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I didnt protect my son.
That will always, always haunt me.
To be clear, there are certainly notable differences between the situations presented in these two projects.
It no doubt helped that he and the Brobergs were respected members of the local Mormon church.
The Robsons and Safechucks were also misguided by their shared faith in a God.
That God just happened to be Michael Jackson.
As Wesley Morris said ina brutally honest review ofLeaving Neverland, Jacksons work was formative and still is.
Michael Jacksons music isnt a meal, Morris wrote.
Its more elemental than that.
Its the salt, pepper, olive oil, and butter.
Its how you start.
As the documentary points out, Jackson was basically endorsed by society,includingourpresidents.
Still: In a way, we were all groomed by Michael Jackson.
Unlike Berchtold, Jackson didnt take a stab at seduce Safechucks or Robsons parents, at least not sexually.
The smokescreens are different, but the effect is basically the same.
The way she speaks about him is echoed in the words of Robson and Safechuck.
I lost count of how many times each of them said they loved Michael.
You and I were brought together by God, Robson recalls his idol telling him.
We were meant to be together.
But that gift, if used against them, also becomes a curse.
The other thing that Berchtold and Jackson have in common is they successfully scared their victims into silence.
Abusers dont just abuse.
Unlike the Brobergs, the mothers inLeaving Neverlandtalk about trying to set some boundaries between their sons and Jackson.
Both of the boys said no repeatedly, not only to their mothers but to law enforcement.
(Also, in Robsons case, the jury in Jacksons 2005 criminal trial.)
These women believed their sons because they trusted them.
Its also time to acknowledge that denial is a universal coping mechanism.
