Finding Neverland

no matter what, he will always be remembered by the people who love him,,,,,,,,,, am one of them

Mr. Gates, I must congratulate you on the most pathetic and moronic Newsweek article I have ever read. It was distasteful, disrespectful, pompous, racist, and unforgivably malign.

Irrespective of your opinion on Michael Jackson and/or his music, your article reflects a lack of humility and humanity towards another human being who has died. Before you publicly slander Michael Jackson, ask yourself if you have contributed a fraction of what this legend has to the world. My guess, Mr. Gates, is that you have not. Perhaps you, your editor, and Newsweek should think twice before printing an article so vicious.

By the way, the store refused to refund me. But theres good news! I will never buy Newsweek again. Your "journalism" does not deserve my money.

I nominate Rep Peter King for the top of your Indignity Index for his verbal attack on the memory of Michael Jackson. For 1) it shows the very poorest taste to devile the dead, especially while the family is still reeling and grieving over the death, and 2) it shows very little respect for our legal system which found Michael Jackson "not guilty" of the accusations. Rep King also seems to have forgotten or completely ignored the legacy of philanthropy of the Heal the World Foundation and the many other children's charitiies that Michael Jackson funded with millions of his dollars, and giving of his money, time, energy, and love.
For King's comments he should be slapped to the top of the Indignity Index with 100% utterly shameless.

I detest this ridiculous display but have to admit, the guy was phenominal. I liked the original Jackson 5 in the early years, with little Michael belting his heart out. I even like his early work until he started with the going "white" thing. I met him one evening on Havenhurst street, where a friend of mine lived three doors down. I had walked down to the Gelsons market, and coming back, a chimpanze came running up to me. I put down my bag, and picked him up, and then heard a voice in the dark of the gate I was in front of. "Can I have my Bubbles back?" It was Michael, and I tossed the chimp up on the gate, and he scrambled into Michaels arms. He said thank you, and put his gloved hand through the gate. I declined to shake a mans left hand, let alone a gloved one, and told him I did'nt like his stuff anymore, and he should get back to his roots. I walked away. I still dont like his stuff, and you all should get over it. He's gotten his due, There will be another "great one" without a doubt.

I'M PLANNING TO GET THE NEWSWEEK'S EDITION, "THE MEANING OF MICHAEL" BUT WHEN I STARTED READING DAVID GATES' , THANK GOD, I HAVEN'T BOUGHT NEWSWEEK YET, IT'LL BE A WASTE OF MY MONEY!

Who was Michael Jackson? For me, his music was the message of who he was. A talented, but most importantly, a generous and big hearted man. Now that he is gone, we need to let him have his peace. That means no more of those accusations, please. He was not tried nor convicted of anything.

True. Jackson's death raises many questions that deserve to be answered. Is this euphoria is due to the loss of his odd talent or the lack of a successor to his reign, or the way it goes?

But above all must answer questions that the community itself. If we pause a little Michael ido is almost the same manner as were the other kings of the music, I mean that Janis Joplin dies of a dose in a hotel in Hollywood, Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, Elvis Presley, Jim Morrison and could continue in an endless list.

Since I started this style of death has been more than 30 years and the thing remains the same. This indicates that something is wrong, or maybe we should get used to a lifestyle as "normal" to the icons of youth music must end their days this way.

Michael Jackson was loved, for who he was a great entertainer. MJ was creative, he was the greatest artist of all times in his industry. As for MJ personal and private life few really knew him, which helped the facination for the man. Many stories about MJ is peoples interpation of how they viewed him. Many people will be writing about MJ for many years to come. The few that was close to him said there was two MJ, one on stage and another quiet shy person.

The awful time in his life was to be accused, by two young boys of molesting them, I think Michael knew and understood, that his fame and fortune, came at a PRICE, and that was a price he paid. For Poor kids like the ARVISOS saw it as an opportunity to exploit MJ, for money to change their lives. Chandlers family was experiencing their Business going Bankrupt, and used the opportunity to extourt money from the POP STAR, people will lie and speal and Blackmail people for money. I am glad I am smart enough to see and understand, what people are capable of.

I think most of his fans was aware of this, and that explains why none of his fans left him. What these two kids did was an evil thing to do because they did not understand that Michael could have been put in prison for something he never did. The parents was not concerned, because their hunger for money was greater. These are heartless gutless people, who lack any form of decency. And the ones who still go on and on about this, are people who refuse to think, it's the same as people who are rich and have their child kidnapped, for money. Greedy evil people don't care what they do, or whose lives they destroy.

Just like the drug dealers, they don't care whose lives they destroy while they try to get money. And the Chandlers and the Arvisos were such people, there to plot to Blackmail Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson was a target for Blackmailers, because he was open, he said kids slept in his bed, and there is nothing wrong with that, bed don't mean sex. If I had some one in my bed that I trusted would not rape or molest me, why would I not be in their bed. people judge others by their own sick imaginations.

GAVIN ARVISO was a sick CANCER child in hospital, who wanted to meet STARS like Lenno Jackson, when his cancer was in remission, Jackson tryed to help them because they had nothing, Lenno did the same, they came to stay at Jacksons Neverland Ranch, they had a whole cottage to stay in. Jackson never touched this boy, he was a good actor, and I am glad it went to court in a way because he was not guilty, but it's the impact it had on Jacksons life that was so devestating.

We will never really know who Michael Jackson was, not that there is anything wrong with that. Im fine with him being strange, not wanting to grow up, doing all of what he did for the children, and being asexual. Some people believe he was
much more than he actually turned out to be. He, to me seemed sad, and not unlike Marilyn Monroe, not being able to deal with the way the media treated him. He was talented, and tormented.....Nothing new in the land of Hollywood, and the business of making music. He wasnt the first incredibly weird, amazingly famous person, and he wont be the last.

David Gates, your offensive article was a mindless regurgitation of old news and a ridiculous attempt at pseudo-psychoanalysis.

How do you know Michael Jackson believed his popularity as an adult was due to his "lack of adult sexuality"? How do you know the incident with his child in Berlin was a "ritualized attempt to dispose of his own younger self" or that seeking effective treatment for vitiligo was "a profound loathing of blackness"?

I must be some sort of idiot. I always thought these things were most likely the result of the abnormal life he lived due to his extraordinary celebrity at a tender age or his inexperience as a parent because he had a business manager rather than a father. I thought the skin color issue was due to a genetic immune disorder. I imagined that his attempts to reshape his nose came from the emotional trauma of being told as a shy teenager that he was ugly and his nose was too big. I concluded that his Neverland creation was an attempt to capture and experience the childhood he was never allowed to have and I supposed his periodic reinvention of himself was a perfectly understandable reaction to our bipolar obsession and non-stop critique of celebrities in general.

I certainly hope you weren't trying to pass this trash off as an actual tribute to a remarkable, loving, and generous man. If that was your intent, then you're the idiot.

David Gates, your offensive article was a mindless regurgitation of old news and a ridiculous attempt at pseudo-psychoanalysis.

How do you know Michael Jackson believed his popularity as an adult was due to his ???lack of adult sexuality???? How do you know the incident with his child in Berlin was a "ritualized attempt to dispose of his own younger self" or that seeking effective treatment for vitiligo was "a profound loathing of blackness"?

I must be some sort of idiot. I always thought these things were most likely the result of the abnormal life he lived due to his extraordinary celebrity at a tender age or his inexperience as a parent because he had a business manager rather than a father. I thought the skin color issue was due to a genetic immune disorder. I imagined that his attempts to reshape his nose came from the emotional trauma of being told as a shy teenager that he was ugly and his nose was too big. I concluded that his Neverland creation was an attempt to capture and experience the childhood he was never allowed to have and I supposed his periodic reinvention of himself was a perfectly understandable reaction to our bipolar obsession and non-stop critique of celebrities in general.

I certainly hope you weren???t trying to pass this trash off as an actual tribute to a remarkable, loving, and generous man. If that was your intent, then you???re the idiot.

Im confused as to the point this article wanted to get across. You state only things of his life that the public already knows; from his physical appearance to his sexuality. There was no research done to inform your readers of aspects of his life that we may not have known. The article is far from well rounded. You do nothing but poke fun, which in my view is grossly distasteful! He was a man, with a family, who felt, and suffered, and loved as you and I do. Unfortunately for him, he's a lot more popular and was unable to live a normal life, as you and I do. This article is a waste of space.

Oh! And you use one of his most inspiring songs in your title just to rip the man apart. Honestly you should feel ashamed. May Mike rest peacefully.

Was this an article or a Latin class? Three - count 'em, three! - Latin phrases, none of which I've ever read before.

Pretentious much?

I bought this Newsweek magazine thinking that it was a tribute to Michael Jackson's life. Instead, what I found was an article filled with arsenic overtones, put downs, insulant judgements and sarcasm. It's so easy to pick on a dead person. Corpses cannot defend themseles. This article is cowardly, crude,disespectful, and a great example of unbalanced reporting. I threw the magazine in the trash can.

TO DAVID GATES, I AM REALLY DEVASTATED AT THE ARTICLE THAT YOU PRESENTED TO AMERICA ABOUT MICHAEL JACKSON AND AFRICAN AMERICANS. I THINK THAT WHATEVER ACCUSATIONS YOU HAD AGAINST HIM YOU SHOULD KEPT IT TO YOUR SELF BECAUSE IT WAS NOTHING POSITIVE. I ALSO THINK THAT AS A WRITER YOU NEED TO RESPECT THE CULTURE OF OTHER PEOPLE REGARDLESS OF WHO YOU ARE WRITING ABOUT. I ALSO THINK THAT THIS SHOULD BE A REQUIREMENT FOR PUBLIC ARTICLES SUCH AS THIS ONE, FOR WHICH IF YOU READ OTHER BLOGS NOT ONLY THIS NOT ONLY AFFECTED ME BUT, OTHERS AS WELL. WHETHER MICHAEL BLEACHED HIS SKIN OR IF HE REALLY HAD VITILIGO NO ONE KNOWS AND THAT'S HIS BUSINESS ANYWAY.THE FACT THAT MICHAEL JACKSON WAS BLACK ALSO PLAYED A HUGE ROLE AND PEOPLE LIKE YOU AND OTHER RACIST CAN'T UNDERSTAND HOW A BLACK MAN FROM GARY, INDIANA BECAME VERY SUCCESSFUL AND PEOPLE KNOW HIM ALL OVER THE WORLD. WHATEVER MAKES HIM HAPPY, THEN SO BE IT. HE WAS AN AMAZING ENTERTAINER AND ICON. AND FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE CHANTING CHILD MOLESTER, YOU SHOULD READ, THE SO CALLED CHILD HE MOLESTED CONFESSED TO FRAUD. DAVID FOR YOUR INFO," YOU KNOW FOR FUTURE REFERENCES", JUST IN CASE YOU DECIDE TO WRITE ABOUT AFRICAN AMERICANS AGAIN, RELAXERS ARE FOR TEMPORARY STRAIGHTENING OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HAIR FOR MANAGEABILITY AND IF A SKIN LIGHTENER ARE USED IT'S FOR THE LIGHTENING OF DARKENED AREAS OF THE SKIN, NOT TO IMITATE THAT WE ARE CAUCASIAN.NOW THAT WE HAVE LOST A GREAT PERSON LET'S STOP TAUNTING HIM AND LET HIM REST IN

with obama it's never our turn
with Michael Jackson, it's always our turn
Goodbye Michael and Farewell

from Boston first time I read newsweek, I was actually searching for articles about Chavez, these people are right in my opiniom bad journ..I will never read Newsweek again. "legendary oddball' amazing. sad

Thank you for this thoughtful as well as critical piece. Barely anyone is touching the subject of Michael's desire to pass more mainstream in a culture where having not just lighter skin but caucasian features is more accepted by the masses. Doesn't everyone want to feel like they have more power in this culture where being white & male still gets you more goodies in life? I believe Michael was a walking poster child for body dysmorphia as well as holding a deep self loathing for his own skin and was willing to risk his health in order to gain more acceptance. The fact that Michael was an anomaly - the fact that he had more money than GOD- that we felt sorry that his childhood was robbed from him - the fact that he was a genius when it came to the dance floor and the creation of the marriage of music and film to produce & challenge others to make better videos...all these things caused us to accept him as he was and allow him to have the sycophants surround him as celebrity tends to do, as money tends to do. And now that he's gone and we tear apart the fabric of his life and dissect every bit of skin, tooth and nail to understand who this person was, we'll be no closer after all the examination is over. But hopefully, we'll be closer to understanding ourselves and our culture more. RIP Michael.