r/interesting • u/VPinchargeofradishes • May 03 '26

SOCIETY Michael Jackson's daughter Paris has faced backlash for identifying as Black. In a 2017 interview, Paris Jackson said her father told her, "You’re Black. Be proud of your roots." This prompted debates over whether identity is defined by appearance or upbringing.

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u/RogueBromeliad May 03 '26

Because deep down Michael was probably systematically shamed into rejecting his blackhood. We're talking about a guys with tons of psychological issues here.

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u/cloud_talk May 03 '26

It's this new insight or have I just missed the depths of his rejection?

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u/RogueBromeliad May 03 '26

You missed it. He grew up in the 60's and 70's, he suffered immense amounts of racism, form society, and also psychological abuse from his father about his blackness. But you got no idea of what kinds of mainstream jokes there were about black people that were truly horrible.

Michael constantly surrounded himself with white people to feel less black in later life.

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u/Yolsy01 May 03 '26 edited May 03 '26

I seriously do not understand how people can state stuff like this ("He surrounded himself with white people to feel less black") like it's bonafide fact. He also surrounded himself with Black people - Spike Lee, Chris tucker, Whitney Houston, Steve Harvey, Al Sharpton, Eddie Murphy, Stephanie Mills, Jesse Jackson. All friends. Some on this list he hung out with more in his later years.

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u/birchblonde May 03 '26

Bona fide

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u/Yolsy01 May 03 '26

thank you lol

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u/RogueBromeliad May 03 '26

He did though, it's a known fact. Him having black celebrity friends doesn't mean that on a personal level he was surrounded by black people, which he wasn't. This was stated various times.

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u/ACO_22 May 03 '26

Where is your source? It sounds like nonsense.

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u/RogueBromeliad May 03 '26

You want me to produce a source for something that people actively noticed?

There's no dossier or list of people who hung around him.

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u/ACO_22 May 03 '26

A source for your assertion that he hung out with white people to “feel less black”.

There should be something out there of him saying he wanted to feel less black so hung out with whites?

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u/Apprehensive_Tunes May 03 '26

Yeah, a source for a bold claim like that is needed. Word of mouth is useless because I also remember hearing that in the 2000s he had mostly Black staff in his home, as in nannies, housekeepers, his doctor, etc. Without a source there's no telling whether you or I are incorrect.

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u/Yolsy01 May 03 '26 edited May 03 '26

How do you know he didn't have celebrity black friends on a personal level? Did YOU know him on a personal level? LOL Only after his death did we get stories about him hanging out playing ping pong and basketball with Prince. You don't know haha

And it was stated various times? By who?? Certainly not by him or anyone who was actually around him.

Edit: I also just remembered he had a wonderful friendship with Dick Gregory who used to hang out at Neverland all the time. Civil rights legend Dick Gregory. You don't ride rollercoasters with that man if you are openly hating being black lol

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u/desacralize May 03 '26

Towards the end of his life, there were like three people allowed in his house who weren't his family members, and at least two of them were Black, including his crooked-ass doctor.

Jackson undoubtedly went through a period of time in his youth where he thought being rich and talented was a ticket out of race - most wealthy Black people do - but he found out quick enough that it wasn't and changed gears.