A Beautiful and Profound Open Letter & Essay to Paris

Ahsoka Jackson

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The title of this thread says it all. The words written here are truly touching, beautiful, inspiring, and POWERFUL! I truly, truly hope Paris sees this.

"Behind The Mask"-An Open Letter And Essay To Paris Jackson


Dear Paris,
I have spent the last few days trying to numb myself to the sad news of your extreme distress and your attempt to leave us. See, for those of us who love you for the beautiful young lady you have become, in addition to the love we have for you vicariously through your father, the reality of that close call is nearly unbearable. We have suffered endlessly since 1993 with allegations of deplorable acts which, though never ever corroborated with a single piece of physical evidence, set our lives on a collision course that would, ultimately, take him from us and bring you to this point.

The loss was incomprehensible and in the midst of all the anger, confusion and injustice, you stepped forth at his memorial with words, profound beyond your years, that were a testament to the upbringing you had received from the man we know as The King of Pop. That image, that moment, redefined, for even the harshest critic, your father's parenting skills and "rehumanized" him in many ways for millions, silencing those who had doubted his abilities as a
father. Your poise, courage and compassion was monumental. We drew strength from you.

Over the years, we have watched you grow and seemingly adjust seamlessly and do so to a
degree that seemed, at times, as incomprehensible as the loss of Michael itself. You kept up a
brave front to honor his legacy, to appease us and maybe you never truly purged your anger or
maybe you were sheltered from the harsh reality of his tumultuous relationship with the media
that plagued him. I wondered when it would reach you. I wondered when and if the dam had
broken, at least behind closed doors.

I know for me, personally, as a lifelong fan and supporter even throughout the allegations, my
dam had long broken like the levies in New Orleans with no FEMA to the rescue and I had not
adjusted as well as it appeared you had. Something shifted in my universe from the trial to his
death as I watched media hate mongers and MJ critics prosper. This was aggravated by my
knowledge and vantage point of the case and the debilitating effects it all had on his health. I
felt disenfranchised by the concept of Mr. Jackson having unjustly lost his life due to the
allegations and the hatred and persecution that dogged his conscious and very spirit even after
his acquittal; a man who is in the Guinness Book of World Records for giving. So how could this
be? Like any good movie, we expect the hero to triumph. It is why most narratives end their
story lines with redemptive value. Our sensibilities require it!

Behind The Mask

So with evil prevailing over good, the universe had shifted off kilter for me and for many who could not find the words to express this feeling. Now we are forced to resort to taking comfort in preserving his legacy, as if the media would allow us to do so painlessly. We face the dilemma of watching his children grow because it's part of what we have left of him, even knowing he so vehemently denied access and protected them from the public eye.

But when he left us, the spotlight shone on you, Paris and you carried the torch as long as you could. The love transferred to you...but so did the hatred. Now those masks your Daddy had you wear seem more prophetic than ever. I long for the days when you lived "Behind The Mask," when being another face in the crowd was still an option. But please know that you never had to hide " Behind The Mask" to uphold a brave front when you lost your father, in order to uphold and protect us. We are here to uphold and protect you! You were just a child trying to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. Your father carried a lot of weight as a child and the load is too heavy to ask of you under the circumstances. You owe the world nothing. You only owe it to yourself to get in touch with your feelings, and purge them so you can heal properly. You can get as angry as you want. You can fall away from the public eye. You can delete your Twitter.... who says that people deserve that much access to you anyway?
You can challenge your critics or be still. Do whatever you truly need to do to be right within yourself, not what you feel you need to do for your father's fans or his legacy. You know that this is what he would want for you.

Every Tool Doubles As a Weapon

Now to the cyberbullyies, "journalists" and critics who build their apparently small existence
around harassing you and rehashing your father's life and death, there is not much to be said. I
simply ask of them. "How irrelevant is your life when the most significant thing going for you is a
deceased man and an appropriately distressed teen girl...who happens to be his daughter?". If
you feed off the dead, why are you any different than a parasite, a maggot? Your legacy is non-
existent and the most important thing you could ever do is attach yourself to the Jackson name
to feel validated! It is every bit as demented as the gunman (whose name I will not mention)
who killed John Lennon to attach himself to John Lennon's legacy, if only through infamy. And
to those cowards who hide behind anonymity of social networks and cannot step forth to even
hold steadfast to their own perspective; ask yourselves, "Do I even exist?".

As for publications, I must say, not surprisingly, that the New York Post was one of the most
appalling with their front page headline "J****'s Curse" bearing Paris' picture. People who have
followed Mr. Michael Jackson's career know that he has enemies there; disgruntled ex-
employees of his, with an ax to grind and further disappointment of failed exploitative MJ book
ventures, even. Between them and the remnants of their wrath, its path and however it has
influenced other staff, it's no wonder this publication rarely, gives an unbiased or even
respectful rendition of anything MJ related.

I find it frighteningly audacious and would venture to call it wicked that so-called adults would
act so quickly to pour salt in the wound of a distraught child because they are completely
blinded by their own hatred and agenda to hurt a man, his family and his legacy even years
after his death. Truly, it is publications such as yours, unethical "journalism" such as this and
immoral writers and editors such as you that are and always have been the CURSE! You
sensationalize, perpetuate and profit off of the pain of others. To add an even more disturbing
twist, I must reiterate that where Michael Jackson is concerned, it is vindictive, a personal
vendetta for you. This is how you use your publication. Every tool doubles as a weapon. You
can use a screwdriver to build a bookshelf or you can drive it through a man's heart. Is that
blood on your hands?

I wonder how the reporter who wrote this sleeps at night. I wonder if he has children who go to school and who are vulnerable to bullying. I wonder how he would comfort and encourage his bullied child and still justify why he could, in one breath, allege that this other man was a monster who preyed upon children, even as HE is the monster who is CLEARLY AND UNEQUIVOCALLY preying upon this suffering little girl. And since his actions dictate that he
believes that his disdain should be transferred over to the object of his wrath's children, why doesn't he step into the spotlight, render his tainted and biased standpoint proudly and introduce his children to the world to level the playing field. Then we will see if those who disapprove do not make his children the object of hatred. You mocked Mr. Jackson when he hid his children "Behind The Mask" though you knew therein lay wisdom. You don't expose your
kids at all and ,indeed, when it came to his, you have proven you wanted to expose them to hurt them, to hurt him yet you hide "Behind The Mask" of journalism and the First amendment as you harass Paris, a fifteen year old girl. So what makes you any different from a playground bully? Again, I implore you to think of your children. Let us remember the tenth plague of Egypt!

Folkore and Fodder for the Feed

I can draw a timeline of when Michael became the biggest pop idol the world had ever seen and
how racism and other bias caused the media to began to chisel away at his legacy by
emphasizing his "eccentricities" to dehumanize him, telling his race he had a deep-seated
hatred for us and generally stigmatizing him so that we would abandon him and retreat when
they moved in for the kill. Many of us fell for it. I still ponder the absurdity of the many Jedi-Mind
Tricks the media has played upon the masses with regard to Mr. Jackson, my favorite, of which
is the black self- hatred theory which was designed to divide us from our icon. If we never knew
how much the black race still revered Michael Jackson up to his untimely passing than the
outpouring of love and the mile long line outside the Apollo in Harlem alleviated us of any
doubt....but nice try! Black self-harted? I see socially-economically distressed Black
neighborhoods implode and destroy themselves with drugs, crime, domestic abuse, misogyny,
child abandonment, incarceration and recidivism everyday.

I see NBA players and urban music artists dating and marrying women who look nothing like
their mothers year after year and videos by black music artists and black film producers who
perpetuate negative stereotypes and feature women who are so far removed from the look of
the average African American sister that you would have to count on two hands to name the
collective ethnicities of one of them. Does it matter? Should it matter? In either case, let's be
fair. If I see another weak thesis on MJ's proposed self- hatred I will sue for alienation of
affection, emotional distress and whatever else I can think up! How can we make Michael
Jackson the poster child for Black Self- Hatred and ignore all the above? I have heard that it
started with his Jheri curl. Really? Ice Cube had a Jheri curl. I have heard it was the lightening
of his skin...but then the autopsy proved he had vitiligo. And, of course, the plastic surgery is
the biggest culprit to the theory. Yet plastic surgery is the norm for Hollywood in 2013. So MJ
was 30 years ahead of his time. So was his artistic vision. So why should this surprise us?

Black Self-Hatred? Let's examine some lesser known facts that challenge this theory. Here is a
man who set the record for the single- biggest personal donation to The United Negro College
Fund. The most empowering thing you can do for a distressed race is to afford them the
opportunity to educate themselves, break the cycle and become prosperous. If you hate a man,
you don't put a book in his hand! That is Willie Lynch 101! Here is a man who, unlike his
counterparts, continued to use ethnic looking, brown skinned and dark complexioned African-
American women in his videos and performances including, Ola Ray(Thriller video), Naomi
Campbell (In The Closet), Iman (Remember The Time video), Angela Ice( Played the angel on
MTV 10-"Will You Be There") and Kishaya Dudley,(You Rock My World video). And before any
critic points out Tatiana from " The Way You Make Me Feel" or his criticized involvement with
Caucasian women, understand that the point I am making is not that he worked or dealt with
the darker women in exclusion to others but that he obviously went against the grain to give
them a platform regardless of the status quo.

And anyone who paid attention would notice that he had a kinship with Africa itself in spite of an
unsubstantiated, report of a debacle when he visited in the 90's. Michael Jackson was named
an honorary king, King Sani in Africa on that very visit and was close friends with Nelson
Mandela. How many of us can say that? Moonwalker brought African a cappella group, Lady
Smith Black Mambazo to the mainstream leading them to heavy rotation for their Lifesavers
commercial. And once again, MJ honored the beauty of African women with his captivating
composition, Liberian Girl. All of these facts are withheld each time that trite theory is being
beaten like a dead horse yet they have been in our face all along if we only had the inclination
to analyze and factor this in or the confidence to challenge that paradigm.

The Power of Suggestion

I mean to point out the power of mind control and to help put things in perspective for you,
Paris. Power of suggestion and brainwashing is very real. Look at the infamous McMartin
Preschool Case. Hundreds of confessions of abuse were coerced out of children. These
allegations involved devil worship and a case of mistaken identity that even implicated that
Chuck Norris was one of the counselors and offenders. The entire case was bogus. Since
then, there have many controversies of therapist- induced memories and disorders using
techniques such as age regression and hypnotism and these involved adults. The McMartin
case and key phrases such as "therapy induced diagnosis, DID" can be googled. This practice
even brought into question to the existence of multiple personality disorder itself. Who better to
get inside your head than a shrink? We think of them as opening our minds to debrief us. But
while our minds are open, imagine what can go in. It is widely known that a person is
completely suggestible under hypnosis. In some cases, it may be appropriate to ask if
psychotherapist is one word or two!

Likewise, as with the shocking new allegation from a fairly well-known adult, MJ accusers tend
to emerge from therapy sessions with "triggered" and newfound memories of allegations, real or
false. This new allegation, following a nervous breakdown and the inability to make his living
gives cause for pause, at the very least, as to the mental stability and motivation of this latest
accuser. "Substantial savings" do not undermine financial motivation. Savings dwindle....period!

Admittedly, I am throwing caution to the wind and sharing my conjecture but it is based on
precedents related and unrelated to this case. It is plausible that it was recognized that, if ever,
his connection to MJ be exploited at precisely this moment while he is vulnerable and open,
under psychiatric care. I am of the opinion that the recent, adult accuser may have been
confused and manipulated and may be a victim of controversial therapy practices. It has been
proven that a thought can be implanted through these sessions and 20 million dollars is a lot of
motivation. Just ask the doctor who profited by his third of the '93 payout and went back for
seconds with the second accuser, to no avail. You may argue that there is a suspicious pattern
with the accusations themselves. My response is that there is a suspicious pattern of medically-
induced accusations with therapists involved that are produced simultaneously with financial
woes and civil lawsuits against MJ's estate.

Back To Reality

This may all sound like science- fiction but it has been said that truth is stranger than fiction.
After all, the first accusation was produced under the influence of Sodium Pentothal. (GQ
Magazine-Was Michael Jackson Framed by Mary Fischer 1994).

So if the media can make us believe Michael distanced himself from black culture when the
truth played out in front of us, how easy is it make up allegations of what occurred out of our
sight. So I am laying out just one example, Paris. I want you to see the lies and the truth side by
side through the indelible medium of print so that you understand how clearly and concisely we
understand the media's need to twist and defame your father's character and I want you to see
how astutely, courageously and precisely we can blow lame, narrow-minded and even complex
and convoluted bullshit theory out of the water! Not all of us are intimidated by your media
machine, your albatross. You, Goliath, I, David!

Make no mistake, Paris, in spite of how reviled they tried to make him, your father was/is still
the most revered and beloved, universal popular icon of all time. As a result, you have millions
of soldiers of love who have many skills sets to help you in any way you may need. I implore
you to focus on that love in times of need and not those who seek to discourage and destroy
you. Yes, I know the pull of negativity, as zero times a million.....is zero! But a million times
one....is a million! And there are a million like me that care profoundly enough to support you
and take a stance as I am taking now.

You may find this hard to believe but the bullying and hatred online is not as profound and
heartfelt as the love. I have busters who badger every thread I have no matter the topic just to
get a rise and spark a debate. They are not as committed as supporters. It is recreational to
them. It has no depth or meaning beyond a demented sense of self-empowerment and self-
relevance.

They want to be attached to you, visible and present in your world,Paris. They are
jealous and feel inadequate and instead of expressing admiration they attack you because they
envy your fame, wealth and confidence and your father's legacy. They want to cut you down to
their size so they go for the jugular by insulting your father.

Stand In My Light or Stand In My Dust

We have to find a way to minimize their access to you, both literally and spiritually. As an
entertainment journalist, I have gotten hate mail for writing positive stories just because other
artists were jealous they did not get the exposure. I have even been accosted in person and
harassed by aggressive followers. It caused me quite a bit of stress in the beginning and I
definitely became an edgier person. I had to make some adjustments for my own emotional
comfort. I enacted self-control but I perfected righteous indignation! If you draw a battle line, I
will defend myself by any means necessary. We all share that right!

Twitter can be a good outlet but if it begins to backfire and cause you more stress then that
certainly has to be taken into consideration. Maybe you can get moderator to weed it out so that
you never take the negativity into your spirit. What can be done,otherwise? Mock them? Block
them? Expose them or maybe even find it in your heart to pray for them but no matter what,
know that you are stronger then they are. Don't let them win!

You are allowed to be vulnerable and not have the answers. You are allowed to hurt and cry.
You are allowed to lash out but whatever you do, Paris, please don't implode. In many ways,
your father did. He was so kind and considerate of others that he never maliciously lashed out
at his enemies. Oftentimes, I wish he had. No one can withstand that kind of pressure and build
up forever. From my vantage point, you either explode or implode....You just have to contain
the intensity of the explosion and be mindful of who may be hit by the shrapnel. Don't worry
about preserving your father's legacy. Preserve your sanity. We will handle that. Besides, no
matter what has been said to damage it, his legacy has withstood hell and high water! Just
focus on dealing with your own mourning and healing. If anything, strive to grow in strength and
wisdom and understanding that the ignorance that haunted your father will seek to destroy you,
if you let it.

You gave your father new life and reason after what was, then, the most difficult ordeal of his
life. Sadly, his time with you was destined to be short. In that time, he instilled compassion and
sensitivity in you that is the fruitage of the spirit but that a unconscious person will mistake for
weakness. There is no shame in your despair and how you chose to handle it. We do not
encourage this but maybe it needed to happen for that dam to break. Maybe you never meant
to follow through but only to cry for help. Maybe it was your protest about what you came to
learn about the way your father was treated by the world. I know that he would hate for you to
suffer the way he did, Paris.

Redemption

I know that in time you can overcome the pervasiveness of these attacks, pile up these
badgering, parasitic, non-entities and stand on them as a platform to display the shinning
manifestation of everything your father molded you to be. Your words could be a testament and
an inspiration to others who have suffered or.....you can quietly fade away from the spotlight
and do nothing at all but enjoy your quiet life. But if I may ask one thing of you, even if you
leave the spotlight, don't leave us, Paris. We love you and need you. We need to know you are
here with us, if nothing more. Daddy's little girl, his adoration for you was palpable. The same
little girl who bravely gave us hope and comfort as we mourned our idol and she mourned her
father, you saved us. Now let us save you. We understand now, Paris. You don't have to hide
"Behind The Mask" anymore. Just remember to never give your enemies what they want. Give
yourself the life you deserve. Let us keep you! Contrary to the faded whisper of any random,
insignificant, disturbed and needy bully on or offline, I....we implore you, LIVE PARIS, LIVE!
BETTER STILL, THRIVE PARIS, THRIVE!

Deepest Regards,
L. Burner
Free Lance Journalist



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