The internet and news sources were abuzz recently with the rumor that Michael Jackson liked Adolph Hitler and idolized him. Wrong! According to Rabbi Shmuley Boteach’s novel, The Michael Jackson Tapes: A Tragic Icon Reveals His Soul in Intimate Conversation , Michael was never anti-semetic and certainly did not admire Hitler. The rabbi was a mentor and spiritual advisor to Michael. Rabbi Boteach provided the following quote by Michael Jackson:
Hitler was a genius orator. He was [able] to make that many people turn and change and hate. He had to be a showman and he was. Before he would speak, he would pause, drink a bit of water, and then he would clear his throat, and look around. It was what an entertainer would do trying to work out how to play his audience. He would go into this fury of the first words he would say and he would hit them hard. But where did he come from? I know he failed school and he wanted to be an architect. He failed a lot of things. But I think it all happened in prison, the whole Mein Kampf thing, didn’t it?
This sounds more like assessment to me, than admiration. Since when is genius always flattering?
Who of us hasn’t wondered how a failure like Hitler ended up having the influence and power that he did?
Interview with Rabbi Shmuley Boteach: (Warning: Some of the details about his father are very disturbing)
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What MJ said is absolutely not any sort of admiration or endorsement. Everything he said was absolutely true about Hitler, he was a master orator. I have spoken to people who heard him speak and they told me “there was something about the way he could work a crowd”. Too often people get swayed by style and don’t hear the substance.
Recognizing a person’s talent or gift is certainly not necessarily admiration.
The substance might even be a ruse.
In Hitler’s case, I would prefer to call it a talent for manipulating a crowd and encouraging group behavior. “Talent” or “gift” by itself connotes something positive to me.
I think there are many people who are brilliant, but that doesn’t mean they are people to be admired. You can have a brilliant criminal easily.
One can use one’s talent for good or for evil or one can totally waste one’s talent.
Talent can also be in the eyes of the beholder.
True.
In the case of Hitler, I would call it an “evil talent.”
I’m so contrary today, aren’t I? 🙂
And I would agree with you…a very evil talent.
If the USSR weren’t a closed society, we would probably have even more goods on Stalin, another evil bastard. How many civilians did he kill? 20 million at last count or more?
It sems that Russia is still in denial.
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/stalins-grandson-sues-over-pamphlet-saying-dictator-killed-civilians-14476610.html
Jackson may not have been expressing admiration, but it is still very odd that he observed Hitler so closely. It would be interesting to know when MJ studied Hitler’s mannerisms. Has anyone seen a video/broadcast that showed Hitler well enough to pick out these details?
Strange and troubled man, wasn’t he? Kelly, were you able to watch the video? I found it very disturbing.
Maybe he was facinated with Hitler. Who knows. MJ was an entertainer. Maybe he wanted to reach the masses. We will never know other than through someone else’s interpretation.
Anyone with a basic education in history has seen video of Hitler speaking and should be aware of the social, economic, and political circumstances surrounding his rise to power. Maybe he was fascinated with Hitler? The dude had a chimp named “bubbles” and tried to (or did) buy the body of John Merrick…..I mean…come on!
I am aware of all that — I am an ardent viewer of the History channel. I have even visited Bad Nauhim and Buchenwald in Germany. But I have yet to see a video that showed Hitler long enough to pick out these detailed mannerisms.
@Moon-howler
That’s scary, MH. Psychologically, I wonder what is going on with people who want to deny things like the Russian and Jewish Holocaust.
Jackson was such a sick, talented guy. I hope he is in peace now.