But even if you posited no out-and-out sexual molestation, there is no question he made a habit of behaving in wildly inappropriate ways around vulnerable children who were damaged by it. No question.

How so? I mean, what specifically damaged someone?

This is where I land. I work with too many celebrities who are not really mentally competent. I think MJ was way on the extreme end of this. I do think there is a very good chance of there being a mental condition that went hand in hand with his brilliance and a musician and a performer and that not only did his handlers keep him from a normal existence all of his life, but also shielded him from treatment and real diagnosis, lest it upset money machine.

Yes, this. The money and position and handlers allowed it to be spun as eccentric behavior, though it was clear for much of his life that he was several degrees from normal or healthy.

I think MJ was way on the extreme end of this. I do think there is a very good chance of there being a mental condition that went hand in hand with his brilliance and a musician and a performer

I know I see this with writers all the time. The ones who are these brilliant, amazing talents are so often also outright mentally damaged.

and that not only did his handlers keep him from a normal existence all of his life, but also shielded him from treatment and real diagnosis, lest it upset money machine.

This is one of the things that really angers me about show business. The willingness to use people in that way--even with their consent, it's unethical.

With MJ it started at such a young age that it wasn't even with his consent.

Of course, there is mentally damaged and trying to fix it too. Pat Conroy is a good example of that -- his struggle to be a functional human being is phenomenal.

I don't think its the damage that makes you brilliant, but the brilliance that allows you to survive that much longer in spite of the damage. The drive to create is powerful and the rewards when you do sustaining.

With MJ it started at such a young age that it wasn't even with his consent.

there's that, too.

I'm not convinced he was mentally competent.

Well, by any way we use the phrase "mentally competent" in our culture he qualified. He had personality disorders, not psychotic ones.

I'm looking for the legal definition of non compos mentis and it seems to mean basically the inability to manage one's own affairs. It's distinct from outright insanity (which legally is concerned with delusions - psychosis and schizophrenia).

Anyway, Michael managed his own affairs. He bought the Beatles back catalog, designed his own estate, recorded music. He wasn't under somebody else's control (unlike Brian Wilson in the 70s).

I don't think its the damage that makes you brilliant, but the brilliance that allows you to survive that much longer in spite of the damage. The drive to create is powerful and the rewards when you do sustaining.

But the rewards can only sustain for so long, as someone like David Foster Wallace so sadly illustrated. What was it that Satchel Paige always said? "Don't look back, somethin' might be gaining on you." But therein lies the rub. So many artists and performers do look back as the source of inspiration for their material. And the demons gain ground.

Don't mind me-- I'm waxing philosophical now because I'm still stoned from the Sudafed. The 12-Hour Sudafed I took at 11. Last night.

Such a lightweight.

Actually, the exposure wasn't proven or he wouldn't have been acquitted. You can THINK he exposed himself to younger children, but you can't assume it as a fact if you're talking about "apart from the abuse allegations".

As I noted upthread, it was widely reported that one child who received a huge cash settlement (in the millions) was able to describe the vitiligo on MJ's penis. So. He saw it.

Court is not the only verifiable source of information. There were multiple corroborating reports indicating that the boy had seen MJ's wang doodle and noted its identifying traits. They bought off the family so MJ would not have to go to court and face this incriminating evidence. Rich people can do that.