But you're talking about people you know well, right?

That's true.

Also, I think MJ has exhibited poor judgement and really has no proper sense of boundaries with children. I think he's fucked up, and his actions and statements make it clear that he doesn't understand a single thing about a proper adult relationship with children. Whether he's molested kids or not, he shouldn't be cuddling with them in bed.

I'm sure Jackson's nose is part surgical tragedy and only part insane vanity. (Although I'm also sure it was more than 2-3 surgeries. I'm also sure his nose is not the only thing he's had chopped on.)

But, being a black man and turning white on purpose is either genius sociopolitical theatre, or deeply fucked up. Your first geuss doesn't count.

There's the chin, if nothing else.

It was sad. A friend loaned me a tape of his videos and the longer I watched the more I could see that it was like watching him flip out in time-lapse. And I don't know what parents are thinking but I wish I could believe it was all good stuff.

Trudy--I'm not saying that only perfect people should hang out with kids but that a little care needs to be taken. A problem my SiL had is that one of my nephew's friends has parents who are very nice people, but also big ole potheads. Does the SiL let him hang out at their house, knowing they approve of getting high and smoke in front of their own kids? She would have no problem hanging out with them herslef, but it's a different problem when it's her 12-year-old.

It's so damn tough to be a parent--you don't want to be limiting and paranoid, but at the same time you don't want to put your kid in harm's way.

But, being a black man and turning white on purpose is either genius sociopolitical theatre, or deeply fucked up.

I'm willing to believe the skin tone may be the result of bad advice on how to treat his vitiligo.

But I think he's definitely had more than two nose jobs (and even most celebrities stop at one), and chin and cheekbone implants, and hair straightening or a wig, and excessive makeup, and dressing in theatrical costumes, often even when a somber business suit would be more appropriate... all together, it does not suggest a man who is happy with himself, or who wants to live in the real world.

Nonsense. He sustained scalp burns, not facial burns.

Unless they did a skin graft (which they try to avoid) they probably pulled up from his face that was pretty thin at the time (and didn't have a lot of skin to pull up) and started working from there. Poor bastid ended up with a medically-demanded bad face lift.

His face got all tight and uneven, his nose collapsed, mad tweaking ensued on an obsessive guy with an unlimited budget...

I think the assumption that, "he set out to make himself look like that" may be a false one and it's certainly not proven to be the absolute fact its accepted as.

How much of a freak MJ is, while facinating, is losing the avoid work battle. I am actually doing my tax work now. I need to go make copies of a ton of paperwork.

Unless they did a skin graft (which they try to avoid) they probably pulled up from his face that was pretty thin at the time (and didn't have a lot of skin to pull up) and started working from there. Poor bastid ended up with a medically-demanded bad face lift.

But his skin didn't start looking all weird until almost 10 years after the burns, did it? "Bad"-era MJ was obviously surgically enhanced, but he didn't get the freaky-deaky alien look until the '90's.

It's so damn tough to be a parent--you don't want to be limiting and paranoid, but at the same time you don't want to put your kid in harm's way.

This is true, but it's usually not that tough of a call. While there are a lot of people I trust Emmett with, they are all people who I know (and who he knows) well. If you have any doubt, you just say No. Also, there aren't a lot of opportunities for Emmett to be in an unsupervised situation. Actually...none.