Here's Why I'm Kind Of Against Today's Kids Getting Into Michael Jackson After Watching Michael

I can already hear it: Take the keyboard away from this boomer before he starts shouting at the clouds. Before you say that, one, I'm a Millennial (an elder Millennial, but still), and two, well, let me explain myself.

I'm not inherently against kids loving Michael Jackson. How can I be when I myself introduced my own children to MJ before they could even (moon) walk? Plus, as a fan, don't you think I love hearing MJ on the radio again? I grew up with Michael Jackson, and therefore, I love his music!

I love that today's kids love MJ’s music, too. That said…

The Michael Movie Only Shows The Positive Side Of MJ, So Kids Aren't Getting The Full Picture

Did you know that it’s documented that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. likely had extramarital affairs? Now, I know you probably want to smack my face for saying that, and I don’t like admitting it, either. However, just because it tarnishes a lionized version of the man, it doesn’t tarnish what he accomplished in his short time on this planet. That said, what does this have to do with Michael Jackson? Well, it’s just that the Michael biopic, which tons of people - including kids - have seen, doesn’t actually show what I remember of MJ growing up, outside of his music, of course.

Now, the movie legally could not show aspects surrounding the allegations swirling around the man at the time (In fact, the movie stops just short of that particular period of his life). I still think it’s important that young people do know that MJ, while a genius who was undeniably abused by his father, also may (emphasis on the word “may”) have had a dark side to him, just like MLK.

I think this is important since I believe that children should know that people - even great people who change the world - are still human at the end of the day, and that they’re far from perfect.

Did MJ do what people say he did? I hope not, but I don’t know. Did the media tear MJ apart during that time of his life? Absolutely, which I predict might be the narrative of the next movie. Whatever the case, I still think young people deserve to know what MIGHT have happened with Michael Jackson, and they won’t get that from the movie.

Young People Are Only Loving A Certain Time Period Of MJ's Music

Okay, phew. That was some heavy stuff. Now, onto more lighthearted fare. Another thing I don’t love about kids who watch Michael is that they only seem to know a certain time period of MJ’s music. Granted, this is because we only see MJ in his years with the Jackson 5, and then his quest towards the Bad World Tour. I’m kind of tired of hearing kids singing only stuff from the Thriller era, like “Billie Jean” and “Beat It,” (and surprisingly, the posthumous song, “Chicago,” which I gather is because of TikTok).

When it was announced that an MJ movie was initially coming out, I had high hopes for it. One of my highest hopes was that it was a FULL biopic. Like, I didn’t want to see his death, but I did want to see his full career, which meant I also wanted to see his Bad era, his Dangerous era, and even his Invincible era. That way, we’d get the full span of the biggest moments of his solo career.

By kneecapping the movie at only this specific time period, unless today’s kids want to delve into Michael Jackson on their own, they’ll likely only continue to enjoy the hits from the movie, or, from what’s popular on TikTok, and I’m not in love with that idea.

I mean, I guess kids loving MJ’s music in general is a net positive, even if it's only a sampling, but the unc in me (More like the gatekeeper, really) is kind of annoyed that today’s kids are just listening to the same bops over and over again. Oh, well. I guess a sequel could rectify that.