This topic is being discussed over at MJJF and I found it pretty good. Let's continue with the talk on here:
Originally posted by mello1 Oct 7 2005@ 07:49 PM
Let me first say that I am very happy for UK fans who got to see Michael Jackson on Friday. Many thanks to MJJF members in Europe who provided pictures and first hand accounts for everyone else around the world. It is most appreciated.
MJJF Sr. Staff person Minnie started a thread last week regarding fan behavior during MJ appearances based on her own personal experiences. It elicited diversed opinions on the subject. I would like to try this again based on today's actions.
One of our members was hurt and could have been seriously injured today. She, as well as other fans really did try to effect a different outcome by asking fans around them to remain calm. But unfortunately it only takes a few individuals to start a trampede and it happened again today.
Now I don't know where Mr. Jackson's security was on Friday, but thank God things generally turned out okay. It is clear that Michael really does want to interact with his fans. Especially post trial because he really has appreciated the warmth and the love and the support shown by fans all around the world during the lowest point in his life.
Now I know that people understandably get excited when they see him. But has it occurred to anyone that you may get to see MORE of him if you resist the urge to rush him? He wants to interface with you. I believe that he does, truly I do. But if fans continue to bum rush him like this, one day, he will just stop trying.
This is an account from a fan on the MJNI board:
Now I think that we can discuss this calmly and with ration. This is not about portraying elitist attitudes about what we wouldn't do or making excuse for wanton and reckless behavior. This is about how we as fans can best help MJ in a way that he feels more comfortable engaging with us.Right, I have just got back from seeing Michael I just wanna say that I have never been so appauled and disgusted with fans in my whole entire life!!!! I mean first of all outside the hotel. We were all waiting there, all stood back out the way. We could see Michael inside the hotel, ready to come out and at that point we were still all standing pretty far back, but as soon as Michael left the hotel door everyone just ran up to him and mobbed him!!! HE'S NOT A PIECE OF MEAT YOU CAN JUST GRAB AND PULL ABOUT!!! He must have been outside for all of what?? 1 minute at the very most! He really was looking amazing. Very healthy, long straight hair, dark glasses, nice outfit but all those psycho fans decided to spoil it for EVERYONE! All Michael is going to think is that these fans are crazy! He'll be scared of them! Dislike them! If it wasn't for everyone who ran up to him, crushed him and pulled at him he probably would have stood there, asked everyone to line up and met every single fan tonight! Why can't the fans who did this just be a little more calm andn treat him as though he is an actual normal person??? You are scaring the **** out of him!!!
And at the studio was even worse!!! I have never seen anything so scary in all my life!!! Michael arrived and to start with everyone was just cheering and clapping but then oh no, what should happen one fan starts rushing so they all do. I almost fell over, got trampled on and now have serious back pain, and it didn't even stop there, everyone rushed up to the main garage, pushed straight through the security guys and started running after Michael!!! Can you imagine having about 200 people just running after you trying to get a piece of you? Pulling at your hair, your clothes, trying to get a photo with you without your permission?
The next thing I saw was a pappazzi guy jumping on top of a van trying to get a picture of Michael, he pulled on Michael's hair, turning his face towards the camera and shoving the camera RIGHT UP TO HIS FACE!!! It was absolutely DISGUSTING!!! Tiff just grabbed him and pulled him off the van and onto the ground! I personally was very close to slapping him in the face if he tried to get back on there! I was just standing back and watching this... I swear this was the most scariest moment in my whole life... Michael was now sitting on top of this car and fans just jumped up there with him! Grabbing him, hugging him, pulling at him and forcing him to have his photo taken with them on their phones!!! Then fans started climbing on the bonnet of the car and I swear it was just getting worse and worse and WORSE!!! I just backed off and started crying my eyes out, screaming because I was really so upset with the way the fans were treating him. You could see Michael trying to put on a brave face, smiling but you could tell he was petrified. I couldn't see ANY security at this point. It was just Michael, alone... being swamped and drowning in a sea of fans!! A few fans were just screaming "CALM DOWN CALM DOWN GET OFF THE CAR" but NO-ONE was listening - I really can't believe that these people call themselves FANS! GET REAL - YOU ARE NOT FANS - YOU DO NOT RESPECT THIS MAN ONE LITTLE BIT!!!! I really felt myself getting out of control because I was soooo scared for him!! I just saw it getting worse and worse... Raymone Bain then managed to get some fans away and stood up on the bonnet trying to calm the fans.... Eventually someone came and said that we were on private property and the police had been called!! I've never been so scrared for anyone in my whole life, the way I was scared for Michael tonight... In the whole 11 years of being a fan I have NEVER seen anything so appauling!!!
I just want to say to fans PLEASE THINK ABOUT MICHAEL - IF YOU HONESTLY LOVE THIS GUY YOU WILL STAY CALM AND NOT SCARE THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS OUT OF HIM!!!! You will get a hell of a lot more from him if you just stand out of the way. He'll come up to us, talk to us... we will ALL get to meet him... Michael will feel safe and happy and all the fans will be happy too!!!!
I'm off back out again now to see if he's about, but will be definately be there tomorrow as well so please guys TREAT THIS GUY WITH A BIT OF RESPET - HE DESERVES IT!!!!
Discuss and BE RESPECTFUL WHEN DOING SO. Thank you.
Originally posted by JingeJ@ Oct 9 2005, 03:48 AM
*GIVES A HUGE APPLOUD* THIS is one of the greatest topics I've seen so far! Thanks for bringing this up, I was so appalled when I heard about my friend telling me they were there trying to touch him, I was flying mad, I just yelled at them telling them to have some common sense, because what they told me were "no problems" for them at all. Of course it was, I even saw the video of Michael getting mobbed and even if alot of fans are stating that "but he looks so happy" it doesn't mean that he was actually happy getting mobbed by his own fans that he would like to know and talk with.
I wasn't there so I cannot tell if it was bad or anything, but if I was there I would have got a huge microphone, climbing ontop of a car and yelled as loud as I could "BACK OFF, FANS CALM DOWN, HE'LL TALK WITH YOU IF YOU JUST CALM DOWN". Because I respect Michael's privacy and Michael's appearancy with his fans, I would never in my life mob Michael. That's wrong, I got so mad of people doing this to Michael. He choosed to make an appearance and what do he get? A bunch of fans trying to tramp him down and get pieces out of his own blood.
He could have just forget about and continued recording the song and then leave the country but he didn't, he choose to make an appearance and choose to get to know fans more, but if these events will happen again, I don't think he'll have give it a shot! Respect the man! He is just a human, like you and me!