The explosive HBO documentary “Leaving Neverland” centering around the accusations of two former boy companions of Michael Jackson who say that he sexually abused them when they were children has triggered an international debate over the deceased pop star — with reports of stations dropping his songs from their playlists, Oprah interviewing his accusers, and pundits weighing in on the issue. But how is the public responding to the accusations in the documentary?
While response on social media is certainly not a scientifically sound way to gauge widespread reaction, it does give insight into what arguments some of the more passionate fans and critics of Jackson are floating in the public sphere. In the case of Jackson, the debate raging online is as polarized as you get, with die-hard fans presenting him in almost saint-like fashion while others argue the evidence makes clear he was a monster. First, a few deeply disturbing “undeniable facts” about the case detailed by Maureen Orth in a recent piece for Vanity Fair:
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