Michael Jackson: Misunderstood Man in the Mirror – Bed Sharing

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Since his death Michael Jackson’s life has been put on display for all to see. Everyone from bloggers to the media have examined every facet of the pop star’s past. Though some of his behavior could be considered strange by societal standards, only within the context of Jackson’s life can they be truly understood.

Sharing Your Bed

In 1993 and again in 2003 Michael Jackson was accused of child molestation.  The misconduct was alleged to have occurred at his Neverland Ranch home, a sprawling 2,600 acre property set in the hills of Santa Barbara County California.

Since purchasing the property in 1988, Jackson was known to invite sick children stricken with various diseases and their families to stay at his home. Many times the children were allowed to spend the night and it was out of these overnight visitations that the allegations came.

In the now infamous,  2003 interview with Martin Bashir of BBC, Jackson was quoted as saying that there was nothing wrong with sharing your bed, in reference to allowing the children who were staying at his home to sleep in his bed. Although Jackson explained that he slept on the floor while the children slept in his bed, people were stilll shocked that he would say such a thing. And more shocked that he actually did it.

To understand this behavior you must take a look at Michael Jackson’s life.

Michael Jackson grew up in a family of nine children and all of those children along with his parents, lived in a small two bedroom home. In a family this size it is not uncommon for two or more siblings to share a bed together. I, at times in my youth, had to share a bed with my brother when visiting out of town where there were not enough beds for us to sleep individually. Jackson, more than likely, was required to do the same thing as a child .

Jackson knew that there was nothing sexual about sleeping in the same bed with one of his brothers and he stated on several occasions that there was nothing sexual about sharing his bed with the children who were staying at his home. But living in a sex-driven world that views everything in a sexual light it is hard to believe that someone could be purely platonic in such a setting.