Cause HOT DAMN

July 16th, 1988

this has been HEAVY on my mind today, as i just mentioned this in part of a reddit post addressing a gross new guilter subreddit dedicated to psychoanalyzing MJ lol:

“Well, he was still weird” - A note on racist undertones & the problem with psychologically profiling MJ

We cannot discuss mental health without addressing how Psychology has historically served to regulate Black people. It is a field with roots in pathologizing the enslaved persons desire for freedom, and continues to fuel racial bias today by framing Black cultural expressions as clinically abnormal. The profession has demonstrated a pattern of weaponizing labels to control and criminalize Black bodies; so online commentary can absolutely carry these biases when operating off its framework.

Even before the allegations, Michael Jackson experienced dehumanization on a massive scale through the angle of "craziness". The media reduced him to a “Wacko Jacko” caricature through relentless ridicule of his changing body, peddling misinformation about his life, and turning his pain into a spectacle. He was stripped of his dignity and infantilized, using historically racist tropes and expectations of Black masculinity to turn a trailblazing, successful Black man into an “eccentric” entity that people were free to mock. When we overlook this, we misinterpret survival mechanisms and predictable responses to racism, intense harassment, chronic stress, and oppression. Failing to account for this context fuels the cycle of policing and dehumanization by picking Black people's emotional responses apart, treating them as inherently suspicious (11,12,13). Michael being one of the most extreme manifestations of this treatment. If the same behavior can be explained by multiple empirically supported mechanisms, it cannot honestly be presented as proof of just one. That becomes even more problematic when we ignore the influence of racial and cultural bias on how behavior is interpreted.

"I see white folks do a lot of things - a lot of things that I wouldn't even think about doing - and nobody cares… I think a lot of emphasis is placed on black people because there are not many who are able to succeed. So when one does, it's like, `Uh-oh'." - Whitney Houston, in defense of Michael Jackson

wow, your mind. You get it, mootie.

Michael said he would see us in July — he kept that promise.

Michael has achieved every single milestone, all the while having things thrown at him. He always came back stronger and more powerful in the end.

Michael has and forever will be the GOAT and the KING! His legacy, his music, his philanthropy, will forever live on in the hearts of many.

Michael was a walking angel, his aura unmatched, his artistry will never be reached again. He’s just that guy.

To say that I’m truly honored to be a fan of his, is understatement. I’m forever thankful to be apart of the Moonwalkers/Appleheads. He loved us so much, and I just feel it in my heart that he loves us tremendously and is smiling down from heaven.

Jaafar you did your uncle so proud! I hope he feels that love from where’s he at today. The whole universe is beyond proud of you!