this is uncomfortable
so i am watching the BET awards and they are primarily a michael jackson tribute show, as you would imagine. but all of it has been entirely uncritical, he’s a legend, he’s a great man, he’s responsible for all music everywhere ever. and then joe jackson, michael’s father is there. joe’s abuse of michael is well documented:
Joe Jackson says “I whipped [Michael] with a switch and a belt. I never beat him. You beat someone with a stick.” [BBC Interviewer Paul]Theroux told Joe Jackson that his son was so nervous when he saw his father that he “regurgitates”, and Joe responds by saying: “He regurgitates all the way to the bank. That’s right.”
so tonight he explained his attendance at the awards:
“This celebration of my son brought me out here tonight, and it’s fantastic,”Mr Jackson said. “I just only wish that he could have been here to see all of this.”
the camera cut to joe throughout the night and don cornelius had everyone applaud for him for helping create the jackson 5, as did debra lee, CEO of BET. from wiki: Jackson recalled that Joseph sat in a chair with a belt in his hand as he and his siblings rehearsed and that “if you didn’t do it the right way, he would tear you up, really get you”.
on the other hand, chris brown did not perform although he was rumored to. according to a mispelled tweet from one of his backup dancers (so take that for what it’s worth), jay-z may have blocked brown’s performance. if so, YAY JAY-Z.
