AubreetheSimpson
No TV and No Beer Make Homer, Something, Something
I've got to admit that the timeline for "Stark Raving Dad" was kind of wacky, considering that it wasn't pulled out of circulation before when these child abuse allegations were revealed in the first place.Al Jean is full of shit for saying that.
Personally, I never believed that MJ molested children, but let's play devil's advocate and say that he did. Why would the show turn a blind eye to it for so many years? The first set of allegations came out in 1993, and the second batch a decade later. If they wanted to ban the episode then, they could have. Especially since MJ was one of the easiest targets in pop culture at that particular time. Instead, when he died in 2009, they went out of their way to air the episode again in his honor. Ten years later, a sensationalist documentary comes out involving people who had previously said Michael never did anything to them, directed by someone who admitted to presenting everything in a one-sided way, and they're quick to push the button on taking the episode out of circulation.
No one gave a fuck about the Simpsons crew and what they would do about the episode. If there was any kind of uproar, I could see why Al and Matt and James would feel the need to do something about it. But more people were upset that the episode got banned at all. They didn't do anything about the Apu controversy when their backs were against the wall, saying they'll get to it when they get to it and not understanding why an actual Indian person would have an issue with that character in our current climate. But since Leaving Neverland is hot news, why not jump on the bandwagon and act like we're taking a stand on something when nobody was asking them about it? Honestly, the whole situation was gross to me and it still is.
And by the way, Al Jean was full of shit when he said that this episode would've been used to groom out boys. Like, what the fuck was that?! I also honestly don't think I really believe that Michael Jackson really technically sexually molested nor abused children either. I wonder if that came from Jackson being abused by his father, Joe, during rehearsals in his childhood.
Anyways, I think Leaving Neverland was horrible because if you're respecting him or a fan of his, you will have an emotional mood swing with anger and controlling decisions. All because of this documentary, it almost ruined his legacy, and it causes media backlash full of craziness. It's horrible to know that "Stark Raving Dad" was pulled out because it's a classic episode that people, including Simpson fans, can enjoy. Getting this pulled out was kind of a weak straw, as it would still be in Season 3 DVD releases before it was reprinted to not include the episode, yet the original Season 3 DVDs would still be on marketplaces, such as Ebay.
And sorry if it felt warped, I'm getting a little bit tired.