Changing our attitudes towards heroic, yet abusive, icons

Michael Jackson (Image: spy.com)

It is often said that we should never meet our heroes. If the last ten years was anything to come by, that common saying has some truth in it. In the UK, we've seen TV and radio stars from the 1960s, 70s and 80s dramatically fall from grace as a result of Operation Yewtree with big household names accused, and some guilty, of sexually abusing children. I'd rather not remind you readers about Jimmy Savile, Max Clifford, Gary Glitter, Rolf Harris and others.

You can argue that there was a direct link between these investigations in Britain to allegations currently ongoing in the United States. With so many women coming forward about what film mogul Harvey Weinstein did to them - of which all allegations he strongly denies - it led to the rising movement we see today otherwise known as 'Me Too (#MeToo)'. This campaign has, so far, been a huge success and it's been great to see a lot of people being encouraged to come forward and talk about their horrendous experiences.

Of course, it is worth emphasising that these are allegations. I have been often sceptical about some of the claims that came to public knowledge, unless the victims went beyond the press and use the evidence they possess to bring their situation to justice. It is, frankly, a legal nightmare for the victims who can ill-afford the costs of bringing their culprits to justice. That said, the tide is turning somewhat with the likes of Bill Cosby behind bars. And no doubt we will see a host more personalities facing their biggest reputational challenges yet - two recent ones I am shedding light here.

In recent months there have been two explosive documentaries, placing the spotlight on two globally recognised music icons that are facing scrutiny like no other as a result of these broadcasts. They are R Kelly and Michael Jackson.

R Kelly (Image: Vulture)

I watched these two documentaries - Surviving R Kelly and Leaving Neverland - with great intrigue and an open mind. Arguably, one of my favourite songs is "I Believe I Can Fly", a song R Kelly recorded for one of my all-time favourite childhood films, Space Jam. With Michael Jackson, there are a catalogue of hits of his which I have saved on my MP3 Player. So upon discovering the two films were coming out, I knew I had to see them and be part of the fierce debates we're still seeing today as a result.

It needs to be noted, at this point, that allegations around R Kelly and Michael Jackson abusing children have been documented for decades. Both have faced trials in the noughties and both acquitted. The big difference today is that R Kelly is still facing court hearings and time behind bars, Michael Jackson passed away nearly ten years ago so will never be able to face further scrutiny physically. So before these documentaries were released, those who have been following both cases, had known the premise. But what little of us expected to see, or hear, was the graphic details.

Quite honestly, the descriptions of the abuse these children and young people faced were disgusting. There are no words. During the seven hours of R Kelly's series and four hours of Michael Jackson's, I was practically speechless. It was absolutely compelling to watch and the alleged victims were very convincing. I still believe their stories are convincingly true too. As much as the super fans of these two singers want to ignore, they have to face the facts - the actions of R Kelly and Michael Jackson were cruel, appalling and they rightly deserve the negative attention we're seeing. You cannot make up these allegations, and for that long. Why would anyone want to go through what these young people experienced, and think only money was the motivation to come out? They were honest accounts and every witness portrayed both sides to these musical icons - the good and the ugly.

The patterns around these allegations cannot be ignored. It's been widely documented that Jimmy Savile used his fame and successful TV shows to access children. Yet it took so quickly for the vocal members of the public to totally shun him and the work he did, and for it, we won't see an episode of any of "Jim'll Fix It" or "Top of the Tops" he guest hosted again. You can see the pattern is similar with R Kelly and Michael Jackson, in terms of how they sought those they abused, using their live performances to stage those who later accuse them of sexual violations. They had the power and influence, and abused it, despite their dark pasts (R Kelly and Michael Jackson were both abused as children).

Michael Jackson's funeral (Image: Zimbio)

The question is now, what do we do with this information? While R Kelly is being brought to justice, does that mean we cannot listen to his music? Will the countless awards Michael Jackson ever won be annulled and we'll never hear "Billy Jean" or "Thriller" again? What would this mean to their collaborators' reputations who may, or may not, have known about the whereabouts of the culprits? These may appear like first world problems but their impacts are so significant, these debates cannot be set aside. These are difficult questions - considering even after Jackson's widely publicised court case of similar allegations, almost tarnishing his career then, almost as many viewers watched his funeral than Princess Diana's worldwide.

What we are now seeing however is a trend of actions that we didn't see 10-15 years ago regarding these two acts. Radio stations are taking action, with those in Australia and New Zealand publicly saying they'll never play Jackson's music. Even the TV show The Simpsons announced the removal of the episode which Jackson voiced in, from all streaming services - it is arguably one of their most recognised episodes to date.

The revelations from these documentaries are tough to take and I must say, since watching these films, playing "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" by Michael Jackson the other day was like playing Wham's "Last Christmas" in June. It almost felt wrong. But having analysed it later, I still feel compelled to listen to his music. So many of the lyrics he performed offered so much hope and want to make us dance without a genuine care in the world.

How easy will be it be to distinguish the music and the person who performs them? Can moral high ground defeat musical pleasure? Personally, I believe that only time will tell. Current generations who were raised by these songs will find it difficult to stop, as too will I. The true answer comes from the habits of the next generation, who no doubt will set the music trends in the next 10-15 years. Let's see if they will be inclined to make that decision and choose songs from Michael Jackson or Jackson 5 to download. It's up to them, because we won't change.