civilisation, in the guise of various individuals ranging from tragic burns victim and famous recipient of Michael’s philanthropic aid, Dave Dave, to the very man convicted of killing Michael himself - Conrad Murray.
This lunatic fringe group put stock in such things as the reading of messages in the creases of the lips of the images of Michael that adorn posthumous album covers. The beyond-the-grave (nudge nudge, wink wink) messages vary; depending, of course, upon the native language of the interpreter.
BeLIEvers claim that the picture taken of Paris Jackson prior to her suicide attempt, in which she is sporting self-harm scars on her arm, was photoshopped - and that she is both aware of and complicit in perpetuating the hoax. Or else – with frightening contrariety – that Paris’ attempt to take her own life was a ruse to draw Michael from hiding; that – for all Michael’s self-defining concern for the welfare of other people’s children – it’s impossible for him to emerge from exile, and so simply refuses to intervene and console his own children in their agonised grief. Because the sanity of his kin must be duly sacrificed in lieu of the accomplishment of the bigger plan – a scheme of insidious deceit that essentially boils down to the most distasteful magic trick in history. The reveal to which, would be Michael’s instant arrest and incarceration as a consequence of the somewhat misjudged endeavour being responsible for an innocent man having spent time in jail.
The voluntary acquiescence involved that allows oneself to hold such beliefs is not a symptom of grief; it is a result of purposeful self-perversion. And supporting such sentiments as these strikes at the very core of Michael’s lived and hard-earned philosophy.
Fans of Elvis Presley that continued to insist on his persistent hip-thrusting upon this mortal coil, became a global laughing-stock (although their wordplay of ELVIS being an anagram of LIVES is actually far more credible – if only for the reason of it not having been randomly plucked from the ether as the term ‘beLIEver’ evidently was). However, the importance of their idol’s legacy – compared to ours – pales in significance. Quite apart from the fact that Elvis fans didn’t have to constantly contend with defending their idol against incessant accusations of paedophilia.
What with Michael’s fans being all-too-often dismissed as deranged due to the actions of a loud, lunatic minority, Michael’s vitally important message of kindness and brotherly love – particularly in the current global political climate – ends up becoming massively undermined. The lunacy plays directly into the hands of those wishing to smear his legacy. The BeLIEver movement represent a part of the integrity of Michael’s art and soul that we must reclaim.
For the minority of BeLIEvers holding on out of genuine feelings of bereavement, perhaps they simply can’t believe he’s gone, because of course he’s still here. Some things last forever. To live in the hearts and memories of those we leave behind is not to die, so in that sense Michael is surely more alive than any deceased person has ever been.
***
Considering the infinite permutations of perspective created by Michael’s perfect storm: his level of fame; his being victimised; his own oracular propaganda technique of the dissemination of factoids; and the advent during this time of that supreme catalyst for suspicion, paranoia and unfounded hearsay – the Internet, it’s hardly surprising that fans of Michael are so often daubed with the conspiracy theorist brush.
Michael’s use of ambiguous imagery in the artwork for both the Dangerous and Blood on the Dance Floor albums provides a treasure chest for nuanced interpretation. The rational perspective is that these choices of cover artwork are merely an extension of the intentionally enigmatic promotional tactics utilised during the Bad campaign: such as the
This lunatic fringe group put stock in such things as the reading of messages in the creases of the lips of the images of Michael that adorn posthumous album covers. The beyond-the-grave (nudge nudge, wink wink) messages vary; depending, of course, upon the native language of the interpreter.
BeLIEvers claim that the picture taken of Paris Jackson prior to her suicide attempt, in which she is sporting self-harm scars on her arm, was photoshopped - and that she is both aware of and complicit in perpetuating the hoax. Or else – with frightening contrariety – that Paris’ attempt to take her own life was a ruse to draw Michael from hiding; that – for all Michael’s self-defining concern for the welfare of other people’s children – it’s impossible for him to emerge from exile, and so simply refuses to intervene and console his own children in their agonised grief. Because the sanity of his kin must be duly sacrificed in lieu of the accomplishment of the bigger plan – a scheme of insidious deceit that essentially boils down to the most distasteful magic trick in history. The reveal to which, would be Michael’s instant arrest and incarceration as a consequence of the somewhat misjudged endeavour being responsible for an innocent man having spent time in jail.
The voluntary acquiescence involved that allows oneself to hold such beliefs is not a symptom of grief; it is a result of purposeful self-perversion. And supporting such sentiments as these strikes at the very core of Michael’s lived and hard-earned philosophy.
Fans of Elvis Presley that continued to insist on his persistent hip-thrusting upon this mortal coil, became a global laughing-stock (although their wordplay of ELVIS being an anagram of LIVES is actually far more credible – if only for the reason of it not having been randomly plucked from the ether as the term ‘beLIEver’ evidently was). However, the importance of their idol’s legacy – compared to ours – pales in significance. Quite apart from the fact that Elvis fans didn’t have to constantly contend with defending their idol against incessant accusations of paedophilia.
What with Michael’s fans being all-too-often dismissed as deranged due to the actions of a loud, lunatic minority, Michael’s vitally important message of kindness and brotherly love – particularly in the current global political climate – ends up becoming massively undermined. The lunacy plays directly into the hands of those wishing to smear his legacy. The BeLIEver movement represent a part of the integrity of Michael’s art and soul that we must reclaim.
For the minority of BeLIEvers holding on out of genuine feelings of bereavement, perhaps they simply can’t believe he’s gone, because of course he’s still here. Some things last forever. To live in the hearts and memories of those we leave behind is not to die, so in that sense Michael is surely more alive than any deceased person has ever been.
***
Considering the infinite permutations of perspective created by Michael’s perfect storm: his level of fame; his being victimised; his own oracular propaganda technique of the dissemination of factoids; and the advent during this time of that supreme catalyst for suspicion, paranoia and unfounded hearsay – the Internet, it’s hardly surprising that fans of Michael are so often daubed with the conspiracy theorist brush.
Michael’s use of ambiguous imagery in the artwork for both the Dangerous and Blood on the Dance Floor albums provides a treasure chest for nuanced interpretation. The rational perspective is that these choices of cover artwork are merely an extension of the intentionally enigmatic promotional tactics utilised during the Bad campaign: such as the
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