O'Reilly: Why Are Black Americans So Interested In Michael Jackson? His Kids And Face Were White!

Bill O'Reilly expressed shock today at a Pew study showing that African-Americans are far more interested in coverage of Michael Jackson's death than white Americans.

O'REILLY: Black Americans are much more engaged in watching this stuff than white Americans, even though Michael Jackson has white children -- and he chose to have white children -- and the face deal, don't even want to get into... So what's that racial thing all about?

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Comments

[SC341]

MJ had some serious issues, he married 2 white women (Lisa Marie Presley and Debbie Rowe, neither of which he lived with) and chose to have 3 children using another man's sperm. I do not know if the man was white, european, Spanish, Jewish, or whatever. It is pretty obvious that none of those kids has any African American blood in them. The youngest one "Blanket" looks Spanish or some kind of Hispanic or whatever. MJ seemed to have issues with being black and he was pretty much ignored by black America for the past 15 years until his recent death. On the BET Awards Jamie Foxx said that black America was "reclaiming" MJ. In order to reclaim someone you have had to of "lost" them in the past. I have nothing against MJ but I find it curious that black America is so on the defense about him. Also, they were on the defense about OJ until Obama was elected, now they could care less about OJ (who is where he belongs--in jail, finally).

One last thing, I noticed on youtube that black people seem to be obsessed with "light complected" or "dark complected" skin. It 's time to get over this obsession with skin hue. Also, in India it is common for people to use skin lightening products. Why this obsession with complexion around the world?

[Joy4u]

SC341,

I agree that MJ had some serious issues with his race. I'll always love MJ as a great entertainer. But as an AA I am perplexed by MJ. If MJ had vitiligo (skin whitening disease), it does not explain the numerous surgeries he had that erased his black features. The selection of white women and white children was another way he erased his blackness. Yet, in his music, a path could always be found towards his black culture. Ironically, the women he epitomize the most were black, not white-- his mother and his friend Diana Ross. MJ was a contradiction. I wonder--if he had black pride (as his music suggest), then how come he made the choices that he did.

In the end, his "white-washing" did not pay off. All the facial changes turned a very gorgeous black man into a hideous pale creature. True he married white women, but they added no appreciable value to his life. LMarie, with all her Elvis fortune, walked away with a settlement when she and MJ divorced. Was this a payoff? DRowe, every time I see her - "trailer-park trash" comes to mind. And the white kids MJ left behind--innocent, but pulled into the circus--will someday have to figure out their own true identities.

The MJ that I'll always remember, will be the talented entertainer that dance and sung himself into international "Thriller" fame. MJ was who God created him to be back then--a handsome black man.

[boycottrightwingthings]

True, his wives and children were white, ( he had a right to those preferences and choices, and he probably knew that his children would have enough on their shoulders just being his children without having to fight the still prevelent racism in this country). Michael Jackson was still BLACK, and identified as black, and was proud to be black. He really DID have a skin disease, that was NOT a choice!!

[lindahi50]

Leave it all alone we can hear and see how a lot of people have not and will not change their views of Black people

[SouthernBelle22]

GQ Taste do you watch Oprah, because if i'm not mistakening that episode was about kids from Africa not African-American kids. Africa is a poor country where kids have little food and no healthcare (by the way Michael Jackson contributed to Feed the Children charity more than any other entertainer) but i'm talking about America. Once again you would never see a BLACK WOMAN selling her kids for money!!! Know your facts!!!

[strongblackwoman26]

As an African American woman I can only provide MY outlook of the situation and why we (African Americans) don't turn our backs on another if they do something others feel (mostly due to the media) is horrible. Why shouldn't we support, defend and lift him up. Regardless of what color his skin may have become over the years, he is still African American, born that way and died (too young) that way. We understand culture and importance of taking care of our own, will always have each others backs. Yeah, there are some that exhibit questionable behavior, but turning our backs on them is not going to happen. Why, we were stolen from our homeland, enslaved for a few hundred years, had to deal with segregation, ridicule and ignorance at the hand of White Americans. We are strong by nature and were able to deal with it. Why is it that some white Americans try to down black people and make it an issue of the black race when our issues are small in comparison to most of theirs. We will lay down our lives for our kids, when some white people will kill theirs for a man or woman (Susan Smith, Caylee's mom, Scott Petersen).

His kids appear to be respectful, know about love for a parent and being loved by family. I believe that they are in the best environment for them regardless of color.

[arle]

Oh Lord. Some days I am /really/ embarrassed to be white.

[he kept me]

Michael may have chose to have children by a white woman, which is fine. But, he did not choose white skin for himself. He had vitiligo, a skin disorder.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/07/06/skin.color.vitiligo/index.html

[Flavor]

What difference does it make that Micheal children are white, black, latino, chinese, ect... in my neighborhood their are two different families raising African American children and doing a (Great) job now try to come in their homes and take their babies and you'll have a fight from here to china. Behind my house on the next street is an African American family who is raising a white child and two african american children (all) they adopted and are doing a (Great) job all of these kids are on the honor roll and are mannerable and you would'nt be ashamed to take them to Wal-Mart with you because everyone would'nt stop to see your child running all around bothering everything on the shelves, cursing out the mother's and being an embarrasment, the color of a person does not bother flavor it is how you treat your children are you nuturing them, are you teaching them how to be productive for society, what about (love) can anyone see that showing. Clearly, Micheals, adorable little daughter loved him, and all I wish for these three children is success and peace& they deserve it, it's none of flavors buisness about anything else.

[Marzipan29]

Here, BillO and everyone that still doubts Michael's skin disease: You can watch this video...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQ6b7kHGsSg

And Michael's kids have a blonde, blue eyed mother, remember that.

[othel]

Jackson was a man child. The off-spring of a black family who stood by him. Memorials are for the living.

[prdbldngheart]

Perhaps because MJ was black, despite to color of his skin recently. Or better yet, how about because he was a great musical talent? Or perhaps they don't care if he was black or white?

Billo needs to can it.

[wpiv926]

What a bunch of dips. Geez.

[denicci1977]

Ok why he asking two white women to explain the way black people think and feel ? I would ask the same question if he were black asking two black women about what white people think. It's ridiculous.

[Marshabio02]

What's it to him? To be as old as he is, he sure is ignorant.

[coco51]

nothing like having two blonde white women and a white male speak for black American culture and mores.

[JMBrodie]

Welcome to America. At least we get to pick our own names now...

[therodt]

that is pretty funny but true!

[barbwiregrrl]

What is interesting about race in America is that white men just don't get it that POC are "not heard" until a white man steals his idea and then says it.

I was sitting in class back in the 70's and i said something about how to resolve conflict...I was ignored...a white dude sitting next to me said verbatim what i said and the professor said "how original and brilliant" the concept was and then went on to a 20 minute discussion as to the merits of "his idea"...from that moment on in my life I really "got it" in ways I never understood before.