Should Michael Jackson Be Treated Like Black Hero?

[gsnax22]

Damn I hate to say this but I'm not seeing Dr. Hill's point here. I gotta go with Bill on this one.

[Viendork]

"That's a personal matter, it doesn't make you less black. There's no blackness meter. You don't become less black when you have a white kid. love Marc Lamont Hill for saying this. Bill O'Reily also forgets that Michael Jackson was the frst African American artist to have his videos on MTV, and has done many great things for his community musically and also cowrote the song for USA for Africa. & Bill, MJ did not have his kids with white "men". At the moment men are physically incapable.

[Viendork]

Michael Jackson was innocent. Just saying.

[phiyaboi]

Lol Oreilly put in the hotseat for being completely hypocritical..and he completely avoided the question. "oh that's comparing apples & oranges". Good save -_- ay to show those *colors lol.

[NooneNewer]

This just shows you how easy it was for white folks to make Jesus white. Lol.

[upperechelon20]

just dont understand how you white ppl comment and hate blacks so much knwing your ancestors brought them here...wtf r u mad at us for..i never begged you motha fuckas to brring blacks here cuz u were too lazy to work for yourself..silly fools..hatred for no reason..pathetic

[Outoftheclique]

marc lamount is an idiot. i actually agree with OReilly for the first time here

[skatering42]

they keep inviteing hill to their shows and lose every time...why do they debate with him

[featheon]

Amazing. When white Americans flock to buy albums by a black male who grabs his crotch, there is no racial component, not for Bill.

[TheMjgirl1]

@ videoLies So his kids are not his bio kids because there are no reports confirming this. What is wrong with you? Why would there even be a need for such a report? MJ has nothing to prove to the public. If he says his children are his,then believe him. Am I to believe that your kids are not yours biologically because there are no "reports" to confirm that. End the vicious character assination on mj. Why are we even debating the pertinity of his kids, do we do that for other celebrities?

[TheMjgirl1]

@ mabak247 I can also say to qualify to be white, don't you have to have a flat butt, thin lips and pale skin? But I guess all these white women getting collagen injections in their butts and lips and getting darker through tanning are really qualifying to be black.

[TheMjgirl1]

@ mabak247 Are you really that ignorant and stupid to think that "to qualify to being black" you must have brown skin? FYI as mj said in the bashir interview, black people were called color people because they come in all colors" There are some blacks who look nearly white and some even passed for white. I suggest you go educate yourself or maybe you just said in jest but an unfunny one. the fact is that MJ had vitiligo - go look it up. Enough with the vicious character assination on mj.

[thegivingtrees]

I find it very disturbing that Marc Hill, who in this interview was defending Michael and speaking the truth about him being the victim of racism, was fired 3 months after this interview by his boss Rupert Murdoch, the very man who targeted Michael in the tabloids for years. I'll let you draw your own conclusions...

[isurfvan]

FUCK YOU BILL YOU PAYED OFF LYING SACK OF SHIT!

[sweetiepie01]

Who the FUCK is Bill O Reilly to say who black people should look up to?

[lewizzrocks]

@criticalage dude fuck off ...like seriously stop ....stop sucking Oreilly's dick !! Btw your not funny at all just thought it let you know :)

[criticalage]

Actually, Michael was not black, he was bleached... a new color...

[ADKIc3mAnX36O]

@criticalage Dumb Ass

[criticalage]

Why is this so-called reference (SHarpton) would get involved in a ceremony of an individual who clearly did not lived a holy life? ... because if he did lived a holy life he would depart from singing to the world and he would become a sevant for God, not Satan?.... Quite mysterious...

[criticalage]

... is this so-called doctor is real? sleeping w/ children? quite devious... So because he passed away, he has to be idolized... I hope the world knows that this man is burning in hell if he didn't repent and accepted Jesus as his personal savior.

[IrFaded]

@criticalage

Burning in hell? Read the bible, and don't listen to your pastor or who ever is giving you this false information. You need to go into the context of the bible to understand what it means and not make an assumption. If we went to heaven then there would be no purpose for the earth.. if we went to hell.. that would go against the bibles teachings since it states that god is love.. Satan misguides alot of people, and you are one of them. Listen to the bible not what others tell you.

[markeithmm89]

Greatest and biggest entertainer of all time. Oh and he's black. Sorry white people :( ....  Autopsy said Michael Jackson had vitiligo.

[LUCII3R3]

i actually cannot get over how ignorant this Bill O'reilly guy is. Michael Jackson is one of the biggest black icons there is! He had vitiligo FACT. Those children are all his FACT.

[THEKINGOFBAKERSFIELD]

Dr. Lamont is the shizzle...

[mc14halo]

disappointed in marc for talkin about his bleached skin when he had vitiligo

[helmsbarn]

typical ignorant defensive black guy

[Jordydaley1994]

Is this guy retarded? Michael had vitiligo. He didn't bleach his skin. If he had no plastic surgery or anything his skin still would have turned white.

[princess91hh]

I cant wait till bill dies no one is going to care and they are going to talk about what a bastard he was, hes soo fucking jealous hes been talking bad about MJ since day one. When bill dies i will spit on his grave.

[thechurromaniac]

Shut up O'Reilly

Mike had vitiligo and had to use a lot of make up to cover his white spots. Then during the bad tour his skin turned white so he put make up to cover the black spots. He was tired of wearing a lot of make up so he bleached his skin. Thats how it was

[elimason06]

MJ just can't win! If he left the vitiligo alone people would of accused him of trying to be a cow ( I have this condition btw). He tried the UV treatment to restore the pigment--It didn't work so he treated it with benoquin. Benoquin doesn't "Bleach" the skin--It removes the pigment completely! OK so now his skin is not white but porcelain white. Trust me no one wants to be porcelain white but besides full body make-up it was his only alternative at the time. Education is great! Try it Bill!

[enviops]

Michael Jackson said it don't matter if you're black or white, but he wasn't taking any chances.

[forevershining1]

i dont think bill's being racist. but i think the stories just kind of stupid, and i cant stand marc lamont. I believe Michael Jackson was the greatest entertainer ever, and I'm a hugeee fan, but according to him himself race doesnt matter. It doesnt matter what race he was, although technically black. I think Bill was just surprised over the hype of his death. I mean, he had a 3-4 hour memorial service. No presidents memorial service has even ever been that long.

[cutekittygirl]

MJ was black...once.

[JordaneX27]

Bill Orielly is just mad because he's never seen such an big celebration of a celebrities death ever, also cuz Mike is black. He's full of shit and doesn't know anything about Michael. MJ gave the most money to charities out of any celeb. MJ did bring races together. He must not know about his song black or white. This guy is just a racist idiot.

[buggeazy102]

a white person with a tan would not admit to being black cus they look black right?

[513Crys]

exactly. nor would they temporarily identify as black until the tan wore off. It was a lunatic point that Bill was trying to make.

[nickloks]

@513Crys there was no reference to tanning or whether a white person would identify with the black community if his skin looked tan, bill didn't try to make that point, i actually agree with bill, you can't become a black american icon if you bleach your skin white and choose to have kids with white men, seriously he was ashamed of his blackness, anybody who is unbiased can see that but since they love michael so much they wont admit it

[TheMjgirl1]

@nickloks Why is the white media still saying that mj bleached his skin white because he wasn't proud of being black. That is the stupidest thing ever. MJ had repeatedly said he did not bleach his skin white and that he had Vitiligo, which the autopsy also confirmed. Please wake up and do your own research on mj before making comments such as these because it is really unfair to the man. This man has been a victim of a vicious character assination by the media for such a long time.

[TheMjgirl1]

@nickloks You also said he "chose to have kids with white men", how do you know that? Why is it so hard for people to believe that his kids are his bio kids. Do you know whether he was sterile?  Many of the things people say about him is pure speculation, but pontificated as fact. Have you seen some biracial kids, some of them look near white. Men in general do not go around asking other men for their sperm. It seems that when you talk about mj all common sense gets lost.

[nickloks]

@TheMjgirl1 common sense? michael is black as they come, you're getting hypnotized by his bleached skin so much so you're forgetting the fact that michael is as black as they come!! those kids look nothing like michael, don't have any resemblance of him. Everybody knows those aren't his kids, and that was already agreed upon before he died, now he dies and out of respect you guys look the other way, you know damn well those aren't his biological kids

[u2hubbard]

But on top of that, can we speak of the times when Black people were shoving shit down Michaels throat because of what he got accused of. Every Black comedian, Chis Rock, and Katt Williams just to name a few were tearing Micheal down harder than any White person I knew of. Now that he's dead just like always were ready to let him smell the roses and call him a Black hero and defend him. I'm Black and my peoples is a mothafucka but I still love ya'll Black folks, and everyone else of the world.

[buggeazy102]

@u2hubbard thats comedy we talking real life here

[u2hubbard]

Go head on brotha Lemont, take it to the man, lol.

[StifflersmomUSA]

Bill O'Reilly is arrogant.. Not just here but if you look at all of his debates.. Only because he got a popular show he thinks is Albert Einstein..

[mroweczka0220]

michael was our icon, it doesn't metter what colour has his skin,for me he would be green,blue.I love his music,personality,genius not his skin.sorry for my bad english:P michael bez plotek na jego temat ,niesmialosci,bez tego niesamowitego charakteru,charyzmy i wizerunku scenicznego nie bylby tym michaelem ktorego kochamy i wszyscy o tym wiedzą,drugiego takiego artysty nigdy juz nie będzie,pozdrawiam mj<3

[TeflonDon773]

lol, the very last thing orly said was racist, think about it

[513Crys]

Indeed. I felt the same way.

[513Crys]

His skin was white, yes thats an excellent point. Good Job. His DNA is Black. And trust me, you have to have way less than BLACK skin to "qualify" as black in the United States of America. Heck, look at a picture of W.E.B. Dubois- one of the pioneers in black literature and scholastic endeavor; he looks white, but the ounce of black blood in his veins "qualified" him as black. Thanks. RIP MJ Thank you Dr. Hill for setting it straight.

[cannoir]

IN THE PAST YES. BUT TODAY Tthat one drop rule you refer to does not apply. let the past stay where it is.

[513Crys]

Oh but the past just keeps following us around doesn't it. Besides...that was a supplementary point to illiustrate my MAIN point which is- Having BLACK skin has nothing to do with how you "qualify" as black...look to your president as evidence of that.

[cannoir]

Um...well dubois's dad was white of course he appeared like him.dubois did look like a mixed man.we are used to perceive obama as blck because that's the social identity he uses.but everyone knows he did not come out of a sista's womb and doesn't look like us either.

lamont had a point in this interview about Michael ( duh ! ) but yesterday's CNN's interview was was cringeworthy.He is not grounded enough on race issues.the "wounded puppy" side of him is showing.

[513Crys]

He does identify as black. And whether he had or not, he woukd have been perceived as black. As far as Dubois...the "source" of the blackness is irrelevant to my point which was that he identified and was perceived as being black even though his skin was as fair as theirs. Michael Jackson could have undergone whatever physical changes that he wanted to, he is black. Thats all I wanted to say.

[buggeazy102]

@cannoir but if you know history it gose by what color your father was not your mother

[buggeazy102]

@513Crys yes it dose when you are a celeb Rock Hudson was the greatest actor of his time no one talks about him anymore having AIDS give it somtime it will blow over most people still cant belive MJ is dead give it time

[513Crys]

Okay...I'm gonna give it time.

[mabak247]

i dont undertand..in order to qualify to be black dont you have to have brown skin? HIS SKIN WAS WHITE! so there for he was no longer black.

[KhMErKrab]

im black and you know what lamont hill represents to me... a guy who cant realize that slavery has been dead and who has to make everything about being black...

[darvv1n]

I am not sure why Michael should be treated like a black hero, the man was trying to dye his skin white, how does that help the black community. It teaches one should change themselves to be accepted by the public. I believe you should be who God created you to be and make a difference based on your God Giving talents. Which Michael definately had!!! He could be seen as a hero to all children who were abused not just black people.

[LoveTruth86]

Can white people who know nothing about what makes a person culturally black stop trying to tell people who are and are not.

I am tired of having to repeat myself. You idiots now nothing. Michael Jackson's music and dance aesthetics were black to the core.

He broke barriers for other black artists after him.

[LoveTruth86]

Dear White people,

The vast majority of you are black culturally challenged. You know nothing about black culture or what makes a person black culturally. Please get lost.

[videoLies]

Dear Racist,

Your emphasis on a persons appearance is divisive and your accusation that white people as a group are ignorant on such subject matter is unfounded and racist.

Please get lost.

[LoveTruth86]

It is founded. I am tired of a group of people sitting around debating, passing judgement and dissecting a culture and people they know nothing about with such arrogance and entitlement. Its infuriatingand historical in nature.

If black people like MJ so be it!

[FREON212]

Greatest musical prodigy since Mozart?? BULLSHIT he doesn't know a mixolydian scale from his ass. He didn't have any musical thoughts that were purely orginal and that hadn't been done before. He was a good artist but comeon lets keep him in perspective. He is no Chuck Berry or Beatles from a strict musical creation and evolution standpoint. I like MJ as much as the next but this guy should not be talking music he knows nothing. MJ didn't write any Jackson 5 material it was written for him.

[LoveTruth86]

MJ wrote songs on Thriller and other albums.

[FREON212]

MJ did great things but cmon. He is not the greatest by any stretch of the imagination. He was a helped alot and relied on technology to make his songs great. Technology that required the help of skilled engineers. Is Bad really a great song when you strip it down to the bear bones? No it requires the sonic glory that was given to it. This guy knows nothing and its pretty scary to think that these are the people that are informing us important matters such as politics. He can Bullshit on nethin.

[LoveTruth86]

You seem not to understand the point. MJ was the greatest ENTERTAINER of all time...ever...hands down. There is no denying this. As a musican, MJ revolutionized popular music which in modern times is heavily reliant on technolgy. We live in a post-modernist era hun. However Michael Jackson's singing ability is amazing. He has much better songs in his repetoire than Bad. Please remember that he has been around since 1969 prior to newer technological developments.

[LoveTruth86]

Marc Lamont Hill may have used musican but I use Entertainer because it was more than music. The visual aesthetics of his fashion and stage shows. His groundbreaking music videos which are being analyzed tommorow by a panel of acclaimed film critics at Lincoln Center for its cultural significance. I am a dancer. There would be no modern dance without MJ...mostly all of the choreographers of our time have been inspired by MJ. It is more than simply music.

[piszczeck]

Dr. Hill, I really wish you had done a better job of defending MJ. You could have explained that he had universal vitiligo, which turns the whole body white. You could have explained that he had discoid lupus, look it up on Google images & you'll see how it attacks & destroys the ears, nose, face, & scalp, & a lot of MJ's nose procedures were to deal w/ the ravages of discoid lupus. Seal got his scars & hair loss from it. You didn't even know that MJ's kids are his own biological kids. Fail.

[videoLies]

Not a single report anywhere even CLAIMS that MJ's kids are his own biologically.

Despite his disease however, there ARE many claims that he frequently bleached his skin (explaining why he never had any splotches).

Learn to use google.

FAIL.

[piszczeck]

INDICATIONS AND USAGE

Benoquin Cream 20% is indicated for final depigmentation in extensive Vitiligo.

Benoquin Cream 20% is applied topically to permanently depigment normal skin surrounding vitiliginous lesions in patients with disseminated (greater than 50 percent of body surface area) idiopathic vitiligo.

MJ did not bleach his skin. Beniquin is not a bleaching agent, it retards pigment. His Dr.s confirmed his diagnosis of vitiligo & discoid lupus. I've seen many photos of his splotches.

[piszczeck]

Both MJ & Debbie Rowe have stated repeatedly in TV interviews that MJ's kids are his own biological children. There are videos of them both saying this on YT, as well as Dr. Klein telling Larry King that MJ & Debbie had sex. MJ recently moved MJ's frozen sperm from an L.A. sperm bank to one with higher security in the U.K. MJ had stored his OWN sperm in case he wanted to have MORE of his own biological children. Prince has vitiligo, which he inherited from MJ. vitiligoguide(dot)com

[piszczeck]

Clips of Michael Jackson's vitiligo:

watch?v=lQ6b7kHGsSg

[anaebonam13]

he is a black icon

[BlatentYak]

No, he is a icon period why do you have to bring his race into it at all?. He should be treated as the great and innovative artist he was. I sure didn't see nearly as much hoohah when Les Paul died last week. Les Paul was FAR more important to the music world than Michael Jackson ever was.

[denishalw]

O'reily fails to realize that MJ has a skin disease its not like he wanted to be a whiteman. O'reily is a true RACIST!

[JayDG6385]

Should Faux News be treated as being a real news network or better yet as "Fair & Balanced"?

[denishalw]

What are you saying?

[gatsu6969]

denishalw he is agreeing with you.

i on the other hand disagree with both of you. o'reilly is not a racist and fox news is just as good (or bad) as the other networks. i watch fox, msnbc, and cnn and i have to say msnbc is the worst.

[denishalw]

sure!

[gatsu6969]

i dont know how you define racist. in my opinion, if he was such a racist..... he wouldnt have doctor marc lamont hill as a guest all the time. man,,,, i know you liberals like to keep calling people racist because you dont want to debate ideas.... its just sad. i talked to a liberal yesterday wearing a communist china t-shirt and asked him.... how can you trust government so much. then he just went on a rant about redneck hicks and how the intellectual elite should run things... just sad.

[denishalw]

Lets not be difficult and remember prejudice is ignorance.

[BlatentYak]

The real racist is the one who sees racism everywhere, including where it does not exist.

[gman6501]

Marc needs to leave Fox News. I'm just saying :)

[theMediaFork]

because he's intellectually outmatched? or is afraid of discussing matters with people who disagree?

[gman6501]

Intellectually outmatched?? Seriously, since when can Bill O intellectually outmatch someone? Sounds kinda silly to me. Second, Hill has no problem discussing matters with people who disagree (i.e. this very video proves it).

[trueking2008]

Almost everyone who commented has disagreed with you. You are the only one who cant seem to comprehend. The only one intellectually outmatched here is you.

[TexadaArmsted]

HILL DUG IN THAT ASS!!! O'Reilly was shut down.

[chadsterRazZi]

Bill O'Reilly, you just got OWNED by a man who knows what he's talking about. I jut want to point out that no one knows FOR FACT if Michael's kids are biologically his or not. Even further than that, no one knows if his kids are mixed or not. Therefore, O'Reilly's comments calling Michael's kids white is very disrespectful. And he couldn't even answer Dr. Hill's one question throughout the whole segment. Bill, when you croak NO ONE WILL CARE!

[frankiebaby725]

I have to agree with Hill, but it's a stupid issue to debate in the first place. I definitely don't agree with Al Sharpton, Jamie Foxx or Jessie Jackson making it out to be a race issue either. It showed the insecurity of the black community when they brought this up.

[theMediaFork]

um... did you not see the video? if you disagree with the gentlemen listed by you then how can you agree with Hill who is endorsing their ridiculous race based proclamations about jackson?

[frankiebaby725]

well I agree that Michaels career was blighted with bigotry, Doesn't mean we have to honor him in death. His funeral was a circus, and his family is to blame. Everyone in his family is sick.

[nnnbbnnn]

You are so far off base. Marc got bill on comment about Farrwell which Bill could not defend so he changes the subject to Al Sharpton and his comments. He avoids the issue and made Marc's point. Just because you can yell your point does not make it a fact. Michael is black, died black with light skin. Marc last comments are on point!!!

[theMediaFork]

aw, Hitler would be so proud, if only the colors were reversed. way to go in supporting Hills ridiculous race-based language when MJ was a uniter.

O'Reilly did in fact respond to the Falwell (not Farrwell) accusation, which was invalid to begin with. Falwell was rightly labeled "controversial" and similar terms when he died but it was the hate Bill disagreed with. MJ is being called "weird" and similar terms and again its the hate Bill disagree's with. no inconsistency. try to pay attention...

[warrencray]

Im in love with Marc Lamont.

[KevTic888]

I look at Bill O'Reilly's face and see he has no more than a year left to live

Question IS, who would go to his funeral?

[JordaneX27]

lmao

[ebincorp]

My favorite debates are between Dr. Hill and O'Reilly. Thanks for posting.

[supreme1200s]

great job dr hill :) Bill could not hang with you

[trueking2008]

Marc Lamont Hill was excellent! I'm glad he stood up to this racist pig!!

[theMediaFork]

cuz its racist to question the merit of calling someone who never identified as black, chose to look white and chose to in vitro only all-white children, a "black icon" and instead call for unity and accuracy in noting that MJ was an "AMERICAN icon".

by Professor Hill's idiotic and racist logic, Elvis was a "white icon". how stupid. almost as stupid as you calling the person against dividing people by races as the racist.

hilarious, FAIL

[trueking2008]

You are an idiot. How did Michael Jackson never "identify" as black, your moron. You need to do some research before you jump to such an outrageous claim. So song lyrics dealt with racism. I find it to be complete stupidity that you say someone who was born black, whose entire family is black, never "identified a black". That's FAIL number one.

[trueking2008]

Who cares what color his children are? Are you saying Madonna and Angelina Jolie are not identifying as being white because they have children of different races? You are not even touching base on the underlying issue. He was an icon, period whether you or anyone else would attribute that to a race is truly tragic. FAIL number two.

[theMediaFork]

PAYING ATTENTION FAIL.

"who cares what color his children are?" is exactly the point. who cares what color HE was, hypocrite? of course Madonna and Jolie are not identifying themselves as "white icons". their family is a racial rainbow and bless them for it. MJ did so much to unite races and never let his african DNA divide him, yet you and Hill endorse the shameful division he worked so hard against during his life. way to go. "he was an icon, period" is the point. not a "black icon".

[PrinceCharmless100]

@theMediaFork BLA BLA BLA BLA BLA, if youre black and youre an icon, you are a black icon, every black person that is an icon is a black icon, its not racist its fact

[jameshanley40]

@PrinceCharmless100 so if they do something good, emphasise their race. if they do something bad, then don't ? how does that make sense? is this about logic and fairness?

[christopherrrrrrrrr]

@jameshanley40 yeah, people celebrate good not bad, duhh

[christopherrrrrrrrr]

@jameshanley40 same thing with people that are considered american icons

[jameshanley40]

@christopherrrrrrrrr

like?

[jameshanley40]

@christopherrrrrrrrr

I guess you're trying to make some point about whitewashing / giving a bias sinless view of the dead. And that they'd do that regardless of race. I guess there any white people who have been whitewashed.. by americans like that.. any examples though?

[PrinceCharmless100]

@theMediaFork saying hes a black icon doesnt divide nothing, unless you have a problem with black icons

[trueking2008]

How is Dr. Hill's logic racist? His point was that Michael Jackson contributed so much to world and broke racial barriers but yet the media smears his name with accusations he was found NOT GUILTY of. The same was not done to the tragic deaths of whites such as Elvis Presley among others. If you are two blinded by your idiotic misinterpretations to notice that fact then you have a problem which I quite frankly cannot help you solve.

[theMediaFork]

What dont you understand about labeling someone solely on their race being racist? its the definition of racist. PAY ATTENTION. i made no comment on the tangent discussion about media smears and O'Reilly didn't disagree with that. the debate came when Hill insisted that MJ is a "black icon" and failed to explain exactly why he isn't just "an icon" - or as O'Reilly put it "an american icon". why use divisive language toward someone who was a uniter? get a clue.

[trueking2008]

Since when can someone not be a black icon AND an American icon? Does being an American icon eliminate you from sharing a distinction with the race you helped progress? HE is a black icon because of the way he progressed music and eliminated color barriers that DID exist before his music. He was the first black artist that MTV played and because of that, he set precedence and paved the way for others.

[theMediaFork]

Poor trueking2008. now you're just lying and branching off into tangents. Marc Hill made the argument of exclusivity with a race based title, not i. so when you disagree with the strawman argument you just stated about me, you're actually disagreeing with Hill and agreeing with my point. ouch.

[trueking2008]

So with that said, let me ask you, moron, Is Martin Luther King Jr. an American icon and NOT a black icon? The color is obviously included into his iconic status, but no one is saying that he is therefore not an American Icon, you moron. Even JFK can be considered a black icon, for how he progressed the issue of civil rights....So how about you get  a clue and while you're at it get a coherent argument.

[trueking2008]

Giving a real argument FAIL. I feel like arguing with you has made me lose precious brain cells for having to deign myself to your ignorant level. Can you honestly tell me that Martin Luther King was not a black icon, but instead an American Icon? The answer is that he was both, just like Michael Jackson. Fool. Case closed.

[theMediaFork]

Try to pay attention: black civil rights leader whose black identity was a huge part of his lifes work = black icon. entertainer who never identified with black identity but did with white = ridiculous to call a "black icon". you are getting desperate and whiny in your nonsensical rants...

[trueking2008]

So....Your entire argument is based on how you yourself interpret Michael Jackson's "black identity." Great, but you make no sense for reasons I've already pointed out.

You are looking at differences between MLK and MJ instead of the bigger picture. Michael Jackson was black. He actively spoke about him dealing with racism in song lyics as well as publicly. If you still think he doesn't "identify" as black well you are obviously ignorant and there is simply nothing I can do to help you.

[trueking2008]

Michael Jackson broke color barriers and helped pave the way for other black artists of his time. That's why Mr. Hill called him a black icon. If you can't wrap your head around that then I suggest logging off of youtube and opening a book. I'm done with you, I'm wasting my time with someone who can't comprehend something so obvious. If you don't like the term black icon in reference to Michael Jackson, that's too bad. Get over it.

[denishalw]

Your so right why does everyone have to be so racist!

[trueking2008]

Hill also NEVER said that Michael Jackson was ONLY a black icon, so your entire point just went out of the window. No one is saying his iconic status is exclusive to the black race.

"Pay attention."

[LoveTruth86]

When did he not identify as a black person, he refered to himself as black often and if he identified as black 24/7 and made that his focus, he would have had not fans from the majority (white)population in this country. He would have been marginalized.

[theMediaFork]

your question was already answered in the video and comments. "referring to himself as black" is a foolish justification outside the context of the discussion. he was genetically black, so of course he referred to himself as such. the discussion is about culture, not genes, and the fact remains that MJ did not define himself by his race. not in his family life, not culturally, not physically, not anywhere. thus the "black icon" BS is racist and lame. he was an "american icon" as O'R notes.

[LoveTruth86]

Please define culturally black as you would define it.

[theMediaFork]

I thinks it horrible to define something "culturally black". Immoral, needlessly divisive, race based anti-Americanism. I would never do such a thing. Which is exactly why I voiced disagreement with those like Hill and yourself who falsely and divisively claim that MJ put any such distinction on himself or force that distinction upon him posthumously.

MJ crossed all racial & cultural lines. shame on people like you and Hill trying to rewrite the history of his life to insert racial divides.

[LoveTruth86]

"race based anti-Americanism" yup the usual garbege used to marginalized opinion. Please define "Americanism".

You can cross all lines and still be culturally black. There is no shame here. My boyfriend considers himself culturally Indian. My best friend, culturally Cuban. There is nothing divisive about that.

[LoveTruth86]

What many define as "Americanism" is whiteness which is why they take offense to those who see themselves outside of this paradigm of whiteness.

Some people are truly insecure and delusional.

MJ's dance and music aesthetics were black American. He sang black music and danced in the black tradition.

Our society loves black cultural aesthetics (just not the people) which is why hip-hop is a global multi-billion dollar industry.

[LoveTruth86]

Is Bollywood not Indian/South Asian? If a Bollywood artists crosses over and is loved by people globally, he/she or that product can no longer or should no longer identify with its place of origin? With the cultural which is represents.

I think not!

[theMediaFork]

stop lying please.

if the lies arent intentional, then educate yourself on that which you speak of.

you're falsely conflating race and culture. India has a culture. Cuba has a culture. America has a culture. "black" is a color, not a nation for which a culture to derive. If you are merely the victim of poor education and you are trying to say "African culture" or "Oceania culture" or "Southeast Asian" culture then specify.

Enough with the divisive RACE based garbage.

[LoveTruth86]

I understand the difference between nationality and ethnicity and race however when dealing with the United States, you have an ethnic group which I and many simply call black though formally many call it "African American". I will use African American to make things clear. This group of people have their own culture within a culture that is heavily ispired by their own experiences as well as outside cultural influences.

[theMediaFork]

African American is synonymous with black. the reverse is not true. just as "i breathe when i swim" is not the same as "i swim when i breathe".

Michael Jackson did not live a life anywhere NEAR African American culture. to claim otherwise is pure fantasy, ignorance or dishonest revisionist history.

AGAIN: MJ was non-racial in his performance, his private life, his public persona and his fan base. the claim by you & Marc Hill that he was a "black icon" is unfounded & needlessly divisive.

[LoveTruth86]

Black American or African American culture is not African culture so I cannot use such a term nor can I say Afro-Caribbean. Many people including those in higher education us the terminology "Black culture" in reference to the culture of blacks in America since there culture has a lot more to do with racial/ethnic backgorund and not just national origin.

P.S. I have no poor education, trust me.

[theMediaFork]

Awesome use of the fallacy of appealing to authority. but even if one is to ignore that, you still are making an argument out-of-context.

Hint: you're not making a point or breaking news by noting that the phrase "black culture" is used by others.

P.S. The clumsy grammar in that sentence alone suggests otherwise. The fact that you need to rely on "trust" for your claim to be credible only shows you are incapable of illustrating your retort through your actual words. FAIL.

[theMediaFork]

How about you not project your strawman argument of ignorance onto others. that'd be great.

Americanism is not a hard word for even a poorly educated individual to break apart and decipher. America has values, unique to any other nation. open a book some time and it won't be so difficult to understand and you'll see things less so much through the prism of racism.

Your statements on MJs dance, music and "dance tradition" (repeat) are unfounded and silly.

[LoveTruth86]

My statements on Michael Jackson's dance and music are only unfounded and silly to you because you know nothing. Most other people understand what I am saying.

In addition, I asked you how you define "Americanism"?

[theMediaFork]

Pathetic "nuh uh!" defense after your baseless claim was called out. did responding by using a playground charge of "cuz u know nothing" make you feel better?

In addition, I asked you to learn how to use the internet and educate yourself instead of begging strangers to tutor you on the definitions of words. I gave you instructions on how to learn the answer to your question. if you're too lazy to follow them then thats you're problem, but stop asking me for free schooling. I charge by the hour.

[theMediaFork]

I'm not a free tutor. google the suffix "ism" and learn about American ideals. educate yourself about subject matter and THEN attempt to argue an opinion based on it. attempting the reverse is just embarrassing.

India & Cuba are nations. where exactly on the map is the country of Black?

African culture exists. are you trying (badly) to talk about an African American subculture?

Creating a "culture" off, not a locations history and traditions (try checking the dictionary), but race = RACIST.

[LoveTruth86]

So according to you Blacks in america do not have their own culture and cultural traditions?

So does Afro-Brazilian culture not exist? Does Indo-Trinidadian culture not exist?

People can have there own cultures within a larger society.

The idea that culture originates in national origin is not correct because there are countries that have many groups from many religions with many languages- these people do not have the same culture! Travel!

[LoveTruth86]

In the 21st century especially, most countries are not homogenous.

I will repeat this again, you scream about my poor education but you have probably never been close to an institution of higher education because many of them have Black and African American studies programs where students research the specifics and uniqueness of black church traditions, music and various other cultural productions, communties, history, political thought, movements etc...

[theMediaFork]

You made up 3 strawman arguments in a row. good job at admitting you have no reply to what I actually said and thus have to put random unrelated statements in my mouth.

Stop lying to sound like you're making a point. No one said people can not have a culture within a larger society. you made that up.

Travel? Bet me $200 to the charity of your choice that I have not traveled to more foreign places in the last 2 years than you have in your life. wudda you say?

[PrinceCharmless100]

@theMediaFork the people that gave your comments thumbs up are insecure white people that are bothered by the fact that the greatest entertainer that ever lived came out of the black community and black culture, like we're supposed to deny that crucial fact, calling him a black icon which he is, is not divisive unless you have a problem with "black", just like calling him an american icon is not divisive to his billions of fans that are not american

[gary83uk]

@theMediaFork Of course he was a black icon, he doesn't need to define himself by race to be one.

His talent as a singer was undoubtedly influenced by his cultural upbringing, he had black parents, black teachers, black friends and black influences when he was a child. Its the culture that he comes from that makes him an icon to and for that culture.

[cne08]

Bill sucks.

[marcusjlynn]

O'Reilly is an idiot! His arguments have no substance and he clearly has something against anyone that has success and influence that is not white.

[legit123abc]

Bill O'reilly can go suck his dads dick

[xleax]

huh? And this gets thumbs up??

Wow.