better?' i was like wtf... since that day I'm getting aggressive every time I meet a hater.

i can't understand anyway how someone could only listen to Dubstep und consider this as the 'only' good music


how could someone not like mjs deep lyrics, out of this world vocals and those superb beats / production? i don't get it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Snerxxf2RDY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWjYxR2cs5s
Please show him/her this.
 
a friend of mine is rly dumb: he's listening to Dubstep only (the most horrible Dubstep stuff) and hates mj for his music. cause it would be shit and horrible sounding. i once had mj in my car ('jam') and he said like 'oh gosh, how can someone listen to this shit? don't u have smth better?' i was like wtf... since that day I'm getting aggressive every time I meet a hater.

i can't understand anyway how someone could only listen to Dubstep und consider this as the 'only' good music


how could someone not like mjs deep lyrics, out of this world vocals and those superb beats / production? i don't get it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Snerxxf2RDY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWjYxR2cs5s
Please show him/her this.
 
My mom used to be very critical of him, but after he died, she did research into the trial, and apologized to me for thinking he was a pedophile.

My grandma, RIP, knew that he was being targeted because of his money. She didn't like his music, but she didn't harbor any hate towards him.

My aunt loves him. She's always been one of the better members of our family.

My uncle just said Michael was off his rocker.

As far as friends go, if someone says something negative, that's it. They are gone. I can't divorce family members, but I certainly can divorce friends.
 
Family, friends and work collegues know i'm a huge MJ fan.

Some work colleagues laugh simply because I normally can't go a day, without mentioning Michael around work or in the canteen.

Friends just know me as a huge Michael fan, so they know exactty what to expect.

Family, I have grown up with Michaels music, I have been listening to MJ since I was born. That early I honestly can't rememeber when I started, he always been there playing on the cassette and CD player. I've got my dad to thank quite alot for my music taste. Everyone just accept me as a Michael Jackson fan in my family, yes there are relatives that are abit negative towards Michael, but you know, just gotta ignore them :)
 
I don't tend to ask people, but anyone who knows me knows I love MJ and if they know me well they don't tend to be stupid enough to be too negative. I've only had one person call MJ a molester to my face, that was one of my uncles. He'd come down to stay with my family and I a couple of years ago on easter with his wife and step son. He doesn't know me that well and has a bad temper and can't be reasoned with.

The argument didn't last long and I was too angry to think straight and he wouldn't listen and was talking over the top of me so I didn't get any counter arguments in. My Mother was getting upset because she doesn't like confrontation (neither do I but I also don't like people talking crap) so I walked away. Not long after that my uncle packed up his stuff and took his family to stay at a motel for their last day down here. Hasn't been back since, and I don't care to see him again.

I think I did well to bite my tongue, my uncle doesn't realise that I know about his past with young girls in our family. His wife and adult stepson don't know either and I could easily have let it slip but I didn't. I've warned my Mother that if it happens again I'll be saying something. While doing my own research on the allegations I told my Mother and Brother everything I found out and they think MJ is innocent also which is just as well. I think I've been lucky in that I've spoken about this with people I know and they've listened and agreed with me about MJ. If someone doesn't agree I'd rather speak wit them about it online where I can send them documents and other evidence, I find it easier that way.
 
When it comes to my family my dad is usually the harshest critic of Michael. He's called him a freak before and has made nasty child rape jokes involving him. Although he did say that it was unfair how the media coverage of the trial was blown way out of proportion. My brother is also pretty mean towards Michael but I don't recall him saying as much as my dad. He was the one who told me back in 1994 or so that I should stop listening to his cassette tape of the Bad album because Michael "did bad things to kids". I believed him, albeit reluctantly. :(

My mom and sister are a lot nicer. I've not heard them say anything bad about Michael but something tells me they do have their suspicions of him. Mom talked fondly once about how she and dad used to dance to his music while they were dating. My sis likes some of his songs.

For friends, I know one of them is the "I enjoy his music but..." types. He's made bad remarks about Michael but does enjoy some of his songs. There are two other friends of mine whom I haven't spoken to in years but when Michael came up before they said they thought he was innocent. Another friend of mine is a full-blown Michael fan through and through, which makes me very happy. ^_^

I don't talk to a lot of people where I work, although I've encountered my fair share of haters. One dude made a pedophilia joke about him just weeks after he died, and another commented about how his kids would be normal now. One lady who had the same job I did said she didn't care much for him (this was the day of his memorial). There is some love, thankfully. Another co-worker who had the same job as me seemed to like him enough. One time another lady started playing BOTDF and she started dancing. XD

As for school, I don't recall a lot of love nor hate for Michael during school. In grade school I remember someone going "No one can Moonwalk like Michael Jackson!" when I mentioned how this girl who bullied me was bragging that she could do the Moonwalk. Mind you, I had no idea what the Moonwalk was at this point, since I hadn't seen or heard of Motown 25 or any of his Billie Jean performances. I know in my junior year for one class we did a music history unit and watched the Thriller video. This was around the time when the second allegations were starting up, so someone might have said something negative then, but I can't really remember. Finally, when I was in college, my roommate set her ringtone to TWYMMF, but that was mainly because some dance movie she liked (I forgot the name) used it. Overall, I say it was pretty neutral.
 
Like many have said, people have respect for his music,but not necessarily for the person. And, sad as it is to say, I don't think it is going to change (at least for the majority of people) until newer generations discover him. There are just too many preconceptions and little incentive for them to research and look into it.

My girlfriend is one of the sweetest people I've ever met, and she believed the tabloid trash about Michael prior to meeting her. Once she realized how big of a fan I was and how positively I spoke of him, she seemed to at least have a more open mind about him.

Side note, I want to show her an MJ interview that both dispels rumors and shows his positive spirit I know and love. His words would show her more than mine could :) I was thinking the Oprah interview, you guys have any recommendations?
 
Yup. Just got done talking to my sister, so now I know how everyone feels. When it comes to my family... they can all stuff it. (I'll tell you what, I never thought I'd hear myself say those words.)
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Oh well. Not much I can do, right? I guess it's time to head to bed and hopefully a good nights' rest will lift this cloud from over my head :)
 
I'm sorry, Spyce. I can relate :/ Only my younger siblings share my love for Michael.
 
Yup. Just got done talking to my sister, so now I know how everyone feels. When it comes to my family... they can all stuff it. (I'll tell you what, I never thought I'd hear myself say those words.)
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Oh well. Not much I can do, right? I guess it's time to head to bed and hopefully a good nights' rest will lift this cloud from over my head :)

I'm sorry to hear that :( it's sad that family members say things they know will upset you, it's very selfish of them and shows a lack of respect for how you feel, don't be scared to tell them that either. There's no reason why you should have to put up with that behavior.
 
Sorry I didn't mean to get all down and depressed. I think I was just rather surprised and disappointed by my sister's reaction. But I got some sleep and I'm fine now :) Screw it. I just won't share certain things with them anymore. It all just boils down to them being happy for me being happy, and it they can't do that, if they can't support me in that, then I will only go to them when I want to whine and complain about something :lol: Then when they ask why I'm suddenly so miserable, I'll tell 'em straight up.

Does that make me a bad person? :lol:
 
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