Visitors appalled by Adelaide Show's 'horrible' Michael Jackson sign
A ride at the Royal Adelaide Show has come under fire for the height requirement sign featuring accused child abuser and pop star Michael Jackson.
While Jackson’s career was shrouded with accusations of child abuse, speculation resurfaced again after his death with the release of the 2019 HBO documentary Leaving Neverland, with two men accusing the “King of Pop” of sexual abuse in the 1990s.
When the documentary was released, radio stations around the world boycotted the musician by refusing to play Jackson’s music.
The organisers at the annual family friendly show didn’t have a problem with the cardboard cutout of the late pop star out the front of the Hard Rock Ride holding a sign reading: “You must be at least 140cm tall to ride the ultimate Hard Rock”.
Visitors who attended the show on the opening day on Friday were in in shock when they saw the sign.
Instagram account S**t Adelaide picked up the image originally posted by @aaronkaj and while there were plenty of jokes, most people felt the sign was inappropriate for the family friendly event.
“This is horrible,” one person responded.
“That's ignorant,” another person added.
One person pointed out that it’s not the first time they have seen the sign.
“Every year they bring this out, the carney running the ride must enjoy his five minutes of fame,” they wrote.
Despite the online backlash a spokesperson for the Royal Adelaide Show told Yahoo News Australia they had received no offical complaints against the sign and confirmed the sign had been used at previous years’ shows.
“We have no plans to request that the operator removes the sign,” they said.
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