# Leaving Neverland: Michael Jackson Documentary **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 29, 2019, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-neverland-michael-jackson-documentary/828586 "2019-01-29T02:10:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2019, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-neverland-michael-jackson-documentary/828586/1 "2019-01-29T02:10:59Z")
> **[Michael Jackson Documentary Leaving Neverland Is 'Shocking, Sad, Disturbing,...](https://jezebel.com/michael-jackson-documentary-leaving-neverland-is-shocki-1832084914)** > > A four-hour documentary dedicated to detailing stories from survivors of Michael Jackson’s alleged sexual abuse premiered at Sundance on January 25. Jackson’s camp has preemptively called the doc “outrageous and pathetic.” Not even sure I can watch it, considering the summary in that article. Michael Jackson’s music was a big part of my early life so it still draws out emotions that are somewhat irrational. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2019, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-neverland-michael-jackson-documentary/828586/2 "2019-01-29T03:13:21Z")
From what I’ve read about it, the film apparently is very convincing and VERY disturbing. ---
**Author:** ![Royal\_Nonesutch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecb155/32.png) [@Royal\_Nonesutch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Royal_Nonesutch)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2019, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-neverland-michael-jackson-documentary/828586/3 "2019-02-01T10:08:31Z")
If only there had been some hint, some sign that a 40 year-old man who built a private amusement park at his gated, guarded estate and then invited young boys (almost always ONLY boys) to come over to stay there unsupervised with him, sleeping in his bed with him, might have had inappropriate intensions… ---
**Author:** ![Helena330](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/helena330/32/531_2.png) [@Helena330](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena330)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2019, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-neverland-michael-jackson-documentary/828586/4 "2019-02-02T01:06:20Z")
> [@Royal\_Nonesutch](#): > > If only there had been some hint, some sign that a 40 year-old man who built a private amusement park at his gated, guarded estate and then invited young boys (almost always ONLY boys) to come over to stay there unsupervised with him, sleeping in his bed with him, might have had inappropriate intensions… Yeah, well, denial. I always liked Jackson and his music and felt sorry for him because it seemed like so many people were taking advantage of him, including his family. For a while, I hoped the accusations were all rumor, but it’s pretty clear he was a predatory pedophile. I don’t know whether I’d see the documentary if I had the opportunity. Even people who haven’t been abused are walking out of it traumatized. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2019, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-neverland-michael-jackson-documentary/828586/5 "2019-02-02T01:29:40Z")
is this the one that they used during the trial ? or a new one? ---
**Author:** ![Helena330](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/helena330/32/531_2.png) [@Helena330](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena330)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2019, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-neverland-michael-jackson-documentary/828586/6 "2019-02-02T22:45:46Z")
It’s a new one. Here’s an article to get you up-to-speed: > **['Secrets will eat you up' – inside the shocking Michael Jackson documentary](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/jan/25/michael-jackson-documentary-leaving-neverland)** > > In a disturbing new documentary, two accusers share their stories of what they say happened to them at the hands at the world’s most famous pop star ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2019, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-neverland-michael-jackson-documentary/828586/7 "2019-02-04T13:39:02Z")
I’m no MJ fangirl and certainly not an apologist but I guess I’m not sure what more there is to say, other than to get in to details of the molestation itself. Why on earth would anyone want to watch 4 hours of that? ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2019, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-neverland-michael-jackson-documentary/828586/8 "2019-02-04T13:57:52Z")
Why on earth are there people still defending this guy? Okay, he could sing and dance. Yay, yippee, skip. Okay, he had a horrible childhood. So have millions of others. It’s not like the guy grew up yanking gold teeth from cadavers at Auschwitz. And even if he had, it WOULD BE NO EXCUSE FOR MOLESTING CHILDREN. And come on, no grown man makes a habit of sleeping with children unless he gets off on it. If this were Melvin Morsemere from down the street, sounding off at a neighborhood BBQ about how he loves to sleep with little boys, and thinks it’s a shame that people have a problem with that. And then if he offers you fifty bucks to let your kid sleep with him, you’d call 911. I’m sick and tired of the lost innocent little man-boy schtick which his defenders keep painting his corpse. He’s dead. He molested boys. End of story. Let’s MeToo the hell out of him for what little good it does. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2019, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-neverland-michael-jackson-documentary/828586/9 "2019-02-04T14:56:44Z")
Whenever these stories come up again, I always say the same thing - these boys had parents who delivered them to MJ. They deserve equal levels of opprobrium. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2019, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-neverland-michael-jackson-documentary/828586/10 "2019-02-04T18:21:51Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > And come on, no grown man makes a habit of sleeping with children unless he gets off on it. I wouldn’t say no one - just a majority of them who do is sufficient to raise suspicions. And combined with the multiple first hand accounts, that’s good enough for the pubic to pass judgement on him. Just like the multiple corroborated accounts from other public figures in the recent past. As opposed to just one person making a uncorroborated accusation - then you look at the context, but when it’s multiple people independently of each other, or it’s multiple people _taken together with_ this sort of behavior, that’s another story. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2019, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-neverland-michael-jackson-documentary/828586/11 "2019-02-04T20:56:22Z")
I’m not an MJ fan by any stretch, I don’t even really like his music or anything, but to play (an admittedly ignorant) devil’s advocate, did anyone read this passage: > [@](#): > > “This is yet another lurid production in an outrageous and pathetic attempt to exploit and cash in on Michael Jackson,” the statement reads. “Wade Robson and James Safechuck have both testified under oath that Michael never did anything inappropriate toward them. Safechuck and Robson, the latter a self-proclaimed ‘master of deception’, filed lawsuits against Michael’s Estate, asking for millions of dollars. Both lawsuits were dismissed.” That was the statement from the Jackson estate. Now, obviously, they’re going to defend MJ, and the men in the doc are going to say what they need to say, but to go from “testify under oath nothing happened to them” to “ALL THIS HAPPENED TO US” seems a bit…off. I’m sure the excuse is they were kids and scared or whatever, but it doesn’t make the doc as ironclad as it seems IMO. Plus, all documentaries are lying in their own way anyway so there’s that too… ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2019, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-neverland-michael-jackson-documentary/828586/12 "2019-02-04T21:05:06Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > From what I’ve read about it, the film apparently is very convincing and VERY disturbing. I’ve only read one article and haven’t seen the movie. From the article, I gather that the two men whose experiences are related don’t offer any actual proof of being molested. Is this the case? ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2019, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-neverland-michael-jackson-documentary/828586/13 "2019-02-04T21:11:59Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > And come on, no grown man makes a habit of sleeping with children unless he gets off on it. How do you know? IOW, exactly do you mean by “gets off on it”? ---
**Author:** ![Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Springtime_for_Spacers)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2019, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-neverland-michael-jackson-documentary/828586/14 "2019-02-04T22:34:41Z")
> [@Icarus](#): > > Whenever these stories come up again, I always say the same thing - these boys had parents who delivered them to MJ. They deserve equal levels of opprobrium. My understanding is that the children and their families were carefully selected and groomed. The desirable boy had to have naive, starstruck and needy parents who could be groomed along with their child. It’s a common modus operandi of paedophiles alas. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2019, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-neverland-michael-jackson-documentary/828586/15 "2019-02-04T22:59:24Z")
> [@Fiddle\_Peghead](#): > > How do you know? IOW, exactly do you mean by “gets off on it”? Well, take Mr. Morsemere’s fifty bucks, and afterwards, your kid can tell you everything about it. ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2019, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-neverland-michael-jackson-documentary/828586/16 "2019-02-04T23:16:15Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > Well, take Mr. Morsemere’s fifty bucks, and afterwards, your kid can tell you everything about it. Who is Melvin Morsemere? Did you just make that up? Google returned exactly three hits for “Melvin Morsemere”. Anyway, any interest in answering my question? ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2019, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-neverland-michael-jackson-documentary/828586/17 "2019-02-04T23:57:09Z")
I don’t care for pop music so had no interest in Jackson at any time; I guess you could call me an impartial observer. The public data indicated he was a pedophile many years ago. I always assumed he was one, and that his enormous wealth and fame protected him. That anyone could be shocked now is a tribute to the bottomless well of gullibility and denial inherent in adulation of public figures. For what it’s worth I never pitied him any more than I pity any other rich famous person with millions of adoring fans. Cry me a river. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2019, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-neverland-michael-jackson-documentary/828586/18 "2019-02-05T00:02:25Z")
> [@Fiddle\_Peghead](#): > > Who is Melvin Morsemere? Did you just make that up? Google returned exactly three hits for “Melvin Morsemere”. Anyway, any interest in answering my question? Exactly my point. If a nobody like Melvin Morsemere was hanging out with and sleeping with children unrelated to him, you’d be willing to bet he was a pedophile. And if he offered you fifty bucks for your kid, how would you react? But Michael had gobs of cash to lure in greedy and starstruck people with yummy little boys to pimp out. And then he gave more money to make his victims and their vile families go away and shutup. And there are still those who want to believe in the harmless manchild myth and turn blind eyes to what’s painfully obvious. Why? Nobody’s THAT good a singer. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2019, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-neverland-michael-jackson-documentary/828586/19 "2019-02-05T12:54:16Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > That anyone could be shocked now is a tribute to the bottomless well of gullibility and denial inherent in adulation of public figures. And that can apply to so SO many situations…☹ ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2019, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-neverland-michael-jackson-documentary/828586/20 "2019-02-06T01:51:38Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > Exactly my point. If a nobody like Melvin Morsemere was hanging out with and sleeping with children unrelated to him, you’d be willing to bet he was a pedophile. And if he offered you fifty bucks for your kid, how would you react? > > But Michael had gobs of cash to lure in greedy and starstruck people with yummy little boys to pimp out. And then he gave more money to make his victims and their vile families go away and shutup. > > And there are still those who want to believe in the harmless manchild myth and turn blind eyes to what’s painfully obvious. > > Why? Nobody’s THAT good a singer. Fine. Don’t answer my question, then. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-neverland-michael-jackson-documentary/828586.md?page=2)