Can we continue to listen to Michael Jackson?
The documentary "Leaving Neverland", recently broadcast on British and American channels, collects the testimony of two men who claim to have been sexually abused by Michael Jackson when they were children.
Wade Robson and James Safechuck say they were raped hundreds of times between the ages of seven and ten.
The accusations had serious repercussions on Michael Jackson's reputation; radio stations have announced that they will no longer be playing the pop mega-star's songs, former fans have publicly deleted Jackson's recordings from their cellphones, and there are reports that some people have gone so far as to to leave cafes when they heard his music.
The documentary directed by director Dan Reed prompted editorial writers to ask themselves the following question: can we continue to listen to Michael Jackson?
The families of the boys "dazzled by the glow of Michael"
The four-hour film centers on events said to have taken place at Michael Jackson's ranch, Neverland.
It was "a surreal place" that mesmerized the boys and their families, Dan Reed, the documentary's director, said in the BBC's Beyond Today podcast.
The boys' families were "completely blown away by the brilliance of Michael, his status, this incredibly famous and wealthy man and, you know, the kind of star that no longer exists," says Dan Reed.
Feeling of love '
The men, aged 36 and 40 respectively, recount in detail their sexual relations with the singer and describe how, as children, they "fell in love" with Michael Jackson, a love that would have lasted seven years for Wade and four years for Robson. .
Michael Jackson was tried and found not guilty of pedophilia in 2005.
Wade, 22 at the time of Jackson's trial, had testified in court in his defense, claiming the singer slept with him in the same bed, but never touched him inappropriately.
But Dan Reed explains that by the time of his court appearance in 2005, Wade still hadn't come to terms with his experience, and for personal reasons he didn't want to "feel responsible" for sending the man he 'he loved in prison.
The spell is broken
"It wasn't until five years later, when Wade had his own child, a son, that he suddenly realized that the things Michael had done to him were disgusting," says the director.
According to him, it was the beginning of a revival.
"Leaving Neverland" premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in the United States where it was one of the most anticipated films. The audience in the hall rose to applaud Wade and Safechuck as they entered the movie theater for a question and answer session with the directors.
The New York Times wrote: "Michael Jackson had cast a spell. Leaving Neverland breaks it."
The Jackson family described the documentary as a "resumption of old discredited accusations" and took legal action against the US HBO producers.
But since the documentary was released globally, some radio stations in Canada, Australia, Ireland and the Netherlands have announced that they will no longer broadcast Michael Jackson's songs.
The BBC was forced to clarify its position publicly saying it "does not ban artists" after it was reported that it had quietly removed Jackson's songs from its playlists.
Erase Jackson's Music
Scott Bryan, who co-hosts the BBC's Must Watch podcast, was among the guest journalists at the documentary's UK premiere. He said that after watching "Leaving Neverland" he erased all of the Michael Jackson songs he had on his phone.
Bryan says that growing up in the 1980s, "it was hard not to be a fan of Michael Jackson," but listening to the singer ever since has made him "uncomfortable."
“A few days later I was just in a cafe working on my laptop and by pure coincidence they played a Michael Jackson song. And I had to put on my headphones and listen to some other music because I couldn't concentrate on what I was doing. "
Lucy Jones, columnist for the British Independent newspaper, says that "a wave of gradual change" against sexual predators has made it difficult to ignore the accusations against Jackson.
"Stories [of abuse] are viewed very differently since #metoo and revelations of pedophile abuse in institutions such as the Catholic Church. Our eyes have been opened and our consciousness has been awakened," he said. she writes.
'Don't ban Jackson'
But not everyone agrees that Michael Jackson's music should disappear from the air.
Catherine Strong, of the Australian University RMIT, likens the ban to "a small bandage over a gaping wound".
Writing on The Conversation website, she says the company instead needs to "face the problem head on".
“Sexual abuse in the music industry is a systemic and ongoing problem that will not be resolved with boycotts,” she wrote.
"Keep playing Michael Jackson's music on the radio - but never play it without reminding listeners of what he's been accused of. Do the same with other artists accused or convicted of a crime."
Change of epoch
Dan Reed told the BBC: "Times have changed and now you get the feeling that when someone says 'I have been sexually abused' - whether it's a child, a woman or a man - the first reaction should not be to reject it, but to listen to what they have to say ".
But amidst the diversity of opinions, the director says he is opposed to any "visceral reaction" against the singer.
“Everyone I spoke to that watched the movie said something to me like, 'I don't think I can listen to a Michael Jackson song again.” You know, the people who walked out of the stores when they have heard songs from Michael Jackson, ”Reed says.
"I don't believe in banning songs or burning books. There's kind of a rash now, but I think we have to grow up and still be able to listen to his music, while realizing he was a predatory pedophile. "
