HUNTING SEASON OPEN: DUCKS, RABBITS, DEER, MICHAEL JACKSON...

November 20, 2003
by Linda Sharp

Some things in the media are very predictable, almost laughably so. Take the results of any reality TV dating program. Viewers know, long before the final rose is given out, who the Bachelor is going to choose. But because network bigwigs know how boring our own little lives are, they give us something to live for in the form of a "multinude" of bodies romancing via a hot tub. How considerate, how thoughtful, how ratings oriented.

How about the predictability of celebrities popping up in ads for everything from telephone service to Twix bars? Take Old Navy ads for example. I had still not figured out the whole Morgan Fairchild connection from last season, when wha t to my wondering eyes should appear? A Lil Kim rapper dressed up in ski gear. Lil Kim? Sweaters? Cargo pants? A bra? Yeah, I'm believing that this icon of "you are what you don't wear" is out clubbing in snow boots and a fleece hoodie.

OK, maybe I didn't see that coming, but there is one recent occurrence that simply has not surprised me at all. It was only a matter of time. A cyclical event, akin to full moons and celestial bodies. Only what is blinding me is not a solar eclipse, but the burning in effigy, once again, of a superstar.

Michael Jackson, accused of child molestation. And while the word accused should imply the pointing of a finger and what should be an "innocent until proven guilty" mentality, the media has done what they do best. They have displayed a willingness to forgo even a modicum of neutrality or objectivity, in favor of ratings. Sell the sizzle, not the steak guys, because when all is said and done, just like last time, that's all there is going to be.

As predictable as "Open Season" on Mr. Jackson has become, what is most notable is the fact that it has taken this long for another unscrupulous set of adults to emerge, willing to use a child for monetary gain. I mean what's a little pimping of your own child if you can grab millions of dollars? What it is, complete lack of evidence aside, is a very telling sign that some people are unscrupulous, unfeeling and undeserving to parent the children they exploit.

I said it last time, if I truly believed that someone had abused my child in any way, the only thing I would want are their eyeballs on a stick. No amount of money would ever make me "go away".

I don't think people realize how easy it is to level an allegation of this type and destroy a person's life. Anyone, at any time can go to authorities and accuse another person of mole station of a child. It is a serious, no tolerance crime, as well it should be, and one that must be taken seriously by prosecutors. And even in those instances when all investigations are exhausted and a person is proven innocent, the damage is irreversible.

But the dividends for the accuser can be just as life altering.

Millions of dollars are an appealing prospect to anyone, but personally I'd rather take my chances on a lottery ticket, not a person's life. Unfortunately for the people behind these current accusations, and I say people, because it is not the child spearheading this assault, they may have to settle for lottery tickets too. Michael Jackson will not throw money again to make people go away and regain some peace in his life. Once blackmailed, twice shy, you know.

That's not to say he won't be found guilty of certain things. They will dig and find he is a serial humanitarian. They will investigate and come up with evidence to prove he is the 20th century's leading champion of children around the world. And they will run every forensic test possible and come up with the irrefutable proof that he is human, just like you and me. And in the end, they will once again discover, much to their embarrassment, that he is not guilty.

So even though they have declared open season on Michael Jackson, they'd better watch how they take aim. Misloaded weapons have a way of backfiring.