Geraldo slanders Barrie

[zigfried]

On two seperate occasion, Geraldo Rivera has stated on FOX NEWS CHANNEL that James Barrie had the SAME allegations made against him as Michael Jackson is now facing. He says this in defense of Jackson and refers to the movie FINDING NEVERLAND as his proof.  
I have seen the movie FINDING NEVERLAND, and nowhere in that film do the boys accuse him of sexual abuse as is the case with Jackson.
I havea read biographies of Barrie, and nowhere is ther any accusation from a child that Barrie sexually abused them
I have emailed Geraldo twice to criticize his comments, made first on his show GERALDO RIVERA AT LARGE and repeated on FOX AND FRIENDS.
Stand up for JM Barries name!  Email Geralso and tell him that he MUST retract these HIDEOUS allegations he is making against our beloved JMB!
Email him at:   atlarge@foxnews.com

[andrew]

I have written to Geraldo Rivera as follows:

Dear Mr Rivera,
 
I understand that in a recent programme on Fox TV, you said in effect that J M Barrie was accused of "exactly the same thing as Michael Jackson". As Barrie's only living biographer ("J M Barrie & the Lost Boys", published by Yale University Press) I feel it my duty to point out that this is wholly untrue. The New York Post made the same scurrilous - and totally unfounded - accusation before Christmas. I offered $10,000 payable to the Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital if they - or anyone else - could produce a shred of evidence to substantiate the claim that Barrie was a paedophile, or that he in any way behaved in a sexually "inappropriate" manner with anyone. As his adopted son Nico Llewelyn Davies succinctly put it, "I doubt that Uncle Jim ever experienced a stirring in the undergrowth for anyone - man, woman, child, or beast!" Thus far the Post has retained a cowardly silence.
 
I also suggested that in the absence of such proof, the Post should donate a similar amount to the Hospital, to compensate for the damage they have done to the memory of the hospital's greatest benefactor - J M Barrie. No donation has thus far been received from the Post.
 
If it is true that you made the same allegation on Fox TV, I offer you the same challenge: prove your statement, and I will pay $10,000 to the hospital, failing which I would ask that you publicly withdraw your allegation; better still, make a similar donation to the hospital for the damage you have done. None of the foregoing is to be taken as a judgement on Michael Jackson, but he at least is able to defend himself in court. J M Barrie is not.
 
Sincerely,
 
 
Andrew Birkin

[Rebecca]

Perhaps one reason that Geraldo made such a ridiculous comparison between Jackson and Barrie is because Jackson claimed to be a fan of Barrie in a recent interview. This is an excerpt from their interview, but take it with more than one grain of salt. Personally, I doubt that Jackson knows anything about Barrie besides that he wrote Peter Pan (and he probably only knows that because he's a fan of the Disney movie).

Geraldo: Did you ever see the movie Finding Neverland or read about J.M. Barrie, the man who wrote Peter Pan?
Michael: I know a lot about Mr. Barrie. I shouldn't say a lot, but I've always appreciated Mr. Barrie's work, and I've been a fan of Mr. Barrie for many, many, many years.
Geraldo: You know, he had a rocky road, similar to you. I don't want to get too far into it. Tell us what led to the creation of Neverland. I mean, specifically the place - There are two Neverlands - There's three. There's Peter Pan's Neverland, there's the Neverland in Michael Jackson's mind and then there's the physical place you created up there where I visited you when you brought up all the inner-city children. Why did you create that place?
Michael: I created Neverland as a home for myself and my children and it was created simply, it was almost like it was done subconsciously, like I said earlier, where can I go? I mean, it's hard. I've tried to go out as myself and I've had policemen tell me, "Put on a disguise! And give me an autograph for my wife!" They tell me, "Why are you out here like this with no security?" And there's fans everywhere so I can't do it...

[smiles]

How did this pan out?

[TICKING]

members, very cowardly of any person to accuse mr. barrie without facts-ticking[ralph]

[TheWendybird]

Anyone interested in kids is a pedophile now it's very irritating. Me and my boyfriend LOVE to play with kids and consider ourselves as such. So we know how irritating it is for people to ask "why don't you hang around people your own age if it's harmless?" Because people our age don't play the sort of things we like!!! grrr!!

[AlexanderDavid]

Anyone interested in kids is a pedophile now it's very irritating. Me and my boyfriend LOVE to play with kids and consider ourselves as such. So we know how irritating it is for people to ask "why don't you hang around people your own age if it's harmless?" Because people our age don't play the sort of things we like!!! grrr!!

What bothers me the most about such accusations is that, especially in the case of famous people, they never go away.  Even long after they've been proven false, they stay with the person.  People shouldn't have to keep saying, "No, that's not true"--they should be able to give it all the attention it deserves (none) and move on.

With any luck, the whole "pedophile" scare will go away before it gets so over the top that people are suspected of perversions if they so much as want to become parents....

[TheWendybird]

I have a great video from my kindergarten graduation back in '89....my Principle gave this message about how he felt as teachers if a young student is crying they should be able to wrap their arms around them and hug them and say how everything will be okay. But that today's world is so messed up that one...especially a man...cannot do this without someone looking at them like something else is going on there...and he felt it was disgusting. I mean no doubt that this stuff happens and to an extent we should be careful..for sure...but we've become such a paranoid society that the kids in the end may end up suffering for it.

[CoriSCapnSkip]

How did this pan out?

Good one.   

In the only such scene in Finding Neverland, a man approached Barrie saying there had been talk about why he sought such closeness with boys unrelated to him.  Barrie was shocked at the implication and defended the innocence of the boys.  If you read Nico's letters on this site, it seems such ideas didn't arise till about twenty years later during the 1920s sexual revolution, and that Barrie was a complete innocent who wouldn't have understood oblique references to child molesting and would have been shocked to the core given an explanation.  This has DEFINITELY been added to the story, and never happened, with Lewis Carroll either.  If it had happened, just because it was done by a creative genius who has suffered personal tragedies doesn't make it right.  (Look at Roman Polanski, who admits what he did and doesn't dare set foot on U. S. soil because of it.)  Too bad some people believe and repeat these stories, and you can't disprove them unless people who know tell the truth!

[Hannah High]

This has DEFINITELY been added to the story, and never happened,

I think that dialogue between Barrie and his friend about molestation was added to Finding Neverland not because the makers thought it happened, but for the modern audience's sake. It's bound to cross their minds - indeed whenever I discuss the story of Barrie, someone always asks this. The subject is briefly in The Lost Boys as well (with Arthur and Sylvia) and we know Andrew Birkin is not questioning it! Both films do not dwell on it, but bring it up as someone else saying it, and dimiss it as outrageous. It's not discussed or even thought of again by either films, and Barrie's relationship with the boys is looked down upon for other reasons, much more emotional than dangerous.

[TheWendybird]

People don't like people who are big kids....I've learned this the hard way..I don't ignore my responsibilities in life...I don't crawl on the floor or anything ridiculous...I still like to get toys at christmas....my family thought I was weird that my boyfriend gave me a Tinkerbell doll last Christmas..I still color in coloring books...I will go into toys R us with my boyfriend and play with stuff....and we want so much to be able to go outside and play with ..well..kids....because we feel we're big kids...and no one else our age wants to play old school. We're not pedophiles either but even if people aren't talking about sexuality for some reason it's still looked at as "wrong". My grandma asked my mom at christmas after she saw the Tink doll "Is something wrong with Krista?"...my grandmother sees me all the time it's not like we're a distant family and I use to live with her till i was 18. I always said I never wanted to grow up but I guess they didn't take that too seriously until they saw that I was no longer hiding anything or holding back...my boyfriend gave me the courage to be who i am and not be scared...because he's the same way. Years ago he was playing with these kids and the parents asked his parents why someone his age would want to hang out with children....his parents explained...and suprisingly there was never any trouble after that and they were all friends....so that's good but the majority of society is not that forgiving and we know it from our experiences. Anything that deviates from "normal" adult behavior and you are a weirdo and an outcast..let alone when people try to sexualize it all it's ridiculous. I know there IS reason to worry about that stuff out there but people have GOT to learn that there is a different group of people out there who love children in a completely different way...because they are children inside. It's literally depressing to go outside and see kids playing and know that you put your neck on the line if you ask to join in and play.

(Though of course you don't see it a whole lot today cause everyone is inside on computers)

[MLD]

There is something that modern day calls, Man Boy Love.  It has been a part of societies for thousands of years.  Plato and Shakespeare both speak of it and may have experienced it themselves.  Not always does this love extend to a sexual encounter.  Often it is just a case of the wisdom of an elder being passed to youth. 
 

[TheWendybird]

I don't get all these labels...man boy love and stuff like this...if it's not necessarily sexual....and why is it women can befriend little girls half the time and nothing is ever thought of it? I think it's pure sexism. "Grown ups" and children should be free to interact and play without people automatically thinking it's sexual or even "man boy love". What has happened to our society? There was a time when grown ups could play with or hug a child they were close to without being looked at like something is wrong. I know we have to be careful but come on.....the innocence just keeps going POOF more and more in this society. Don't even get me started on 12 year olds who dress 30. Mind you I'll dress like a 12 year old and I'm 26 but even I wouldn't dress like most 30 year olds...know what i mean? This might even be part of the problem of pedophilia being on the rise...children don't even look like children half the time now. *sighs* I wish things were like when I was little again....it's gotten worse even from THEN!

[MLD]

"It has been a part of societies for thousands of years.  Plato and Shakespeare both speak of it and may have experienced it themselves."

I am not sure when you were born Wendybird, but I am certain neither of the men I spoke of were alive.  But for thousands of years this has been a part of society.  I think perhaps you were just not aware.  I agree much innocence has been lost from when I was a lad.  My parents could have probably said the same. 

[TheWendybird]

"It has been a part of societies for thousands of years.  Plato and Shakespeare both speak of it and may have experienced it themselves."

I am not sure when you were born Wendybird, but I am certain neither of the men I spoke of were alive.  But for thousands of years this has been a part of society.  I think perhaps you were just not aware.  I agree much innocence has been lost from when I was a lad.  My parents could have probably said the same. 

No I agree that this stuff has been around for a long time...i just dont get it...plus....my point was....i don't get why this seperate thing has to get in the way of something completely innocent......honestly..in all truthfulness i still consider myself a child and so does my boyfriend....and we want to go outside and play with kids...no man boy love...no ...gosh i dunno if there is such a thing--woman girl love or anything....we just want to stay children. period. but it's very hard to do in a society where everyone is paranoid...that's what i don't get why can't we just be who we are and not have to worry about false accusations or weird looks...it just feels wrong.