That’s as long as they’ve been alive!

Maybe. Like I said, I don’t know for sure that I’m right, and I’ll admit it’s totally strange behavior for a normal adult man, but I do think there’s a chance that we’re injecting our own perverted assumptions on something we can’t understand.

Yeah, I can see that if you define inappropriate as “against societal norms”. I intended the word to mean abusive or sexual in nature.

I have a theory about Michael Jackson. First, a little background for reference. I am not a fan of MJ or his music. I respect his talent and what he did with it, but it’s not really my style. Also, I was a child when the accusations started. We all heard and told the jokes about him diddling little boys. I have no reason to root for or against Michael’s innocence.

That being said, I don’t think he did anything inappropriate.

I could totally be wrong. I wasn’t there and I’m not going to claim that my theory is undeniable truth, but after watching a few of his interviews, I noticed that he never acted like he did anything wrong. I get that someone without remorse would act like that, but typically they know what they did was wrong, and they lie and sneak their way around any implication of involvement. Not MJ. When asked about his “sleepovers” he never denied them. He consistently said “Yes, I did invite them over for sleepovers. Yes, we often shared a bed. We would stay up late watching movies and fall asleep in the bed. That’s what a sleepover is.” It didn’t feel like a predator denying abuse. It felt more like asking a ten year old how his sleepover went. They’d tell you honestly what they did, if they slept in the same bed, and wouldn’t think anything was weird about it, because they’re just kids.

Combine that with the abuse he suffered as a kid. His father treated those kids like a troop of trained dogs. Constantly practicing, constantly performing, always bringing in more money for the family. Michael was a superstar around age 6, and did not slow down until he was an adult, away from his dad and performing for himself.

I think that Michael Jackson never really grew up. He named his ranch Neverland, from the story of Peter Pan, the boy who never grew up. I think MJ felt like HE WAS Peter Pan. He had no childhood, and never developed like the rest of us. He was a 10 year old mind in the body of an adult. I don’t think the amusement park in his backyard or the pet chimp were bait to lure children in, I think he just really wanted to live in an amusement park, race go karts, and hang out with like minded children like any insanely wealthy pre-pubescent boy would. Many of the children he hung out with have said that nothing happened, including Macaulay Culkin, who was his bestie for quite a few years. Even after MJ’s death, he said “He never did anything to me. I never saw him do anything. And especially at this flash point in time, I’d have no reason to hold anything back. The guy has passed on. If anything - I’m not gonna say it would be stylish or anything like that, but right now is a good time to speak up. And if I had something to speak up about, I would totally do it. But no, I never saw anything; he never did anything.”

Maybe I’m wrong, maybe Macaulay was groomed and helped MJ abuse other kids and cover it up, but I think Michael was just a emotionally undeveloped abuse victim trying to reclaim the childhood he never got to experience.

Crazy cat gentlemen unite!

Sorry ladies, this one’s taken.

I wipe it off if the picture is out of focus

It would be cool to be able to pick up a piece of music and translate it into music in real time.

We also use # for the weight measurement pounds.

Like, I need 5# of potatoes.

Depends, what are your thoughts on genocide, racism, and fascism?

From the sounds of it, most of us never learned how to read music like that, so I guess you’re in good company!

I prefer mine with freckles.

I played piano for years as a kid, but never learned how to read music.

I just couldn’t.

When we were working on a new song, I would have the teacher play it for me so I knew what it was supposed to sound like, and through practice, my fingers memorized the motions. If I hit the wrong key while practicing, I would every good boy does fine to figure out what key it was supposed to be, and do it again. Once I learned the song, I could play it without looking at the music at all.

Just so you know, if you had been electrocuted, you’d be dead.

Are you reading books because you want to, or because to think you HAVE to?

There’s no point in suffering through a leisure activity you don’t enjoy.

That’s the only barrier. There really isn’t any talent involved, it’s persistence.

Because they enjoy drawing they do it often, and get a little better each time. I imagine some of them enjoy writing, but aren’t quite as good because they don’t do it as much.

I listen to the most music when I’m at work, and sometimes a mood will hit me and I’m playing the Best of Bach, and the next day it’s Megadeth and Iron Maiden, then maybe old video game songs or instrumental jazz, but my “comfort food” is System of a Down.

I think it’s funny how other definitions are different from mine, but I wouldn’t disagree with any of the others. Even if it doesn’t match my definition, yeah, that guy’s a dickhead.

Asshole is just like everyone else is saying. Just toxic, rude and selfish.

A jackass is embarrassing himself. Maybe had too much to drink, is convinced the waitress appreciates his sexual absences, or tells a dirty joke in front of your grandma.

A dickhead loves to gloat. There is an I in his team. He will not let you forget your mistakes, and loves to rub it in whenever he’s done one better than you.

That’s why I switched from Reddit. There were so many people to argue with, I never stopped! Around here, I still need to correct people occasionally, but it’s not constant and usually much more chill.