Michael Jackson is a test of engaging with complexity

The recent Netflix documentary on Michael Jackson — Michael Jackson: The Verdict — has reopened a debate that has been running for more than three decades.

- Sunanda Rao-Erdem

That, in itself, is not unusual. What is unusual is, after all this time, we still seem unable to decide what to do with Jackson, 17 years to date after his death.

In communications, reputations tend to settle with time. The details may remain contested, but the broader narrative usually becomes clearer. Heroes become more firmly established in public memory, while villains seep into cautionary tales. Jackson's image has resisted that process. Thirty-three years after the child abuse allegations first entered public consciousness, every new documentary, interview, or investigation seems to generate more disagreement instead of enabling a consensus. The facts have been examined in courts of law and in the court of public opinion.

Yet, the conversation remains unresolved.

Part of the reason may be that we have become increasingly uncomfortable with ambiguity. Contemporary public discourse rewards decisiveness. We are encouraged to form opinions quickly and express them with certainty. Complexity can appear evasive; nuance is often mistaken for moral hesitation.