The late great Michael Jackson often spoke of his father, Joe Jackson, in less than glowing terms especially emphasizing that Joe was physically abusive (Michael also complained of plenty of physchological abuse but that is a another story for another article). Well in a video being produced by his mom Katherine Jackson, Joe has the answer to the question was Michael was abused as a child – and predictably coming from the dad who has never done any wrong, at least in his own opinion, the answer is a definite “NO.”
Joe says, “I had to be like that because when raising him, in those days, so many gangs out there getting into trouble, going to jail. Most of them are dead now. He didn’t have to worry about that.”
So now we know – Joe’s brutal spankings kept Michael out of the Crips and Bloods – and given Michael’s powerful physique (Huh!) and killer temperament (double Huh!) we really believe that without Joe’s physical intervention/spankings Michael would have wound up as a gangster… No Way! Can you see little Michael planning a drive by shooting but then Papa Joe stepping in to lay down the law? Somehow without some serious corroboration for Joe’s story we are going to have to remain sceptical. And as far as Joe’s comment that other kids, those without the kindly benefit of his spankings joined gangs and are dead now, well in case Joe hasn’t noticed Michael managed to lose his life too. Bottom line – Joe Jackson is a hard man to like or support.
