Something That Bugs Me: New Generation Not Appreciate....

BillieJean84

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Something that bugs me I guess it shouldn't but it does is: as I was watching the movie tonight where i live anyway, I've seen alot of teenagers there. I can guarentee you that they only know MJ from 2005-now. From the unfortunate happenings to now. I feel like they do not appreciate the whole picture, everything else- starting from his solo record, to 90s stuff to his last record, Invincible. They are just simply too young to appreciate him

I have been a "Fan" of MJ, following him, collecting MJ stuff, basically appreciating MJ since I was in 3rd grade ; I would sing "Leave Me Alone" to the teacher lol. When I was little, I would ask my mother if I could go to MJ's house.


This new generation of kids today, here, don't know what 'Thriller' is if you asked them, what 'Billie Jean' is even what Black or White is ....So what the are you doing here watching this movie tonight??? Go back home & watch Spongebob but don't come to a MJ movie and not know who he was!

That really does bug me. I don't know about anyone else though....
 
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Something that bugs me I guess it shouldn't but it does is: as I was watching the movie tonight, I've seen alot of teenagers there. I can guarentee you that they only know MJ from 2005-now. From the unfortunate happenings to now. I feel like they do not appreciate the whole picture, everything else- starting from his solo record, to 90s stuff to his last record, Invincible. They are just simply too young to appreciate him

I have been a "Fan" of MJ, following him, collecting MJ stuff, basically appreciating MJ since I was in 3rd grade ; I would sing "Leave Me Alone" to the teacher lol. When I was little, I would ask my mother if I could go to MJ's house.


This new generation of kids today don't know what 'Thriller' is if you asked them, what 'Billie Jean' is even what Black or White is ....So what the are you doing here watching this movie tonight??? Go back home & watch Spongebob but don't come to a MJ movie and not know who he was!

That really does bug me. I don't know about anyone else though....

Well, I honestly don't think that's a fair thing to say at all. I mean just because they're young doesnt mean they can't apprecite his music and performances? I mean I'm not a teen but I'm 20..and I "discovered" Michael when I was like 14..right after Invincible. Before that I didnt know ANYTHING about him..not even thriller or billie jean (which amazes me to this day)..but now..I consider myself an expert on all things MJ..lol. And I appreciate his music and work completely. I didnt have to live during the height of Thriller or wait in line to purchase Dangerous in order to appreciate the music, especially with the internet these days which was almost exclusively my source of information, videos, songs, performances, etc. So I think seeing a new younger generation that didnt grow up with MJ give him a shot and explore his creativity is a beautiful thing..They are really the first line or generation that will discover MJ post..well..MJ.
 
They are just simply too young to appreciate him.

I'm too young to have been able to see the J5 days while they were happening. I wish I had been able to see certain things live such as the Victory Tour & the Bad Tour.

But if young people really want to get to know Michael not the media BS, the truth is there. If they are willing to look at him with an open heart, the truth is there. His music and short films (his art) is with us forever. The real him is there in interviews and in MJ's PHMs.

These people who don't know his songs; they are just part of the curious public. But I hope they watched with an open mind and heart (not looking for scandal and media BS) but to see who Michael really is and to watch him at work.
 
Wtf?

What an ignorant statement!

I'm 15...maybe I should just go back home and stop supporting Michael and just forget everything that I've learnt because I've only known him since 2003 and I wasn't there during Thriller!!!!

You want MJ fans to be all old fans from J5? Fine, but if that happens then no one will be a fan in 20-30 years time!!!!!
 
Anyone who is willing to open their eyes to MJ's beauty is A-okay by me. Being fake is one thing, but why fault them for being young? The two aren't necessarily linked. I was being *born* while Bad was being released, LoL (which is too strange for me to think about...) But don't even try to tell me that I can't appreciate it 'cause of that! Haha. Most people on this board weren't around to experience the J5 phenomenon, but who here isn't knowledgeable on it and who here doesn't love them some J5?! =D Just sayin'.
 
I was happy to see the younger generations come out at my theater. They are the ones that can carry on his legacy! That is very important! The movie will open up their eyes to a legend. Perhaps they were not as lucky to know about Michael before but they have every opportunity to do so now. They are capable of researching things just as well. and Dance, I've only been a major fan since 2003 as well.. Im still young :hug: I wish I was old though. It sounds weird but I would have given ANYTHING to be able to grow old with Michael and experience every era. God those people that have I envy.
 
Anyone who is willing to open their eyes to MJ's beauty is A-okay by me. Being fake is one thing, but why fault them for being young? The two aren't necessarily linked. I was being *born* while Bad was being released, LoL (which is too strange for me to think about...) But don't even try to tell me that I can't appreciate it 'cause of that! Haha. Most people on this board weren't around to experience the J5 phenomenon, but who here isn't knowledgeable on it and who here doesn't love them some J5?! =D Just sayin'.

I agree. I was born during the Off The Wall era. So I wasn't around to really experience J5. Well not until I was 4 years old and saw those Jackson 5 cartoons. Which I absolutely love. Especially Michael since he was my favorite in those cartoons. But when I was a teenager in the 90s I was very obsessed with Michael. I have appreciated Michael ever since I became a fan of his nearly 30 years ago.
 
If anything, I think the younger fans deserve more respect and props, 'cause to get to him they had to wade through all the bullshit and see the Michael that wasn't being shown to the public. He's been "W**** J****" for their whole entire lives. Everyone loved Michael back in the day. But during a time when there was no new music and the world was being lied to about him, these fans cared enough to give him the benefit of the doubt and do some research on the man they'd heard nothing but horror stories about and then stood up and said "You guys are wack, I'm with you Michael." - it doesn't get more respectable than that.
 
you can't help when you are born. I don't think anyone is more of a fan based on how long you have been following MJ. I've appreciated his music and talent for nearly 30 years but there are younger fans out there that know everything about him, love him like nothing else, and they didn't even get the privilage of experiencing Michael Jackson mania, so good on them i say.
 
If anything, I think the younger fans deserve more respect and props, 'cause to get to him they had to wade through all the bullshit and see the Michael that wasn't being shown to the public. He's been "W**** J****" for their whole entire lives. Everyone loved Michael back in the day. But during a time when there was no new music and the world was being lied to about him, these fans cared enough to give him the benefit of the doubt and do some research on the man they'd heard nothing but horror stories about and then stood up and said "You guys are wack, I'm with you Michael." - it doesn't get more respectable than that.
 
If you have mean things to say, like calling me ignorant, then please don't answer my question. I simply just stated that 'younger generation' from where I am, doesnt know a thing about MJ because they don't do their research. The way I worded it I guess came out wrong. So please keep your mouth shut if otherwise.
 
Well, the same things could be said about fans who just know Michael from "Thriller" onward. What about "The Jackson 5"? What about "The Jacksons"? Man what about "Off the Wall"? hah. Give them time. Maybe they will discover his back catalogue. Maybe not. Maybe you could be the one to introduce them to the older material. This is not something to get upset over though.
 
Well, I honestly don't think that's a fair thing to say at all. I mean just because they're young doesnt mean they can't apprecite his music and performances? I mean I'm not a teen but I'm 20..and I "discovered" Michael when I was like 14..right after Invincible. Before that I didnt know ANYTHING about him..not even thriller or billie jean (which amazes me to this day)..but now..I consider myself an expert on all things MJ..lol. And I appreciate his music and work completely. I didnt have to live during the height of Thriller or wait in line to purchase Dangerous in order to appreciate the music, especially with the internet these days which was almost exclusively my source of information, videos, songs, performances, etc. So I think seeing a new younger generation that didnt grow up with MJ give him a shot and explore his creativity is a beautiful thing..They are really the first line or generation that will discover MJ post..well..MJ.

I totally agree with this!

And I think it's really ignorant to say that teenagers don't know Billie Jean, Thriller, Black or White... I'm a teenager and I can tell you, I haven't met a single person my age who doesn't know those songs. And nothing makes people more excited at for instance a club or a party than when for instance BJ comes on.
 
im 17 nearly 18! and i Know everything about him. but that is becoz im a massive fan.

BUT

everyone whos at least 13 and over no billie jean, thriller, beat it, black or white, scream!

EVERY teenager knows those classics.

BUT

people 11 and under, not all of them no his classic stuff!

but anyways u gotta remember as time goes on more and more people are not gunna no the classics BUT of corse lots of people will because he will go down like elvis and his music will be remembered for a long time. but less and less people will no as time goes on.
 
Oh jeez, come on guys learn to respect eachother. It brought a smile to my face to see so many little kids at the cinema seeing this is it. Dressed in their MJ outfits. Lol.
 
J.C. I didnt say everyone who is a teenager. go back and RE-READ what I posted.
 
Yeah I saw alot coming in just to say they saw ''it''. So it was for his fame and not for him.
 
Yeah I saw alot coming in just to say they saw ''it''. So it was for his fame and not for him.


Thank you! your the first and only one who actually understood what I was saying...:clapping::cheers: lol
 
There seems to be a pressure sometimes for fans to justify how long they've experienced Michael.
I'd love to say I was a fan at 3 years old, or that I learnt the whole 'Thriller' routine at 7, or that I was dancing to 'Billie Jean' in my mum's womb - but I wasn't.
I'd love to be able to tell people some cute story to show that I appreciated him "long before you all did". But it's not true and it doesn't bother me.

With this sudden wave of new fans, members and interest in Michael, I understand how some fans feel a bit bitter. You may want to ask, "Where were you?", "Why didn't you learn about him before?" or "Why didn't you speak up for him while he was alive?"

Everyone learns in their own time. Hey, I became a fan at the 'ripe old age' of 14 back in 2001. Prior to that, say something about Michael and I'd probably answer back with "He's still singing??"

What would you consider a fan? Someone who sang 'Bad' at a school concert at the age of 8 but didn't support him when it mattered, or a newbie who's currently eagerly exploring the man and the music?
In the grand scheme of things, that sort of history doesn't really matter, does it? :)
Besides, who really does know the 'whole picture' of Michael's life anyway?

No one's too young to appreciate anybody if they personally want to.

(As for those who are joining in because of the hype, you're going to get people like that everywhere for anything. That's what commercialism's about.)
 
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I could say i'm an enormous fan!
I'm nearly 17 and i've been a fan since a was born.
I've been collecting cd's since i got my first pocket money..
I still have the old thriller lp's that my that collected.
I have got the ''moonwalk'' book back from 1989..
Collected several magazines about him..
Got all the albums (except the essential and king op pop)..
Going 5 times to this is it.
I know everything about Michael, maybe more than some older people who have been following for 3-4 decades..
So i'm not a fan (A)
 
Of course there are the fake fans who only are fans because it's "cool" now and it's really annoying but it's not fair to say that all the teenagers are like that.
We can't choose the time we're born. And if someone became fan after 2005 it doesn't mean he or she doesn't know anything about Michael's previous work or what's happened in his life.

I became fan in early 2005 myself.
 
Wtf?

What an ignorant statement!

I'm 15...maybe I should just go back home and stop supporting Michael and just forget everything that I've learnt because I've only known him since 2003 and I wasn't there during Thriller!!!!

You want MJ fans to be all old fans from J5? Fine, but if that happens then no one will be a fan in 20-30 years time!!!!!

You're right! I'm 16 and I've been a big fan since September 2008 getting to know him by myself and trust me I hear/watch MJ everyday all day!

@Threadstarter: You should not stereotype! Although I understand you said that this was in the theatre. I agree that there are people who don't understand even 20 year olds whom I saw at the movie giggling at every clip. It was disturbing. -___-
 
To be honest, I don't think it matters if fans became fans last decade or last week. What matters to me is that Michaels fan base is growing even more, not that I ever thought it would be possible. And all this is helping his legacy to grow stronger. The more 'younger generation' fans that their are means that they'll be listening to it into their "older years" and their kids will become fans and their kids etc. All this meaning that Michael's legacy and legend will live forever, and that's what matters :)
 
I can see where you are coming from, and I can understand how it would be frustrating.
But I think it's wonderful that so many people in the younger generations are MJ fans and came out to see TII.

I sat by a group of high-school-aged kids who knew all the words to every single song (even Human Nature and WBSS) and you could tell they just loved him.

My generation grew up being fed lies about MJ and being told he was this terrible, weird, bad man. A lot of those people still believe that. But I think we ought to respect those who have been smart enough and open-minded enough to open their eyes and actually love him.

It isn't really fair, in my opinion anyway, to judge others based on their age. I mean, you can't really be sure what they know or don't know. Just because they weren't alive for Thriller doesn't mean they don't know it and love it!

I'm a huge huge fan of The Clash. I know almost every song by heart and I have loved that band since I was 14. I also love Al Green, Otis Redding, Billie Holiday, Nina Simone - all of these people were way before my time (I'm 21), but I know their catalogs and adore them.


I think it's sad that any fans who may not know every single song and lyric Michael ever wrote, or who may not know every aspect of his personal history get so harshly criticized.
Being a fan isn't about who knows the most, and who's been a fan the longest - it's just about love. :)


Don't you WANT Michael's legacy to be passed on through the generations? I do! I know my kids will be listening to his records from the time they're in the womb! And I'd be sad if anyone criticized them for being too young to love him. :(


EDIT: I also want to say that after the TII film, I saw a bunch of little boys around 7-yrs old trying to moonwalk in the lobby and it warmed my heart.
 
If anything, I think the younger fans deserve more respect and props, 'cause to get to him they had to wade through all the bullshit and see the Michael that wasn't being shown to the public. He's been "W**** J****" for their whole entire lives. Everyone loved Michael back in the day. But during a time when there was no new music and the world was being lied to about him, these fans cared enough to give him the benefit of the doubt and do some research on the man they'd heard nothing but horror stories about and then stood up and said "You guys are wack, I'm with you Michael." - it doesn't get more respectable than that.
 
I'm 16 and completely obsessed with him...

It's just that people (tools) around my age will go watch this film because it's currently "cool" to like Michael Jackson, when they're not fans at all.
 
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