--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think Joe Jackson is a great American…" description: "\"I think Joe Jackson is a great American figure. In my opinion, he became a scapegoat.\" — D. B. Sweeney" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f80/d-b-sweeney-8233_american_i-think-joe-jackson-is-a-great-american_2414079.jpg" --- # I think Joe Jackson is a great American figure. In my… ![“I think Joe Jackson is a great American figure. In my opinion, he became a scapegoat.” quote by D. B. Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f80/d-b-sweeney-8233_american_i-think-joe-jackson-is-a-great-american_2414079.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f80/d-b-sweeney-8233_american_i-think-joe-jackson-is-a-great-american_2414079.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f80/d-b-sweeney-8233_american_i-think-joe-jackson-is-a-great-american_2414079.jpg) > “I think Joe Jackson is a great American figure. In my opinion, he became a scapegoat.” [D. B. Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-b-sweeney/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Joe Jackson was a prominent American cultural figure whose legacy became unfairly blamed for broader industry issues. **In simple terms:** Joe Jackson was influential but later blamed for other problems. Key Takeaway Recognize his contributions while understanding the scapegoating. Themes culture media justice Mood critical reflective Type analysis historical When to use this quote - media analysis - music education - cultural criticism - legacy discussions Key Concepts public perception celebrity accountability Questions to Reflect On - Should we separate art from the artist? - How does scapegoating affect cultural memory? A Different Perspective Some argue his actions contributed to controversies, complicating the scapegoat claim. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Opinion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opinion/) [Scapegoat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scapegoat/) ## Related quotes > [There's no doubt my having been a ballplayer made me feel a special sense of responsibility to Joe Jackson's life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-b-sweeney/there-s-no-doubt-my-having-been-a-ballplayer-made-me-feel-a-special/) [D. B. Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-b-sweeney/) > [Joe Jackson was a tragic figure. He was a serene country boy who signed a confession he couldn't read. He was illiterate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-b-sweeney/joe-jackson-was-a-tragic-figure-he-was-a-serene-country-boy-who/) [D. B. Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-b-sweeney/) > [I think that Joe Biden is qualified in many respects. But I do point out that he's been wrong on many foreign policy and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/i-think-that-joe-biden-is-qualified-in-many-respects-but-i-do-point/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [I think Joe Leiberman has been one of the leaders of the country... people have such a broad respect for him as a moral…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/i-think-joe-leiberman-has-been-one-of-the-leaders-of-the-country/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [I think any company that gives Samoa Joe an opportunity is going to benefit and be happy. I think Joe is a great performer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-daniels/i-think-any-company-that-gives-samoa-joe-an-opportunity-is-going-to/) [Christopher Daniels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-daniels/) > [ I think Joe \[Madison\] is right. What we have to do is call him out on every one of these things and then maybe… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-press/i-think-joe-madison-is-right-what-we-have-to-do-is-call-him-out-on/) [Bill Press](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-press/) > [I'd like to think I'm somewhere between Joe Wicks and Mr. Motivator.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bez/i-d-like-to-think-i-m-somewhere-between-joe-wicks-and-mr-motivator/) [Bez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bez/) > [I think Joe's underappreciated, I think Andy's underappreciated, I think Pete's underappreciated, I don't think people know how good he is. I think Neal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-stump/i-think-joe-s-underappreciated-i-think-andy-s-underappreciated-i/) [Patrick Stump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-stump/) > [I think 'G.I. Joe' is a perfect example of how I'm the world's worst businessman. If I were smart, I'd be writing 'World War…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-brooks/i-think-g-i-joe-is-a-perfect-example-of-how-i-m-the-world-s-worst/) [Max Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-brooks/) > [I think Joe Biden's a disaster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clay-travis/i-think-joe-biden-s-a-disaster/) [Clay Travis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clay-travis/) > [Really, each part, each one of us, I think, has our role, but I think for Joe, he really stands out and has that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-jonas/really-each-part-each-one-of-us-i-think-has-our-role-but-i-think-for/) [Kevin Jonas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-jonas/) > [Billy Joel and Joe Jackson were both great, and they both play piano.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-folds/billy-joel-and-joe-jackson-were-both-great-and-they-both-play-piano/) [Ben Folds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-folds/) > [It is hard to compare the eras, but Joe Jackson and Ty Cobb from the past, Sandy Koufax and Roger Clements from the present.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-p-kinsella/it-is-hard-to-compare-the-eras-but-joe-jackson-and-ty-cobb-from-the/) [W. P. Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-p-kinsella/) > [I copied (Shoeless Joe) Jackson's style because I thought he was the greatest hitter I had ever seen, the greatest natural hitter I ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babe-ruth/i-copied-shoeless-joe-jackson-s-style-because-i-thought-he-was-the/) [Babe Ruth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babe-ruth/) > [You can't equate me with Joe Jackson. I've never hit my kid, I'm educated, I understand the business world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mathew-knowles/you-can-t-equate-me-with-joe-jackson-i-ve-never-hit-my-kid-i-m/) [Mathew Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mathew-knowles/) ## More by D. B. Sweeney > [Whether or not your person wins or loses, give him a chance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-b-sweeney/whether-or-not-your-person-wins-or-loses-give-him-a-chance/) [D. B. Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-b-sweeney/) > [I don't play the bass. I'm not in a band. I tried to think of ways I could touch base with the troops and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-b-sweeney/i-don-t-play-the-bass-i-m-not-in-a-band-i-tried-to-think-of-ways-i/) [D. B. Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-b-sweeney/) > [I had heard that Robert Duvall was interested in doing 'Lonesome Dove,' and he's one of those actors with whom I'd work on any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-b-sweeney/i-had-heard-that-robert-duvall-was-interested-in-doing-lonesome-dove/) [D. B. Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-b-sweeney/) > [I think Ovechkin is everything the NHL needs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-b-sweeney/i-think-ovechkin-is-everything-the-nhl-needs/) [D. B. Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-b-sweeney/) > [If you skate with an Olympic level skater, they make you so much better because you're skating behind them, and you're trying to imitate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-b-sweeney/if-you-skate-with-an-olympic-level-skater-they-make-you-so-much/) [D. B. Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-b-sweeney/) > [I think you have to do certain things in the pilot to get your network's attention - to break through... So maybe you push…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-b-sweeney/i-think-you-have-to-do-certain-things-in-the-pilot-to-get-your/) [D. B. Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-b-sweeney/) > [Why should a filmmaker turn over the irreplaceable asset, the movie, to a distribution center?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-b-sweeney/why-should-a-filmmaker-turn-over-the-irreplaceable-asset-the-movie-to/) [D. B. Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-b-sweeney/) > [Any time I get to work a home game, it's awesome.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-b-sweeney/any-time-i-get-to-work-a-home-game-it-s-awesome/) [D. B. Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-b-sweeney/) > [When I played sports, if you lose the game, and then you complain, that makes you a sore loser. That doesn't make you protester…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-b-sweeney/when-i-played-sports-if-you-lose-the-game-and-then-you-complain-that/) [D. B. Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-b-sweeney/) > [I'm so proud and honored to have been in 'Lonesome Dove' and 'Eight Men Out.' How come I'm not known for one of those?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-b-sweeney/i-m-so-proud-and-honored-to-have-been-in-lonesome-dove-and-eight-men/) [D. B. Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-b-sweeney/) > [I have never been one of those actors who say, 'Oh, my character wouldn't do this,' or 'My character never wears an orange shirt,'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-b-sweeney/i-have-never-been-one-of-those-actors-who-say-oh-my-character-wouldn/) [D. B. Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-b-sweeney/) > [To anybody who says to me, 'I'm in character,' I say, 'You should be in an asylum.' If you don't know that you're pretending,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-b-sweeney/to-anybody-who-says-to-me-i-m-in-character-i-say-you-should-be-in-an/) [D. B. Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-b-sweeney/) > [Joe Jackson was a tragic figure. He was a serene country boy who signed a confession he couldn't read. He was illiterate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-b-sweeney/joe-jackson-was-a-tragic-figure-he-was-a-serene-country-boy-who/) [D. B. Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-b-sweeney/) > [I had a teacher senior year in high school. He was a theater teacher, and he basically was a little bit like 'High School…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-b-sweeney/i-had-a-teacher-senior-year-in-high-school-he-was-a-theater-teacher/) [D. B. Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-b-sweeney/) > [Fifty-million-dollar movies gobble up the medium movies. A lot of people aren't working in Hollywood because of this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-b-sweeney/fifty-million-dollar-movies-gobble-up-the-medium-movies-a-lot-of/) [D. B. Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-b-sweeney/) [Explore all 82 D. B. Sweeney quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-b-sweeney/) ## More American quotes > [I wasn't attracted to American cinema, but I fell in love with Los Angeles the minute I arrived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/i-wasn-t-attracted-to-american-cinema-but-i-fell-in-love-with-los/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) > [William Maxwell's my favorite North American writer, I think. And an Irish writer who used to write for 'The New Yorker' called Maeve Brennan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/william-maxwell-s-my-favorite-north-american-writer-i-think-and-an/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [I have fallen in love with American names, the sharp names that never get fat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-vincent-benet/i-have-fallen-in-love-with-american-names-the-sharp-names-that-never/) [Stephen Vincent Benet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-vincent-benet/) > [I really like a lot of American country stuff, so my music has that influence, but I don't like to be set within a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jade-bird/i-really-like-a-lot-of-american-country-stuff-so-my-music-has-that/) [Jade Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jade-bird/) > [I certainly don't think that the heirs of the American Revolution were a particularly noble class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-w-brands/i-certainly-don-t-think-that-the-heirs-of-the-american-revolution/) [H. 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The words I use are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-saroyan/although-i-write-in-english-and-despite-the-fact-that-i-m-from/) [William Saroyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-saroyan/) > [When we first sold the Wallace and Gromit shorts to America, people suggested we get rid of the strange British accents and put clear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-park/when-we-first-sold-the-wallace-and-gromit-shorts-to-america-people/) [Nick Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-park/) > [Firefighters and rescue workers are American superheroes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-kennedy/firefighters-and-rescue-workers-are-american-superheroes/) [Kerry Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-kennedy/) > [France has not only built a bureaucratic barrier against American culture, it has constructed a notorious intellectual case against it as well. The French…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/france-has-not-only-built-a-bureaucratic-barrier-against-american/) [Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) > [New York and San Francisco are distinctly different. San Francisco is driving the American media, not New York. You have young, microwaved millionaires and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-whitlock/new-york-and-san-francisco-are-distinctly-different-san-francisco-is/) [Jason Whitlock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-whitlock/) > [Well look, CIA is an agency that has to collect intelligence, do operations. We have to take risks and it's important that we take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-panetta/well-look-cia-is-an-agency-that-has-to-collect-intelligence-do/) [Leon Panetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-panetta/) > [Food as a hobby used to be an elite pastime, and it has become something that is totally ordinary for people of every background.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goodyear/food-as-a-hobby-used-to-be-an-elite-pastime-and-it-has-become/) [Dana Goodyear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-goodyear/) > [It's important for American soldiers to be culturally sensitive when deployed in foreign countries. But it's just as important for the U.S. never to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-bauer/it-s-important-for-american-soldiers-to-be-culturally-sensitive-when/) [Gary Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-bauer/) Browse all 7,717 American quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think Joe Jackson is a great American figure. In my opinion, he became a scapegoat.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "D. B. 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