# Do you think that Jackson is guilty or innocent?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-that-jackson-is-guilty-or-innocent/298646
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [April 10, 2005, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-that-jackson-is-guilty-or-innocent/298646 "2005-04-10T07:04:58Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Muad\_Dib](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muad_Dib)
#### Post date: [April 10, 2005, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-that-jackson-is-guilty-or-innocent/298646/1 "2005-04-10T07:04:58Z")
I am really surprised at the number of threads that presuppose that Jackson is guilty of pedophilia. No doubt that I think the man is a freak, but I don’t think that he is a pedophile. If anything I think that the guy is not sexual at all. I think that he is like he was portrayed in _South Park_ a while back, that of a big weirdo that wishes he was a kid again but would not have sex with a kid anymore then he would have sex with a woman.
What do you think?
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### Author:  [@Large\_Marge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Large_Marge)
#### Post date: [April 10, 2005, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-that-jackson-is-guilty-or-innocent/298646/2 "2005-04-10T07:14:23Z")
Guilty.
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### Author:  [@Pullet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pullet)
#### Post date: [April 10, 2005, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-that-jackson-is-guilty-or-innocent/298646/3 "2005-04-10T07:15:40Z")
He’s had children, so he’s comfortable with sex on some philosophical level.
I think he’s a freak who has gotten more attention and money during his life than he ever wanted or deserved.
And I am horrified that he has replicated. If there was ever a compelling reason for abortion. His kid’s only hope is that he either dies or goes to jail so they can be raised by more stable surrogates.
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### Author:  [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)
#### Post date: [April 10, 2005, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-that-jackson-is-guilty-or-innocent/298646/4 "2005-04-10T07:21:54Z")
I think he’s not guilty of what he’s charged with, but is guilty of making some monumentally bad decisions.
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### Author:  [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)
#### Post date: [April 10, 2005, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-that-jackson-is-guilty-or-innocent/298646/5 "2005-04-10T07:23:58Z")
I don’t know, and I am not privy to all that the jury is hearing. He _is_ weird by any standard by which we usually judge our fellows, but the prosecution’s case is looking a bit leaky.
If he’s innocent of the charges levelled against him, the associated hoopla driven a bit, I think, by media frenzy, then I wish him well in seeking recourse through the legal system.
If he is, in fact, found to be guilty of diddlin’ minors in a gay way, then what’s to be done with him? I’d imagine his ass would be cold meat should he be delivered to Soledad.
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### Author:  [@Pullet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pullet)
#### Post date: [April 10, 2005, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-that-jackson-is-guilty-or-innocent/298646/6 "2005-04-10T07:28:40Z")
> [@](#):
>
> If he is, in fact, found to be guilty of diddlin’ minors in a gay way
If he were diddlin’ minors in a hetero way, that would be better?
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### Author:  [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)
#### Post date: [April 10, 2005, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-that-jackson-is-guilty-or-innocent/298646/7 "2005-04-10T07:37:12Z")
Nope, diddlin’ minors appears to be the main legal point here.
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### Author:  [@Pullet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pullet)
#### Post date: [April 10, 2005, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-that-jackson-is-guilty-or-innocent/298646/8 "2005-04-10T07:48:39Z")
I just thought your sentence structure was amusing. I’ll be more straightforward with my jokes in the future. No hard feelings.
No really! don’t touch me there! \<—joke
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### Author:  [@Tentacle\_Monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tentacle_Monster)
#### Post date: [April 10, 2005, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-that-jackson-is-guilty-or-innocent/298646/9 "2005-04-10T08:28:01Z")
> [@Ringo](#):
>
> If he is, in fact, found to be guilty of diddlin’ minors in a gay way, then what’s to be done with him? I’d imagine his ass would be cold meat should he be delivered to Soledad.
There’s no way he’d be allowed in the general population of any prison. They’d put him in solitary confinement for his own safety. Three reasons:
1. He’d be a convicted child molester at that point, and everybody in there would know about it.
2. He’s a celebrity. That would add some bragging rights to any unsavory prison activity he’d be a target of.
3. He kind of looks like a woman. That might protect him against any shiv save for the pork one.
So he’d go into solitary for the entirety of his stay. When you’re in a cell for years with no human contact save for the guard who gives you food and mail, you can easily go a bit funny. Michael Jackson already has a reputation for being one can short of a six-pack. So the end result would likely be an even crazier version of Jacko wandering the streets. I can’t decide if that’s frightening or amusing.
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### Author:  [@Arwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arwin)
#### Post date: [April 10, 2005, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-that-jackson-is-guilty-or-innocent/298646/10 "2005-04-10T09:48:05Z")
Don’t you just love trial by public opinion …
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### Author:  [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)
#### Post date: [April 10, 2005, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-that-jackson-is-guilty-or-innocent/298646/11 "2005-04-10T10:13:46Z")
-
-
- I would bet good money that Jackson is guilty of molesting kids, his behavior patters pretty much nail the typical molester suspect. Ask any cop who deals with this stuff what _they_ think, off-the-record: [suspect] is rich, [suspect] tends to associate with kids that are from much-less wealthy backgrounds than he is from, the kids [suspect] tends to assciate with are all one sex and often of similar-appearances, [suspect] buys the kids presents and takes them traveling, [suspect] has no “traditionally acceptable” adult romantic interests, [suspect] always arranges lots of unsupervised time with them–and all along, [suspect] insists that anything along the way that looks odd is no big deal, because he is only “friends” with them.
- In spite of all that, I do not believe he will go to jail for it. Jackson _wants_ to win in court in the usual way–but if the trial starts to look real bad for him, he will pull the “Kobe Bryant” maneuver, where he takes out his wallet and start settling out of court, in exchange for people refusing to testify. No testimony==mistrial.
~
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### Author:  [@clayton\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clayton_e)
#### Post date: [April 10, 2005, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-that-jackson-is-guilty-or-innocent/298646/12 "2005-04-10T13:03:37Z")
> [@](#):
>
> Jackson wants to win in court in the usual way–but if the trial starts to look real bad for him, he will pull the “Kobe Bryant” maneuver, where he takes out his wallet and start settling out of court, in exchange for people refusing to testify. No testimony==mistrial.
I fail to see why, if this is an option, he hasn’t already done it. This is a major public relations disaster (impossible to fix, though a not guilty verdict would help) that _could_ put him away for a very very long time.
If he could just pull out his wallet and write a check and just go back to his mansion and have Leno make a few jokes then have the whole thing pretty much forgotten… why not? Beats sitting in a cold cell.
And I think he’s guilty, though I’m not on the jury and don’t know what they know at this point. Based on the facts that I’ve heard I’d bet he did it.
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### Author:  [@Rodak\_From\_Zortron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodak_From_Zortron)
#### Post date: [April 10, 2005, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-that-jackson-is-guilty-or-innocent/298646/13 "2005-04-10T14:05:43Z")
I think Jacko is a victim of bad timing. “Cochranism” or the novelty of usurping common sense in the interest of cause celebre may be suffering in popularity at the moment. I’m afraid the jurors may smell old-fashioned blood in the water on this one. Martha did a little time, why can’t Mike? Of course he may be guilty as all that. Wouldn’t surprise me. I will be surprised if he moonwalks scot free.
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### Author:  [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)
#### Post date: [April 10, 2005, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-that-jackson-is-guilty-or-innocent/298646/14 "2005-04-10T14:24:19Z")
> [@Pullet](#):
>
> He’s had children, so he’s comfortable with sex on some philosophical level.
Didn’t I read somewhere his children were conceived with artificial insemination?
Look, I think MJ is guilty, but what fascinates me, the way a Strange Bug from Outer Space would fascinate me, is that I don’t think he gets it.
He seems truly horrified by the charges, calling them disgusting and horrid, and he thinks sleeping in the same bed with young boys is “sharing love.”
He has stuffed animals in his room. He calls his ranch after the mythical island in _Peter Pan_. This is a 40-something year old man, who from what I can tell, had a perfectly terrible childhood. I don’t think he ever mentally grew up, and I don’t think he gets the reality of adult/child boundaries, because he thinks of himself as still a child. He doesn’t get the reality of the trial, thinking he can show up late because of “back pain,” :rolleyes: and when discussing his increasingly dire financial straits his remedy is to run from the room instead of dealing with it, like an adult would.
I think, in his mind, he’s done nothing wrong, and doesn’t understand what all the hoopla is. If we could get a therapist to analyze him (which I’m wondering if the defense will do, or if they will stick to an absolute He Didn’t Do This defense) I would be highly interested.
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### Author:  [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)
#### Post date: [April 10, 2005, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-that-jackson-is-guilty-or-innocent/298646/15 "2005-04-10T14:26:30Z")
I think his children were conceived with the help of a turkey baster. I’d be surprised if he was not a virgin (with women). I think he’s guilty.
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### Author:  [@drewbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewbert)
#### Post date: [April 10, 2005, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-that-jackson-is-guilty-or-innocent/298646/16 "2005-04-10T14:32:19Z")
Er, I really hate to cite a clip I saw of the Oprah show… but he’s not a virgin, at least according to Lisa Marie.
::we really, **really** need a pukey smilie …::
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### Author:  [@Fionn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fionn)
#### Post date: [April 10, 2005, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-that-jackson-is-guilty-or-innocent/298646/17 "2005-04-10T14:44:14Z")
> [@clayton\_e](#):
>
> If he could just pull out his wallet and write a check and just go back to his mansion and have Leno make a few jokes then have the whole thing pretty much forgotten… why not? Beats sitting in a cold cell.
Didn’t he essentially do this a few years ago?
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### Author:  [@SnakesCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnakesCatLady)
#### Post date: [April 10, 2005, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-that-jackson-is-guilty-or-innocent/298646/18 "2005-04-10T15:01:54Z")
I haven’t heard the testimony so I’d know if he’s guilty or not, but the cheese done fell of that guy’s cracker a LONG time ago. If MJ is convicted in this case, I think the parents of the kid(s) should be convicting to contributing, conspiracy, aiding and abetting, etc. I think the parents were in it for the money and “assoication with a famous person” status.
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### Author:  [@Red\_Stilettos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Stilettos)
#### Post date: [April 10, 2005, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-that-jackson-is-guilty-or-innocent/298646/19 "2005-04-10T15:25:28Z")
My gut feeling is that he’s guilty, however I don’t see him as a sexual predator. As **ivylass** said, he never grew up; in his mind, he’s still a kid. If the fondling happened, I think he approached it the way a young boy would think about homosexual experimentation. In other words, I don’t think he’s malicious, but I also don’t think he’s mature enough to know better.
I am suspicious of the accuser’s family, though. Michael is such an out-there character that he’d be an easy target for these types of accusations. And Mom’s history of lawsuits doesn’t make her the most credible plaintiff.
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### Author:  [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)
#### Post date: [April 10, 2005, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-that-jackson-is-guilty-or-innocent/298646/20 "2005-04-10T15:42:44Z")
Doesn’t anyone else find the fact that all of the prosecutions’s witnesses bear a grudge against Jackson strange?
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