On June 21, Patrick Macdonald of The Seattle Times criticized Jackson, stating, 'He may have lived a sheltered life, but there really is no excuse for using terms like 'Jew me' and 'kike' in a pop song, unless you make it clear you are denouncing such terms, and do so in an artful way' Two days later, Jackson decided, despite the cost incurred, he would return to the studio and alter the offending wording on future copies of the album 'Jew me' and 'Kike me' would be substituted with 'do me' and 'strike me'.

'They Don't Care About Us', he gives the lie to his entire catalog of brotherhood anthems with a burst of anti-Semitism' 'I just want you all to know how strongly I am committed to tolerance, peace and love, and I apologize to anyone who might have been hurt.' The next day, in his review of HIStory, Jon Pareles of The New York Times alleged, 'In. By this point, however, two million copies of the record had already been shipped. He promised that future copies of the album would include an apology. On June 17, Michael issued another public apology for his choice of words. They accepted that Jackson meant well and suggested that the entertainer write an explanation in the album booklet They expressed the opinion that the lyrics used were unsuitable for a teenage audience that might not understand the song's context, adding that the song was too ambiguous for some listeners to understand. That same day, Jackson received support from his manager and record label, who described the lyrics as 'brilliant', that they were about opposition to prejudice and taken out of context.The following day, two leading members of the Jewish community stated that Jackson's attempt to make a song critical of discrimination had backfired. He also said that some of his closest employees and friends were Jewish. 'It's not anti-Semitic because I'm not a racist person. When questioned further about the lyrics on the ABC News program Prime Time Live, Jackson stated: I am angry and outraged that I could be so misinterpreted.' It is about the injustices to young people and how the system can wrongfully accuse them. I am the skinhead, I am the Jew, I am the black man, I am the white man.

I am the voice of the accused and the attacked. The song in fact is about the pain of prejudice and hate and is a way to draw attention to social and political problems. 'The idea that these lyrics could be deemed objectionable is extremely hurtful to me, and misleading. The publication highlighted the lyrics, 'Jew me, sue me, everybody do me/ Kick me, kike me, don't you black or white me.'Jackson responded directly to the publication, stating:

On June 15, 1995, a day before the release of HIStory, The New York Times reported that 'They Don't Care About Us' contained racist and anti-Semitic content. In between the chorus lines, one child chants, 'Don't worry what people say, we know the truth', after which another child says, 'Enough is enough of this garbage!' The song begins with a group of children singing the chorus, 'All I wanna say is that they don't really care about us'. He countered allegations of antisemitism, arguing that reviews had misinterpreted the context of the song, either unintentionally or deliberately.

In the US, media scrutiny surrounding allegations of antisemitic lyrics were the catalyst for Jackson issuing multiple clarifications, an apology, defense from director Spike Lee and re-releasing the song with a new vocal featuring altered lyrics. 'They Don't Care About Us' is a protest song and remains one of the most controversial pieces Jackson ever composed. Ap5th single from HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I

They dont care about us michael jackson