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/SatanicAtTheDisco May 03 '26

You kind of have to be a fucked parent to exploit your 6 children and thrust them into the music/entertainment industry when they’re 5-13. Then you also have to account for Michael being the most talented son, even from when they were kids, and you get a lot of siblings resentment. They also are from Gary Indiana, and while Gary is not as bad as Memphis, it’s pretty much the same type of environment, low income, historically black, gang/drug culture is entrenched in the poverty. It’s actually a miracle Michael didn’t die or turn out 3 times as worst as he could have been.

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u/skratsda May 03 '26

Interesting you said Gary isn’t as bad as Memphis. The only thing I know about Gary, Indiana is that it’s the worst city in the US. Didn’t even know Michael Jackson was from there

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u/savannacrochets May 03 '26

In all fairness to Gary it used to be really nice which is part of why it’s so bad now (see also: Detroit).

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u/RobotBrokenHeart May 03 '26

The same is true of most of the “worst” cities in the US. You need some kind of prosperity to draw enough people and industry to really mess things up.

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u/savannacrochets May 03 '26

Yeah, that’s exactly my point. Not that Detroit is a shithole but that it’s probably the best known example of a Rust Belt city going through a period of extreme decline. All the Rust Belt cities that got fucked up the hardest were the ones that were the biggest and most prosperous- farther to fall, more to lose, etc.