After Michael Jackson was acquitted of child molestation charges, columnist Derrick Z. Jackson quoted the singer’s own words from a 2001 speech at Oxford University.

Said Jackson, “When I was young, I wanted more than anything else to be a typical little boy. I wanted to build tree houses, have water balloon fights, and play hide-and-seek with my friends. But fate had it otherwise.”

The writer then reflected on the countless jokes made regarding Michael Jackson:

As bizarre as Jackson is, the jokes may be a cover for the fact that all of us see a tiny piece of us in him. Not the child abuse part, but the hole in the soul. If we look at him in another way, it turns out this 46-year-old prodigy is merely …a warning for what can happen if we deprive children of their childhoods.

In that same speech at Oxford, the performer commented on Joe Jackson’s role in his life. His father, Michael said, “seemed intent, above all else, on making us a commercial success. But what I wanted was a dad. I wanted a father who showed me love. And my father never did that.”