Michael Jackson Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Are the lyrics of "They Don't Care About Us" anti-Semitic?

No. "They Don't Care About Us" is a song about ethnic polarization and indifference to justice in modern society. The original version, released in 1995 on the HIStory album, contained the lyrics, "Jew me, sue me, everybody do me/Kick me, kike me, don't you black or white me." During her June, 1995 "Prime Time Live" interview of MJ and wife Lisa Marie Presley, Diane Sawyer quoteFd these lines out of context and asked about the possibility of anti-Semitism on MJ's part, as "to jew" is a slang expression meaning "to swindle" or "to deceive" that stems from anti-Jewish stereotypes, and "kike" is a common anti-Jewish slur. Michael explained in response that in the song he is the victim, not the attacker, and chided Sawyer for suggesting he was anti-Semitic when many of his friends and associates were Jewish.

The lyrics and Michael's naive defense ignited a storm of media derision. Army Archerd, columnist for Daily Variety, complained that "when Jackson uses those words, they become acceptable for ordinary conversation" and told him to "kill the song". The response of major Jewish leaders was also critical, if more balanced. Rabbi Abraham Cooper, director of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, stated that he knew from an earlier visit of Michael's to the Center that Michael was not an anti-Semite, and that he understood that the real intent of the lyrics was not anti-Jewish, but he was worried that the nuances would be lost on many listeners, and that the song would teach slurs to young people. Rabbi Abraham Foxman, director of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), echoed his concerns, and a representative of the Jewish Defense League (JDL) criticized the lyrics as inexpertly crafted for what MJ wished to convey. Longtime friend Steven Spielberg, who is Jewish, was also offended and wrote a letter to the New York Times to say that his written accolades in the HIStory album booklet were not meant as an endorsement of any of the new songs on HIStory.

MJ stated in the NY Times on 6/15/95: "The idea that these lyrics could be deemed objectionable is extremely hurtful to me, and misleading. The song in fact is about the pain of prejudice and hate and is a way to draw attention to social and political problems. I am the voice of the accused and the attacked. I am the voice of everyone. I am the skinhead, I am the Jew, I am the black man, I am the white man. I am not the one who was attacking. It is about the injustices of young people and how the system can wrongfully accuse them. I am angry and outraged that I could be so misinterpreted."

Michael was defended by his Jewish manager, Sandy Gallin, who told the NY Times that the lyrics should be taken in the context of the whole angry song. "When I heard those lyrics, I thought they were brilliant. He's saying, stop labeling people, stop degrading people, stop calling them names. The song is about not being prejudiced. To take two lines out of context is unfair." Melani Rogers, the vice president for publicity for the Epic label, said in a written response, "Our own view of the song is that it is a statement against prejudice of any kind." Longtime friend David Geffen, who is Jewish, protested that MJ is "not a hater of any kind. There is not one iota of anti-Semitism in Michael. At worst, he is naive."

Once apprised of the depth of Jewish concern over the lyrics, MJ publicly apologized to anyone he had offended by the wording, telling the Simon Wiesenthal Center in a letter that his "choice of words may have unintentionally hurt the very people with whom I meant to express solidarity." He also decided to take the suggestion of the Center's Rabbi Marvin Hier to put an apology and explanation in all copies of HIStory that had not yet been shipped to stores. MJ later also agreed to change the lyrics to obviate all possible misunderstanding. "Jew me" became "do me", and "kike me" became "strike me". These lyrics were amended soon thereafter to "chew me" and "hike me".

The publicity raised by the incident caused the more cynical elements of the media to suggest that the whole controversy had been staged in order to raise interest in the HIStory album and to create collector's items out of the copies containing the original lyrics. However, the idea that MJ intentionally flirted with racism in order to sell records is patently absurd. Not only does he abhor racism, but so does his following -- the fans know that better than anyone. He could only harm his sales by treating ethnic prejudice with that kind of frivolity.

The perception of Michael's basic sincerity in the incident was seconded in a July 10, 1995 letter from Rabbi Foxman to the Wall Street Journal in response to an article lambasting MJ as one of the "peddlers of verbal garbage" who use sensationalism to sell products: "We have been in close, continuing contact with the parties during the period, and we find no reason to conclude that Mr. Jackson's apology and the sensitivity and responsiveness of Sony Music's Michael Schulhof in handling the situation was anything but honest, straightforward and commendable."

The controversy was revived in March 1996, during filming of the videos for "They Don't Care About Us" in New York and Brazil. It became apparent that, contrary to the expectations of some, the videos would not contain the revised lyrics, but instead the potentially offensive words would be masked by sound effects. Unsatisfied by this approach, and somewhat confused about Jackson's intentions in the song (see above), Rabbi Hier of the Wiesenthal Center appeared on the U.S. television program "EXTRA" to express his disapproval, saying, "When you have a person like Michael Jackson telling us that he has composed lyrics for a song of love and tolerance, and those supposed words of love and tolerance include 'Jew me, sue me, kick me, kike me' -- that's just ridiculous." Video director Spike Lee observed that there was a double standard if unflattering portrayals of blacks and Jews were permissible in Martin Scorsese's films, for instance, but Michael Jackson was excoriated for his choice of artistic expression in protesting social conditions in "They Don't Care About Us". Rabbi Hier contended that there was a big difference between Scorsese's movies and the song, although the distinction was not made clear.

The videos debuted on MTV and VH1 in the US in early April 1996. The "prison" version of the video, which contained brutal illustrations of man's inhumanity to man, was broadcast with a disclaimer saying that the video contained graphic footage, but MTV was nevertheless showing it "in the interests of artistic freedom." However, this and the "Brazilian" version of the video received little airplay and were soon dropped from the playlists. MTV spokeswoman Carol Robinson explained in Michael Fink's Insider column in the April 29 issue of People magazine that although the lyrics had been edited, "there remains the perception that the tone of the song is anti-Semitic, and as a result we are no longer airing it." MJJ Productions VP Bob Jones countered that Jackson "is not a racist, as evidenced by his endeavors on behalf of people of all religions." An Epic representative concurred, expressing disappointment in the decision of the cable music channels.

The attitude of the US affiliates was apparently not shared by MTV Europe, where "They Don't Care About Us" was #1 for three weeks, or by BET (Black Entertainment Television) in the U.S., where it reached #3. The single was top ten all over Europe and in Israel and reached #10 on the U.S. R & B charts the week of 6/15/96. (from Reuters, VOA, Daily Variety, NY Times, MTV News, Wall St. Journal, EXTRA, People, Billboard, club members)

Is true that very few of Michael's friends and associates supported him during the allegations?

Michael has been quoted as saying that during the allegations he could count his true friends on one hand. Some of his friends may have disappointed him because of their silence, while others may have provided support privately. We may not be aware of all the people that came to Michael's support publicly, as their statements of support were rarely reported by the media, but here are those that we know to have came to Michael's support:

Elizabeth Taylor, Elton John, Jane Fonda, Corey Feldman, Mariah Carey, Bruce Willis, Brooke Shields, Sharon Stone, k.d. lang, Howard Carpedale, Maximilian Schell, Quincy Jones, Stevie Wonder, Katherine, Joseph, Janet, Jackie, Marlon, Rebbie, and Tito Jackson, J. Randy Taraborrelli, Flo Anthony, Garth Brooks, Paul McCartney, Tony Toni Tone, Lisa Marie Presley, Macaulay Culkin, Yoko Ono, Tevin Campbell, Queen Latifah, Kim Fields, Sinbad, Bryant Gumble, Mary A. Fischer, Bill Bellamy, Barbara Eden, Michael Peters, Shanice, Carol Burnett, 3T, Alfonso Ribiero, Frank Dileo, NAACP, Los Angeles area ministers, Jeanne White (Ryan's mother), Kieran Culkin (Macaulay's mother), Teddy Riley, Donnie Wahlberg & Joe Macintyre (from the New Kids On The Block), Smokey Robinson, Sharon Stone, Lynne Gold-Bikin (President of the Association of the American Barristers), Bruce Swedien, Lauren Shuler-Donner (film producer), and Phil Collins. Click here to read what they said about Michael.

What was the PBS program (US) where they examined how the media dealt with the 1993 molestation allegations? What was the similar program in the UK?

"Frontline" on PBS did a special on tabloid coverage of the allegations called "Tabloid Truth: The Michael Jackson Scandal". The program details how an employee of the Child Protective Services in Los Angeles called a reporter and informed him that Michael was being investigated for child molestation, and within 24 hours the news was around the world. It examined how sources can be bought and how the the media creates the story as they go along in order to garner ratings and sell magazines and newspapers. A similar program was shown on BBC television in the UK in 1994 as "The Hunt For Michael Jackson".

Why does Michael use swear words on HIStory?

When angry, count ten.
When very angry, swear. ----Mark Twain

What evidence is there that Michael really has vitiligo? Why doesn't he use dark makeup to cover his skin instead of light?

In the February 10, 1993 interview with Oprah Winfrey, MJ revealed that his skin had turned from brown to white because of a pigment-destroying skin disorder that runs on his father's side of the family. The following Friday, as reported by AP, his dermatologist, Dr. Arnold Klein, confirmed that he had diagnosed MJ with vitiligo in 1986. Joseph, Katherine, and Randy Jackson appeared on the US TV program "Day One" about a month after the Oprah interview to reveal that they had known for many years that Michael had vitiligo but had been sworn to secrecy. Janet Jackson told Ebony, MTV, Q, Bravo, and Star Club that she too had known but had complied with MJ's request to remain silent. She added that it always hurt to listen to claims that Michael was artificially lightening his skin because she knew the truth but could not defend him without violating his privacy.

In addition to the confirmation by close associates and family members, there is directly observable evidence. In Europe, two fan magazines devoted to Michael, Black & White and Nations of Magic, have published unretouched pictures taken during the Dangerous Tour that show that MJ's hands and arms are mostly pale but are speckled with dark pigment blotches, an appearance consistent with advanced vitiligo. Fans who have followed his concert tours have reported occasionally being able to see blotches on his skin through the makeup. Reporter Tom Green, who covered MTV's "Weekend at Neverland Contest", wrote in USA Today on June 23, 1993, "[Jackson] is in makeup, but it is evident that his disclosure of a skin-lightening disease seems credible. Darker spots are apparent on a hand and around an ear." It is doubtful that if Michael's goal were to have white skin, he would allow these blotches to remain, especially since complete depigmentation is a treatment alternative for vitiligo patients. Finally, some well-known MJ trademarks are characteristic of vitiligo sufferers, including wearing wide-brimmed hats, long-sleeved shirts, and long pants and carrying an umbrella to protect against the ultraviolet radiation in sunlight.

The pictures in Black & White and Nations of Magic reveal the reason that MJ uses light rather than dark makeup to conceal his uneven pigmentation. They indicate that MJ has lost as much as 80% of his pigment to the disorder, making the use of dark makeup impractical.

More information about vitiligo can be found on the Biography page and at:

http://goofy.ti6.tu-harburg.de/vitiligo/

Why does MJ wear a surgical mask when he goes out to a lot of places?

In his own words--"Because with time my skin condition has gotten worse. I have vitiligo and I'm totally completely allergic to the sun. I'm not even supposed to be outside actually. Even if I'm in the shade the sun rays can destroy my skin."

Did MJ and Lisa Marie Presley know each other for only 4 months before their marriage?

Four months is the time that they were actually dating rather than just friends. In fact they have known each other for years, ever since Elvis Presley brought his young daughter backstage to meet the Jackson 5 when they performed at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas in 1974. MJ and Lisa Marie renewed their acquaintance in 1991 and became close friends, often telephoning and spending time together. In May 1993, they were together at an event in support of the Atlanta Immunization Project. (from Ebony, Atlanta Constitution)

I heard that MJ and Lisa Marie Presley's marriage wasn't legal. Is this true?

No. The US tabloid TV program "A Current Affair" supposedly carried out a year-long investigation into the marriage and purported to have evidence that the marriage was illegal. Their main claims were:

• At the time of the ceremony, the judge who carried it out, Hugo Alvarez Perez, was 100 miles outside his jurisdiction.
• According to the laws of the Dominican Republic, there must be a period of 10 months between a divorce and a new marriage; Lisa Marie's marriage to her first husband, Danny Keough, was formally dissolved only 3 weeks before she married Michael Jackson.
• According to flight reports and other time schedules, the marriage cannot have taken place when it was reported to have.