Barbra Streisand Victim Blaming: Hey Kids, You Were Thrilled To Be At Neverland With Michael Jackson When He Allegedly Molested You. I Mean, C’mon, It Didn’t Kill You! (UPDATE ADDED)
[guest post by Dana]
I guess the lessons here are that if you’re a child and you are really excited to be at a mega-star’s wonderland of an estate where you can do any fun thing you want, and an adult does something to you that is too terrible for words while you’re there, it’s your fault because you were happy to be there in the first place. Too bad, so sad. And if you’re a child who physically survives that something too terrible for words, yet your mind and heart and soul are deeply damaged, shake it off, it didn’t kill you:
Speaking to the Times in advance of performances in Britain this summer, Streisand said she “absolutely” believed Wade Robson and James Safechuck.
But she said: “You can say ‘molested’, but those children, as you heard say, they were thrilled to be [at Jackson’s Neverland ranch]. They both married and they both have children, so it didn’t kill them.”
In the documentary, the two men allege Jackson began grooming them when they were as young as seven and subjected them to sexual abuse. Both men say that as adults they have suffered from depression, self-loathing and anxiety and have struggled with familial relations.
Streisand, 76, said she had “a combination of feelings. I feel bad for the children. I feel bad for him. I blame, I guess, the parents, who would allow their children to sleep with him.”
It is widely believed Jackson was verbally and physically abused as a child.
“His sexual needs were his sexual needs,” said Streisand, “coming from whatever childhood he has or whatever DNA he has.” When she met him, she said, she found him “very sweet, very childlike”. [Ed. I suspect that victims of child sexual abuse might strenuously object to Streisand’s trivialization of the crime committed against them.]
Responding to her outrageous comment was the director of Leaving Neverland, Dan Reed:
“Did you really say that?” On Saturday morning, he added: “‘His sexual needs were his sexual needs’ – is pedophilia tolerated in parts of the entertainment industry?”
Well, it’s pretty much an open secret, so the answer is, disgustingly, yes. (Also see: Hollywood’s shameful history of supporting and defending child rapist Roman Polanski.)
Streisand responded to the backlash without naming Jackson:
…”to be crystal clear, there is no situation or circumstance where it is OK for the innocence of children to be taken advantage of by anyone.”
“The stories these two young men shared were painful to hear, and I feel nothing but sympathy for them. The single most important role of being a parent is to protect their children. It’s clear that the parent of the two young men were also victimized and seduced by fame and fantasy.”
My God, who has to clarify that child molestation is never, ever justified and is always wrong?? The individual who has just blamed the victim(s) of molestation and justified the gross and unlawful behavior of an adult toward a child, that’s who.
UPDATE: Streisand apologized for her comments this afternoon:
(Cross-posted at The Jury Talks Back.)
–Dana
Without batting an eye.
Dana (023079) — 3/23/2019 @ 1:41 pmAre you surprised that BS’s response is a 180 from the first statement? Hypocrisy, thy name is Babs.
Ugh.
Simon Jester (5721e2) — 3/23/2019 @ 1:47 pmThe Magisterial Misopedist Matron from Malibu
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 3/23/2019 @ 2:00 pmI’m guessing Barbra go a lot of calls from her pedophile network a/k/a her entertainment industry friends: “Barbra! We’re not supposed to say that in public!”
nk (dbc370) — 3/23/2019 @ 2:30 pmI wonder if she would be so forgiving of pedophile Catholic priests, since many of their victims are married and have children.
Chuck Bartowski (a2c25f) — 3/23/2019 @ 2:33 pmHaven’t listened to Rush in a while but I hope he still says “Barbra Streisand“ when he means BS.
harkin (d67dd3) — 3/23/2019 @ 2:58 pmThis is just disgusting. There is absolutely no justification for adult rape or molestation of a child. Celebrity has become deformity.
Gawain's Ghost (b25cd1) — 3/23/2019 @ 3:03 pmAre you surprised that BS’s response is a 180 from the first statement? Hypocrisy, thy name is Babs.
Simon Jester, no, I’m not. However, because I’ve been trained that we are to #BelieveHer always, I’ll assume that she said precisely what she meant to say in her first statement. You know, the one in which she was not scrambling to uh, clarify and cushion her response – to where it became something entirely different.
Dana (023079) — 3/23/2019 @ 3:09 pmThis would be one hell of a time for Lorne Michael’s to call Mike Myers up for a Coffee Talk open tonight. Imagine they finagled Roseanne Barr into showing up also.
urbanleftbehind (9c12d2) — 3/23/2019 @ 3:12 pmUgh. I forgot to include this in my post (at the end), and have just done so now:
Dana (023079) — 3/23/2019 @ 3:19 pmJust disgusting–I hope we never have to see her on another “last tour”.
Rochf (877dba) — 3/23/2019 @ 3:23 pmDana, it is just heart breaking. My wife was married to an actor before she was married to me, and I have spent 20 years repairing the damage. I’m sure there are wonderful actors and performers out there. But waaay too many of them are empty souls that want approval above all things, so they will say whatever they believe will advance that.
I used to joke with my wife that actors were like parakeets. “You know,” I would say to her, “colorful, noisy…”
“And they crap all over you,” she would finish.
But we idolize every kind of celebrity, from politicians to singers. And media generally burnishes their images, until they cross a bridge too far.
In other words: I doubt BS believes in much of anything, other than her own privilege.
Simon Jester (5721e2) — 3/23/2019 @ 3:37 pm9… perfect!!!
Colonel Haiku (a28485) — 3/23/2019 @ 3:45 pmNo doubt Babs believes in NAMBLA.
mg (8cbc69) — 3/23/2019 @ 4:17 pmActors are no better than prostitutes. Celebrities, my fat Aunt Fanny. Here’s Jackie Mason’s view of them in the original interview with Neil Cavuto.
nk (dbc370) — 3/23/2019 @ 4:30 pm@9. Alert POTUS; it’s another rerun.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 3/23/2019 @ 4:47 pmnk, my brother insists that there is an old hotel in Los Angeles with a sign that reads: “NO THIEVES, PROSTITUTES, OR ACTORS ADMITTED.”
Simon Jester (5721e2) — 3/23/2019 @ 5:29 pm@15. True story: back in the day at CBS we were preparing to release a compilation video of TeeVee clips culled from various archived CBS programs [and any additional licensed materials we could access] w/Streisand in skits and singing over the years up to that time. Thing was, the imagery- b/w and early color stuff- varied in lighting, scenery, quality and revisited various dress and hairstyles that essentially catalogued Babs aging a decade or two but it was generally very good stuff. Turned out to have been a very sore point. We had a marketing and production schedule to keep; was working on the advertising, collateral and such- and stopped by the product manager’s office for a run-through of concepts, costs, production, timing and materials. [It was just another project in-the-bin to us; nothing special.] He was on the phone- motioned me in– and went on w/t call. It was Babs on the line. Could only hear his side of it but it was obvious he was frustrated as hell trying to schmooze her; he spent the better part of 10 minutes reassuring her- [‘I know Barbra… I know. Don’t worry… you look fine… it’s great material, the tapes [mono and stereo] sound and look fine… you look fantastic… don’t worry…’ Will never forget; he hung up, looked at me and said, ‘Christ Almighty, that was Streisand. She’s worried about how she sounds and looks in the older material and afraid nobody will like her as she is now and wants to see everything before we go ahead!’ Turns out she was curled up on a bed in a darkened hotel room in Bermuda worried bout her image in sight and sound and insisted that everything— the master tape, all the marketing materials, photography, print ad campaigns, radio spots, TV tags, regional newspaper line art, etc., everything be FedEx-ed to her in Bermuda and personally approved by her before we pressed on w/production. We had no idea when she’d ship the materials back to Manhattan and we had a schedule to keep. So we boxed it all up, included the production schedule, and sent it flying down to Bermuda because ‘it absolutely, positively had to be there.’ She’s a genuine PITA– and changed nothing: Babs is a total control freak; held up our production schedule for a week or ten days. OTOH, Mel Brooks was totally opposite- he had a standing line: ‘Sell my movie!!’
DCSCA (797bc0) — 3/23/2019 @ 5:36 pmIn other words, Streisand says it was not “rape-rape.” Whoopie!
Gary Hoffman (7ec1de) — 3/23/2019 @ 5:39 pmis pedophilia tolerated in parts of the entertainment industry?
More than tolerated. Actively applauded. Roman Polanksi got a lifetime achievement award, well after he had been indicted for child rape and then fled the country. There is a famous clip of that moral degenerate, Meryl Streep, standing and applauding Polankski.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24k19ybIqIs
So the message from Hollywood is: if you are talented, then child rape is OK.
Bored Lawyer (423ce8) — 3/23/2019 @ 6:41 pmThis is a reminder why it is called the Streisand Effect.
DRJ (15874d) — 3/23/2019 @ 6:44 pmI wonder if Streisand, a staunch Dem, was reluctant to call out Jackson because he was black? Identity politics might hinder her from doing so. Well, that and a failed moral compass.
Dana (023079) — 3/23/2019 @ 6:45 pmStreisand has apologized for her comments.
Dana (023079) — 3/23/2019 @ 6:47 pm@23. ROFLMAO– once a control freak; always a control freak: stills at it w/that ‘Classy Tees’ tweet.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 3/23/2019 @ 7:03 pmI wonder if Streisand, a staunch Dem, was reluctant to call out Jackson because he was black? Identity politics ….
Different identity, I think. Her biggest fan base is homosexual men these days.
nk (dbc370) — 3/23/2019 @ 7:05 pm“. . . I truly admire them for speaking THEIR truth.” Not THE truth, but THEIR truth. There is only one truth, everything else is untrue.
Dave (bb37fe) — 3/23/2019 @ 7:19 pmBy coincidence this excellent piece by Douglas Murray came out just a few days ago:
How we warp our moral code for genius
Has the ‘genius exemption’ become unacceptable?
“Since Leaving Neverland, aired earlier this month, fans of Michael Jackson have been fiercely defending their hero from the latest round of paedophilia accusations. Yet that documentary merely bolstered what everybody but the most die-hard Jackson fans had known for years. Michael Jackson’s relationship with children was stomach-turning at best, and the rumours were compelling.
Given the court cases and the multi-million dollar pay-offs, it was one of the most open secrets – and scandals – of modern stardom. But, along with his ability to change colour in front of the eyes of the world, the public always made allowances for a simple reason. Michael Jackson gave us “Thriller”, “Bad” and “Billie Jean”.
He’s a clear-cut beneficiary of ‘the genius exemption’. This moral ‘get out of jail free card’ has existed throughout artistic history, it is only now that it appears that the exemption – awkward and compromising as it always was – might itself have become unacceptable.”
https://unherd.com/2019/03/how-artistic-greatness-warps-our-judgement/
harkin (d67dd3) — 3/23/2019 @ 8:36 pmBabs, dear…
“You Know I’m Bad – I’m Bad- You know It!” – Michael Jackson
DCSCA (797bc0) — 3/23/2019 @ 9:14 pmI know someone who, as a child, spent time at Neverland. He was never right again. Thirty years of drug addiction, sexual confusion, nine different flavors of neuroticism, two attempts at suicide. A pathetic life all around.
Barbara Streisand can go fukk herself.
Kevin M (21ca15) — 3/23/2019 @ 11:25 pmanother clintonista bites the dust soon the democratic party will be thru with the clinton worshipers. now when aoc says jump pelosi asks how high.
lany (5b1741) — 3/24/2019 @ 2:20 amDavid Duke and Babs speak perfectly for democrats.
mg (8cbc69) — 3/24/2019 @ 3:29 amnow when aoc says jump pelosi asks how high.
I think you have the story confused, Perry. It is: When AOC said “hump?”, people asked her “how much?”. And besides, I don’t think she does it anymore now that she has a steady job in Congress.
nk (dbc370) — 3/24/2019 @ 5:14 amStreisand, like most top celebrities, has spent most of her adult life being told how talented and smart she is. People try to make her happy and don’t challenge what she says.
Having our ideas challenged helps us see other sides to issues, and it is a benefit that Streisand misses out on because she is a celebrity. It also means she has more moments of learning hard lessons like this publicly.
DRJ (15874d) — 3/24/2019 @ 5:57 amIn her heyday, Barbra was worth ten Michael Jacksons. She was a very talented and entertaining lady. If love scenes with Omar Sharif, Robert Redford, and Kris Kristofferson went a little to her head, she was entitled. But now … I think she should let herself retire gracefully.
nk (dbc370) — 3/24/2019 @ 6:06 amShe is incredibly talented. Still, I think her mistake is thinking that being a brilliant entertainer makes her brilliant at everything.
DRJ (15874d) — 3/24/2019 @ 6:52 am“the genius exemption”
Mark (2f585f) — 3/24/2019 @ 7:47 amThat’s why he’s dead (anyone else would have been forced into rehab or jail long before that) so there is some justice.
IIRC, Dennis Miller quipped quite some time ago that James Brolin, who had done a series of commercials for Midas, should bring home a muffler and strap it to Babs’ mouth, trying filter out some of her more ridiculous commentary. It would seem that Miller’s observation needs a bit of strengthening today.
Bill H (383c5d) — 3/24/2019 @ 7:50 amI’d blame the kids’ parents before I blame the kids.
Gryph (08c844) — 3/24/2019 @ 8:03 am38… ditto!
“Don’t you hate those Academy Awards, man? And you know they said: here’s fvcking Barbara Streisand. She says: ‘I want to thank all those little people’. There’s too many little people… I can’t get their names… Fvck her and you little people… I like big people… Fvck short people and tall people, man, I like middle people…People from Wyoming.”
— Lou Reed
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 3/24/2019 @ 8:11 amSay It with roses:
https://barbrastreisand.com/news/new-statement-from-barbra/
harkin (e15868) — 3/24/2019 @ 8:11 amStreisand blamed the parents, too, but I don’t see any sympathy here for her. That is fair. Now we can apply the same standard to Trump when he says things like this.
DRJ (15874d) — 3/24/2019 @ 8:26 amPeople,
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 3/24/2019 @ 8:30 amPeople who fvck children,
Are the suckiest people in the world
They’re children, oh, dear God… CHILDREN!
And her taking the artist’s side
We canNOT abide
News flash, people say profoundly stupid things sometimes….I think with a moment of reflection (and with a nudge from a publicist), even Babs knew that that comment didn’t come out right…but why was she being asked about Michael Jackson…..and why do we care….and why did someone publish something that obviously made her look really bad….what was accomplished? I suppose we can believe that this is some great window into celebrity…or Hollywood’s special rules for the exceptionally talented. Or maybe it’s an opportunity to feel good that we didn’t say anything profoundly stupid today….yet.
AJ_Liberty (165d19) — 3/24/2019 @ 8:41 amAJ_Liberty,
I tend to believe that we are all just one step away from saying something profoundly stupid. With that, when a person with an immense platform and power to influence seemingly defends and rationalizes child molestation, I feel an obligation to push back.
What’s interesting to me is that Streisand herself has discussed her own specific childhood trauma that changed her life forever (even though she survived it…) and how she has had to work through the pain of it. The trauma was her mother re-marrying and having a new baby without Streisand’s knowledge (because she was away at the time). Of course something like that would be traumatic to go through. So if her own trauma impacted her entire life, and took work to get through, then why trivialize and dismiss (to some degree) what the young men went through as children with Jackson?? Her tone-deafness is only magnified by the comparison of reactions. It makes her look entirely without empathy.
Dana (023079) — 3/24/2019 @ 9:41 amI always found her music and acting rather repulsive
Joe - the non constitutionalist (debac0) — 3/24/2019 @ 12:51 pmAJ_Liberty,
At the risk of introducing another annoying “window into celebrity,” I suspect the Hollywood media asked Streisand about Jackson because it wants to keep the story going by finding quotable celebrities — like Streisand and Diana Ross — who might be inclined to defend Jackson.
DRJ (15874d) — 3/24/2019 @ 2:44 pmWhat exactly repulsed you, Joe?
DRJ (15874d) — 3/24/2019 @ 2:45 pmsomehow proverbs 6, seem to have slipped through streisands memory,
narciso (d1f714) — 3/24/2019 @ 2:48 pm@34. You’d have to run the numbers on that; different genres, different target audiences, too.
Her ‘love scenes’ w/George Segal were hilarious- as was her outfit; my favorite flick: The Owl and the Pussycat. My personal favorite tune: Stoney End. Google it- it really shows her range when she was in top form.
But regardless of her talents, she’s a genuine PITA to work with— w/Faye Dunnaway a close second.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 3/24/2019 @ 3:07 pm“their truth”
Disgusting.
royh (4fcafd) — 3/26/2019 @ 3:55 am“The trauma was her mother re-marrying and having a new baby without Streisand’s knowledge (because she was away at the time). Of course something like that would be traumatic to go through.“
Given Streisand’s extreme narcissism, perhaps her mother simply wanted to safeguard her new baby from being strangled in the crib?
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 3/26/2019 @ 7:57 am