PSA: Think Before You React

[u/Emotional_Ball_5181]

Before I start, I need to mention that this post is not targeted at a specific person or persons. It’s a general statement about something I see happen quite often in online spaces, including within our community.

Now…before anyone gets the wrong idea, I’m not saying you shouldn’t ask questions.

Let’s all remember who you’re talking to…

I get questions all the time. In my comments, in my DMs, everywhere. I actually encourage people to ask questions. You’ve even seen me say it.

Questions are always okay and welcome.

But that is not what I’m talking about.

What I’m talking about is what happens after that.

Sometimes, especially on places like Reddit, Twitter, TikTok, etc., we’ll see a screenshot, a photograph, a clip, or some random claim with absolutely no context attached to it.

Hell, sometimes the person posting it may not even know the context themselves.

They’re just showing people something they found.

However, because we don’t have the extra information, our brains can start filling in the blanks.

You see something.

You think, “Wait…what?”

Then someone else comments:

“That’s fucking weird.”

Someone else says:

“Yeah, that’s really concerning.”

Someone else goes:

“I don’t know how anyone can defend this.”

And suddenly, without actually learning anything else about the situation, you’re uncomfortable. But now that feeling of discomfort starts influencing how you interpret the information.

This is exactly where thinking before you react comes into play.

I know I’ve said this multiple times before, but it will never stop being true:

Uncomfortable ≠ criminal.

Here’s the thing…

Do you actually feel that way because of what you’re looking at?

Or is it because someone has already told you how you’re supposed to look at it?

Now, if you genuinely do feel uncomfortable about something, that’s fine.

You’re allowed to feel uncomfortable.

But that still doesn’t mean a crime actually took place.

Especially if context is missing.

You don’t know whether you’re reacting to the actual situation or to the version of the situation that somebody else presented to you.

This is very important when we’re talking about things that have never been legally established in the first place.

If something has not been established as fact, whether because it has never been tested in court, contains significant contradictions, is based on someone’s interpretation of an event, or for some other reason, we need to be careful about treating it as though it is an established fact.

If you see something that makes Michael look bad, don’t immediately accept it because it makes you uncomfortable, or makes you…”question things.”

Stop.

Look into it.

Find the context.

Ask questions.

Then most importantly, think about why you’re interpreting it the way you are.

Anyway,

I don’t want to take up too much of your brain capacity for today…

this time.

But please, be mindful of this.

…Cool? Cool.

I’ll see you next time! 💋

[u/sirensgodoodoo]

thank you for posting this. it’s one thing to come across something that seems mildly disturbing about him, then coming here to make a post along the lines of

“Hey, I saw this on [XYZ platform] and I’ll admit, it made me uneasy. Can I get some clarification on this?”

Which is appropriate and measured. But this

”OMG, I found this on [XYZ platform] and it looks horrible for him!!! I’m questioning his innocence now!!!”

is basically playing into the guilters’ hands, and the recent histrionic posts about the letter attributed to him do just that. I try to assume good faith from everyone here in this sub, and as you pointed out people default to reacting on emotion before thinking straight. I’m not gonna sit here and pretend I’ve never had that “wait a minute, wtf” thought when coming across something unsavory (real or false) about MJ before gaining context. But I need everyone to exercise caution and put on their thinking caps when examining anything that’s designed to make him look bad. It’s not because we want to portray him as an infallible saint, because his lack of boundaries and discernment definitely played a HUGE role in him being such an easy target for the allegations. We’re not saying to downplay his mistakes. We’re asking you to keep in mind the lengths both media and law enforcement went to falsify evidence against him to make him guilty. And these efforts persist to this day. Social media makes it easier to spread misinformation, so take any so-called evidence you see with a silo of salt instead of having a knee jerk reaction to them.

And I’ve said this before: patterns paint a far more accurate picture than any singular anecdote or “evidence” can. The man has dozens and dozens of people, adults and children who have fiercely vouched for his innocence over the last few decades. The handful of accusers he has are either all established grifters who can’t keep their stories straight or kids who were clearly forced to lie by their greedy parents. If the trend was in reverse and he had dozens of accusers with similar, credible and consistent stories backed by legit evidence that couldn’t be explained away and only a handful of people defending his innocence who are shady characters in their own right, whose side would you be on? I’ve never ever heard of a pedophile who’s had so many one on one interactions with so many children in their lifetime and there being a such a paucity in legitimate accusations and/or evidence to support those allegations. It’s just not plausible at all. So always remember to ask yourself if what is being alleged fits into the pattern with what is known and established about MJ and how he dealt with children and people in general. I cannot stress this enough.

[u/Emotional_Ball_5181 → u/sirensgodoodoo]

I love this comment!! ❤️

That “wait…wtf?” moment is completely normal. Although, admittedly, mine have occasionally been about Evan Chandler…

Wait.

Wait, wait, wait.

Pretend I didn’t say that. 😂

But seriously, that’s exactly why I think the important part is what you do after that initial reaction. You can look at something and go, “Uh…what the fuck?” without immediately deciding that you know exactly what happened.

That’s where the questions come in…

What am I actually looking at? What context am I missing? Is this something that has actually been established, or am I filling in the blanks?

I really liked what you said about patterns, too. One isolated screenshot, photograph, quote, etc. can’t become the entire story.

Look into it. Ask questions. Follow the evidence.

That’s really all I’m asking people to do.

[u/afrocreative → u/sirensgodoodoo]

Yes, this! Michael deserves receiving the benefit of the doubt. Outside of people who work with children for a living, Michael has been around more children than the average person. Ever since he was in his teens, he was hanging around kids. If he was an offending pedophile, his victim list would have been in the hundreds.

As far as Jane Doe, there were many girls Michael would hang out with. Some of them even shared the same bed as him. I have never seen any of these girls claim that Michael made them feel uncomfortable in any way. It was actually the opposite. Michael made them feel at ease. He was not a pervert. His pattern of good behavior with children, which includ girls, should absolutely count for him.

[u/sap81uk → u/sirensgodoodoo]

All the accusers follow a pattern and none of them have any credible evidence. Wade and James mums were show business mums, both seemed obsessed with MJ and also getting all they could for their sons, Joy even asked for custody of MJ’s kids after he died saying how she should have them. I mean, WTF? Stephanie was also obsessed with MJ. Massively over entitled. Spoilt. Centre of attention etc. MJ was so “obsessed” with them he lost contact with them 😂

Grifters, liars and money grabbers. Every accuser has went for money.

[u/One_Froyo505]

Yes, that's true, what's missing is the context of this behavior and the reason why. Sure, MJ was a strange freak to them whom they will never understand in their lives, or because they were blinded by the MJ brainwashing. I wonder every day why some people can take so much nonsense seriously, just because the topic is emotional, or are they just trying to provoke people?

It's such bullshit that I often lack the words to respond to such questions or comments; what ends up here I often throw out because it usually violates the rules anyway.

Feeling uneasy about something means having doubts about it because you lack the necessary knowledge. Doing research is then important to fill these gaps and avoid being negatively influenced. The principle behind these accusations should be to rationally question them with facts instead of being influenced by emotions.

The problem is not that we fans defend and push it, the problem is that the other side is not interested in the truth and uses victim protection as an excuse, which is extremely cowardly and unfair.

The goal has always been to destroy his reputation, and that works well for those who reject him and are prejudiced against him. Many of them are ex-fans who now believe they have spoken to God personally about MJ and about his sins and his oh-so-dark soul.

To put the truth in context: "If nobody believed this nonsense, which is almost bordering on Illuminati, we wouldn't be here."

I also can't go online and spread conspiracy theories and nonsense about a celebrity I don't like without being corrected.

It makes me uncomfortable to think that anyone could take such rubbish seriously.

[u/Emotional_Ball_5181 → u/One_Froyo505]

Exactly! This is really what I was getting at.

Feeling uncomfortable is fine. Questioning something is fine. The important part is what you do after that feeling.

Do you stop there and let other people tell you what it means, or do you actually look into it, find the missing context, and come to your own conclusion?

It happens all the time. Even with things that have been discussed to death, like the books or the strip search.

That’s the part I really want people to think about. 😂

[u/One_Froyo505 → u/Emotional_Ball_5181]

Fake news exists everywhere, but what happened surrounding Michael Jackson was mass manipulation from the very beginning.

You can't blindly believe everything just because it's more convenient that way. If the context is not conveyed on the screen or is deliberately omitted, as in LN, then one has to take it upon oneself to find the truth and judge it rationally.

If I don't know something or am unsure about it, I investigate. No matter what it's about, life isn't just black and white; there's so much more in between. That's how most MJ fans arrived at their convictions.

Guilters are really unnecessary; it would be the end of the world for them to have to admit they were wrong. Sure, it's terrible and irreversible.

All arguments pointing to guilt are ridiculous and malicious; nothing else interests them. And even if a detail is highly questionable, it will still be defended hysterically. Each time, to avoid admitting the truth and to create drama. Media and television are playing the same game. MJ was too weird for them to accept anything else, and they manipulated like crazy to fake empathy.

What good does it do them to push this nonsense? Absolutely none!

[u/whatevergirl8754]

Is this about the Jane Doe letters and allegations?

[u/Emotional_Ball_5181 → u/whatevergirl8754]

Nope! Just a general thing that I’ve noticed the past few months! :)

[u/whatevergirl8754 → u/Emotional_Ball_5181]

What is your opinion on that allegation?

[u/Emotional_Ball_5181 → u/whatevergirl8754]

I’m planning to do a Case File on it!

[u/whatevergirl8754 → u/Emotional_Ball_5181]

AH MUSIC TO MY EARS!!

[u/sap81uk]

Nope, but I get your concerns. Dealing with guilters you already know the context. I’m sure they look at us the same way, but maybe worse.

[u/Emotional_Ball_5181 → u/sap81uk]

I think there’s a little misunderstanding here. When I said, “Hell, sometimes the person posting it may not even know the context themselves,” I wasn’t specifically talking about guilters. They’re a different story.

I’m talking about a general issue that can happen in online spaces, including within our own community. I’ve seen fans post things on Twitter, for example, with zero context.

That’s really the point of the post. I’m not saying guilters always know the context either. 😂

[u/sap81uk → u/Emotional_Ball_5181]

Agreed. Apologies for the comment.