Was I the Only One Offended By Madonna’s MJ Speech?

So last nignt on the MTV Video Music Awards, Madonna opened the show with a long speech about Michael Jackson. The full text of this speech can be found here . Everyone seems to be talking about how heartfelt it was, what a beautiful tribute, etc etc etc. But frankly, I was shocked, and kind of appalled by the direction she chose to take with it. Because she didn’t just talk about what an amazing artist the man was; she didn’t just share fond personal memories of him. She stood up there and made a speech that basically proclaimed him innocent of the crimes he was never proved to have or have not committed. And as if that in and of itself isn’t inappropriate enough for the event, she did it by justifying his–perhaps legal, but definitely questionable–behavior with children. She begins:

Michael Jackson was born in August 1958. So was I. Michael Jackson grew up in the suburbs of the Midwest. So did I. Michael Jackson had eight brothers and sisters. So do I. When Michael Jackson was six, he became a superstar, and was perhaps the world’s most beloved child. When I was six, my mother died. I think he got the shorter end of the stick. I never had a mother, but he never had a childhood. And when you never get to have something, you become obsessed by it.

She goes on to call Jackson a "hero," and refers to the "witchhunt" and "lynchmob" that plagued him.

Now, I don’t know, obviously, if Michael Jackson ever molested any children. But neither does Madonna. We all know that he engaged in some objectively inappropriate behavior with young people (I don’t care how pure your intentions are, having sleepovers with adolescents is not acceptable to me). And yes, that behavior was probably prompted by a traumatizing childhood that left him emotionally damaged. But does that merit a speech justifying a man’s questionable behavior with children who are too young to understand intent or boundaries? Simply put: did she HAVE to go there?

I don’t have a problem with people memorializing and praising Jackson the artist, and reflecting on what a profound impact he had on their lives and the music industry. But I can’t help but imagine a survivor of childhood sexual abuse watching Madonna up on that screen talking about witchhunts and thinking "is that what people will think if I tell?"