My own family has mocked Michael Jackson right in front of my face.
My Uncle sat and talked of how much he admired Michael's music talent and abilities, but then cut right in to how he could never take anything he did to hear though because he was a "perverted, pedophile." I told him he had no sense of the American justice system if he wanted to go around making accusations like that, and defaming someone in death. I asked him if he had ever seen any 'Law and Order' or anything like that on television, because everyone knows you are INNOCENT until you are PROVEN guilty, and MJ was acquitted. He asked me why I was so upset and I told him his ignorance was driving me crazy. His music and his personal life should never cross over each other in terms of respect. You can respect the music, and you can respect the man. I wish people could do both but they just can't seem to.
My Uncle's son, the next night, called Michael a derogatory term for being gay (it was starts with an F

) I asked him what made him so, the fact that he was a phenomenal entertainer and my cousin is just a wanna be, or the fact that he was an outstanding humanitarian and did more for the world than my cousin could even begin to wrap his head around. He also turned to the 'perverted pedophile' comment which is father had used, in which I just shook my head and told him his ignorance is just helping to tear the world apart. He shot back at me with 'Well he was just trying to be a white man.' My cousin was wearing sagging pants four sizes too big for him with the crotch hanging well below his knees, a huge baggy shirt hanging to his knees, DC tennis shoes, and a flat billed baseball cap. I asked him 'Well, aren't you trying to be black? Because I have never seen Michael Jackson dressed like that and according to you he is 'white' just like you.' And he shut up.
People's ignorance WILL be the end of my sanity. I can't stand it when people make such ignorant and derogatory comments about
anyone. It just especially drives me bonkers when it is about MJ, because that is someone they don't even KNOW!