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Michael Jackson The Political Activist

samhabib

samhabib

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"Boy, is that girl with you?"

I've been online discussing 'Black or White' with a few friends over the last few days and thought I'd post my observations here... a friend of mine opened my eyes to the significance of the opening verse and the rest just flowed from there. I can't believe that the significance of the line "Boy, is that girl with you?" passed me by for 19 years. I'm a political animal but just didn't see what that meant.

Michael Jackson, the biggest black luminary of all time chose to launch one of his most commercially successful albums with a song about racism that begins with the line "I took my baby on a Saturday bang. "Boy, is that girl with you?". "Yes, we're one and the same".

That verse represents a conversation he's having with a racist who is offended at the sight of a black man with a white girl. The word "boy" is a racial slur. A word that racists used in reference to their black slaves. It's the word that alleged KKK member and alleged racist Tom Sneddon used when questioning black superstar Chris Tucker on the stand during Michael's trial - "If you're a good boy". Would he refer to Russel Crowe like that? Who knows...

Later in the video Michael sings "I ain't scared of no sheets" while bursting through imagery of a KKK meeting. The "sheets" being a reference to the Ku Klux Klan white sheet clothing.

The video ends with Michael destroying racist graffiti including the slogans "nigger go home", "no more wetbacks", swastika images and finally "KKK rules". After he does that he morphs onto a black panther. A BLACK PANTHER!!!! Do you know who the Black Panthers are???

That, my friends, makes that song (and video) a HUGE political statement. It means that when Michael Jackson was the biggest star on the planet he had something very important to say. It means that Black or White is not JUST a fantastic pop record. It means it was also a political masterpiece. Lady Gaga can song "oh-la ooh-la-laaa"... Michael Jackson sings "I ain't scared of no sheets". Absolutely amazing.

Black or White was the biggest video premiere in the history of our planet. No artist before or since had the platform that Michael Jackson did. Michael chose THAT moment to launch THAT message. To me, he used to be the greatest. Now that my eyes have been opened he's the double greatest!

Muhammad Ali has always been my hero - not just because he was the greatest heavyweight of all time. But because, when he had a platform, he had something important to say.

But this??? This is just incredible. It elevates Michael Jackson even higher, if possible, in my eyes. The man was a genius.

That opening verse comes from the same place as Sam Cooke's verse in 'A Change Is Gonna Come' - THE civil rights record:

"I go to the movie and I go downtown...
Somebody keep tellin me 'Don't hang around'.
Sam Cooke, "A Change Is Gonna Come'

It's the same line, different era.

I've been blown away by this realisation. I've been a fan for almost 30 years and this has just blown me away. I thought the guy was great. I didn't realise how great.

Michael Jackson, may God bless you.
 
Re: "Boy, is that girl with you?"

Totally agree. A damn shame that ignorant souls have accused Michael of not being ''black enough'' or bleaching his skin. God bless your soul Michael
 
Re: "Boy, is that girl with you?"

Great post!

Yes and this is the same guy that the media want to portray as hating his race and wanting to be white so much so that he turned his skin white.

Then we have Quincy Jones saying what he said about MJs children. :no:

Michael was a proud black man, and more than that, he wanted to bring the message that we are all one race, the HUMAN race.
 
Re: "Boy, is that girl with you?"

samhabib said:
I've been online discussing 'Black or White' with a few friends over the last few days and thought I'd post my observations here... a friend of mine opened my eyes to the significance of the opening verse and the rest just flowed from there. I can't believe that the significance of the line "Boy, is that girl with you?" passed me by for 19 years. I'm a political animal but just didn't see what that meant.

Michael Jackson, the biggest black luminary of all time chose to launch one of his most commercially successful albums with a song about racism that begins with the line "I took my baby on a Saturday bang. "Boy, is that girl with you?". "Yes, we're one and the same".

That verse represents a conversation he's having with a racist who is offended at the sight of a black man with a white girl. The word "boy" is a racial slur. A word that racists used in reference to their black slaves. It's the word that alleged KKK member and alleged racist Tom Sneddon used when questioning black superstar Chris Tucker on the stand during Michael's trial - "If you're a good boy". Would he refer to Russel Crowe like that? Who knows...

Later in the video Michael sings "I ain't scared of no sheets" while bursting through imagery of a KKK meeting. The "sheets" being a reference to the Ku Klux Klan white sheet clothing.

The video ends with Michael destroying racist graffiti including the slogans "nigger go home", "no more wetbacks", swastika images and finally "KKK rules". After he does that he morphs onto a black panther. A BLACK PANTHER!!!! Do you know who the Black Panthers are???

That, my friends, makes that song (and video) a HUGE political statement. It means that when Michael Jackson was the biggest star on the planet he had something very important to say. It means that Black or White is not JUST a fantastic pop record. It means it was also a political masterpiece. Lady Gaga can song "oh-la ooh-la-laaa"... Michael Jackson sings "I ain't scared of no sheets". Absolutely amazing.

Black or White was the biggest video premiere in the history of our planet. No artist before or since had the platform that Michael Jackson did. Michael chose THAT moment to launch THAT message. To me, he used to be the greatest. Now that my eyes have been opened he's the double greatest!

Muhammad Ali has always been my hero - not just because he was the greatest heavyweight of all time. But because, when he had a platform, he had something important to say.

But this??? This is just incredible. It elevates Michael Jackson even higher, if possible, in my eyes. The man was a genius.

That opening verse comes from the same place as Sam Cooke's verse in 'A Change Is Gonna Come' - THE civil rights record:

"I go to the movie and I go downtown...
Somebody keep tellin me 'Don't hang around'.
Sam Cooke, "A Change Is Gonna Come'

It's the same line, different era.

I've been blown away by this realisation. I've been a fan for almost 30 years and this has just blown me away. I thought the guy was great. I didn't realise how great.

Michael Jackson, may God bless you.
Click to expand...

Wow, thank you!!!!!
I never knew these things.....it's hard enough for me to understand the lyrics without such significances to be honest.....so your post was a big eye opener. Thanks :yes: :clapping:
 
Re: "Boy, is that girl with you?"

That's why we conspire against him
Michael He faced
I love Michael
 
Hello all

I've been online with a number of friends over the last few days discussing Michael Jackson and his contributions to political discourse.

A friend of mine pointed something out to me that had passed me by for the best part of 19 years.

Whilst discussing 'Black or White' a friend of mine opened my eyes to the significance of the opening verse and the rest just flowed from there. I can't believe that the significance of the line "Boy, is that girl with you?" passed me by for 19 years but there you go. I'm a political animal but just didn't see what that meant or what it referred to.

Michael Jackson, the biggest black luminary of all time chose to launch one of his most commercially successful albums with a song about racism that begins with the line "I took my baby on a Saturday bang. "Boy, is that girl with you?". "Yes, we're one and the same".

That verse represents a conversation he's having with a racist who is offended at the sight of a black man with a white girl. The word "boy" is a racial slur. A word that racists used in reference to their black slaves. It's the word that alleged KKK member and alleged racist Tom Sneddon used when questioning black superstar Chris Tucker on the stand during Michael's trial - "If you're a good boy". Would he refer to Russel Crowe like that? Who knows...

Later in the video Michael sings "I ain't scared of no sheets" while bursting through imagery of a KKK meeting. The "sheets" being a reference to the Ku Klux Klan white sheet clothing.

The video ends with Michael destroying racist graffiti including the slogans "nigger go home", "no more wetbacks", swastika images and finally "KKK rules". After he does that he morphs onto a black panther. A BLACK PANTHER!!!! Do you know who the Black Panthers are???

That, my friends, makes that song (and video) a HUGE political statement. It means that when Michael Jackson was the biggest star on the planet he had something very important to say. It means that Black or White is not JUST a fantastic pop record. It means it was also a political masterpiece. Lady Gaga can song "oh-la ooh-la-laaa"... Michael Jackson sings "I ain't scared of no sheets". Absolutely amazing.

Black or White was the biggest video premiere in the history of our planet. No artist before or since had the platform that Michael Jackson did. Michael chose THAT moment to launch THAT message. To me, he used to be the greatest. Now that my eyes have been opened he's the double greatest!

Muhammad Ali has always been my hero - not just because he was the greatest heavyweight of all time. But because, when he had a platform, he had something important to say.

But this??? This is just incredible. It elevates Michael Jackson even higher, if possible, in my eyes. The man was a genius.

That opening verse comes from the same place as Sam Cooke's verse in 'A Change Is Gonna Come' - THE civil rights record:

"I go to the movie and I go downtown...
Somebody keep tellin me 'Don't hang around'.
Sam Cooke, "A Change Is Gonna Come'

It's the same line, different era.

I've been blown away by this realisation. I've been a fan for almost 30 years and this has just blown me away. I thought the guy was great. I didn't realise how great.

Remember that the follow-up single was Remember The Time with the all-black cast set in ROYAL Africa. Remember The Time when we were kings? Amazing...

Michael Jackson, may God bless you.
 
Re: "Boy, is that girl with you?"

Yes, you're absolutely correct. It is a political statement, along with a bunch of his other songs. It is genius and those who were criticizing it and the panther dance at the end, totally didn't get the message.
 
Re: "Boy, is that girl with you?"

thanks for this. i watched the video again, for the first time, in a while, after i saw this thread. when i first saw the video at it's premiere, i was thoroughly entertained, but only got half of what you are saying about it. the lyric 'black or white' and the general message was obvious to me, at first listen and i enjoyed it. but the 'boy is that girl...' lyric, i never really heard, cus of MJ's musical way of singing it, which went with the music, and i appreciate that. now, i was never one to be influenced by the media and haters, but, i admit, the noise that they made, and the ludicrous comments they made about the video, kept me from studying the lyric, as intently as you did. i was too busy defending MJ to radio stations that refused my requests to play his music(and, of course, i don't regret defending him). but now, seeing the video, and listening hard to the lyric, yes...the genius is a trivial word next to what MJ really is. there needs to be a word better than genius, invented, to describe him. and what's most genius, for lack of a better word, is he is the only artist to not try and explain the song, or the video, fully, in the face of big criticism. he just let the song simmer on its own, and video simmer on its own, and let people get what they got from it. in that way, the song and video grew more and more powerful. a lot of artists try too hard to explain their material. even if there is no criticism.

the word that Michael used in 'This Is It', the word simmer is perfect for his songwriting style. even when he was sending a blunt message, he wrote it in a simmering way. a way that allowed the song to explain itself in a stealthy, increasing way, with every listen. and the same goes for his videos, with each and every new view of them. although there were plenty of general bluntness in the delivery, which made some people overlook the details and say that he was not able to be abstract(and that was delivered in a way, not meant to compliment him, when they said it), the inner layers of message were not blunt. they were stealthy. he combined the two in a way i have never heard it done by anyone else. he's truly the best.
 
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Re: "Boy, is that girl with you?"

I'm telling you that they really need to do a class disecting MJ's lyrics. Often because his lyrics were simple and accompanied by a good beat, they are just glossed over and no one ever looks at them further.

But inside his lyrics are often internal struggles, frustrations, and messages, such as in this one. If people actually analyzed them, I think they might be surprised and have a different view of him.

I really believe that for the most part his lyrics were very personal and they do give an enormous insight to who he was.
 
Re: "Boy, is that girl with you?"

love your breakdown of the song!!
 
There's more. Much more to come.

Speed Demon - The white policeman, referring to the black driver, "Pull over BOY, and get your ticket right!"

Beat It - The lyrics already sound like a lynching.

"They told him don't you ever come around here
Don't wanna see your face, you better disappear
The fire's in their eyes and their words are really clear
So beat it, just beat it...

They're out to get you, better leave while you can
Don't wanna be a boy, you wanna be a man"

That reads like a typical racist diatribe: "We don't want to see your face around here".

And all this while he was at his peak. I've heard some people refer to his 2002/2003 Al Sharpton speeches as desperate acts to stir up his black fan base. But he was ALWAYS in touch with them - ESPECIALLY at his peak.

The line in Wanna Be Startin' Something:

Lift Your Head Up High
And Scream Out To The World
"I Know I Am Someone"

That is taken almost verbatim from Jesse Jackson's mantra at Civil Rights addresses in the 60s:

""I am - Somebody. I may be poor, but I am - Somebody! I may be on welfare, but I am - Somebody! I may be uneducated, but I am - Somebody! I must be, I’m God’s child. I must be respected and protected. I am black and I am beautiful! I am - Somebody! Soul Power!"
 
Re: "Boy, is that girl with you?"

samhabib said:
The video ends with Michael destroying racist graffiti including the slogans "nigger go home", "no more wetbacks", swastika images and finally "KKK rules".
Click to expand...

the graffities were added later though.
i saw them first when "Dangerous - The Short Films" VHS was released in late 1993.
i still have the original version without graffities on some old MTV recording VHS.
 
i love to know this kind of things :cry:
The man is a genius and sometimes, sometimes he is so underrated even by us, his fans, as crazy as it sounds.
 
It's great we have this kind of talking and thinking, great post and great answers too.
To be very, very honest, I was rised in a country and at a time when we had no racial issues, but a lot of policital problems/divisions/etc., so I admit I am rather ignorant to racial concerns and the milestones on the fight of black people for their rights. I thank you for the valuable information that sheds light into such a powerful lyrics. I had no idea about the use of the word "boy" and the meaning of the sheets.

I just can't understand how the media and other powers manageded to totally twist and turned MJ messages and hide them behind a wall of lies. The power of this system.... wowwww... The way they manage to blind our eyes if we give them the chance to. I am glad we DID have our eyes open to see Michael at the real artist he is.

Do you remember all that silly talking against Michael for TDCAU? Maaaan, that was so, so, sooooo wrong :no:
 
Re: "Boy, is that girl with you?"

Triumph said:
the graffities were added later though.
i saw them first when "Dangerous - The Short Films" VHS was released in late 1993.
i still have the original version without graffities on some old MTV recording VHS.
Click to expand...

The 'Nigger Go Home' was on the original I believe. Some of the others were tagged on later. I really need to dig out my old VHS tape - even then the UK premiere was already edited.
 
Re: "Boy, is that girl with you?"

samhabib said:
The 'Nigger Go Home' was on the original I believe. Some of the others were tagged on later. I really need to dig out my old VHS tape - even then the UK premiere was already edited.
Click to expand...

hm.. nope. no graffities at all (on the stuff michael smashes)

thats the reason why the premiere was such a "scandal"...
it just looked like he went crazy... smashing all this stuff. :)

with the graffiti it makes mroe sense now.
 
samhabib said:
Have you seen the promo picture of Michael Jackson with a black panther at his feet?
Click to expand...

Was that even an official image? It's clearly photoshopped together from at least 4 different photos. I always thought it was fanmade.
 
wow ..........this is good..........i don't think people from other countries who don't have racial issue knows this.This is eye opening.seriously there should be class on mjs lyrics and vedio in universities.
 
I always kind of got that Black or White was a political statement but I never knew to what extent. I need to REALLY listen to it and read the lyrics. I love that Michael was so political. His songs are deeper than I guess most people realize.
 
i like what you're suggesting. And i wouldn't be surprised if Michael had been through something relating the kkk-hate, maybe something that we don't know.
 
Sorry... I just had to post this final one. It's an animated gif... I can't believe that this is a coincidence. A video in which he challenges the Ku Klux Klan comes to an end like this? This can't be a coincidence...

Far fetched? I can't believe it is...

http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/4204/morphb.gif
 
samhabib said:
Have you seen the promo picture of Michael Jackson with a black panther at his feet?
Click to expand...
I am not talking about that, I am talking about the "MJ" logo and the Black Panther logo. The comparison of the images is more than far-fetched.
 
Dutchie said:
I am not talking about that, I am talking about the "MJ" logo and the Black Panther logo. The comparison of the images is more than far-fetched.
Click to expand...

It isn't. I've been a graphic designer for the best part of 12 years - if that's a coincidence than I'm George W Bush.

When I superimposed that MJ logo onto the panther image - I didn't skew one thing. Once I matched the ears - the space for the eyes, the line of the legs and the length of the tail all followed suit. If that's a coincidence I'd be amazed.
 
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