This will be my second missive about the Jessie Smollet case. Before I climb up on my soapbox let just say the mother in me feels nothing but sorrow and compassion for Mr. Smollett. He seems to be, at best, a lost man grasping at fame and riches deserved or not. The reason I am writing again is the outpouring of support and justification for this man. Words and phrases like he is the Mohammed Ali of the Gay pride movement, he is the gay Tupac.
Really?!! I must wonder about the people saying these things. Do they know the history of these two men, do they know the history of the Gay pride movement aside from T-shirts and memes. Somehow I don’t think so. There was a time in our not too distant past when homosexuals were routinely arrested and brutalized by the legal system. The violent arrest of people in the Stonewall Inn arguably sparked the gay pride movement and resulted in the first gay pride parade less than a year later. Twenty years later, the death of Matthew Shepard and the advocacy of his mother brought about legislative changes and awareness to the crimes against the LBGT community. Thirty years later, a young man, allegedly dissatisfied with his salary options and lack of career progression decided instead of hard work or arbitration. He decided the path to success was victimization.
Using the divisiveness of our present social climate, cue manga hat, light bruising, and sorta plausible story…We have ladies and gentleman the outrage of the moment. Mr. Smollet hired two men to rough him up. But when both men were put in a jail cell they confessed to the plot. Mr. Smollett turned himself in earlier this week. Apart from the arrest. Smollett is charged with disorderly conduct and possibly conspiracy. One must look at the climate that this is happening in. First off how many politicians attached their name to this alleged attack. Were they genuinely concerned and outraged? Or seeking to parlay the latest outrage into more facetime, money, and votes.
History tells us politician public outrage is purposeful. The gay Mohamed Ali…a man who rejected deploying to what he believed to be an unjust war. He was stripped of his title and faced a five-year jail term. Tupac Shakur was the son of black panthers, a poet, and graduate of Baltimore School of the arts. He revolutionized the rap industry with both his gritty raps and political commentary. To EVEN compare Smollet’s actions or use these two men’s names as justification for his actions is disingenuous and speaks to a lack of knowledge of history.
I am sorry but it also speaks to a lack of moral compass. The fact that had this plot not unraveled two innocent men could have been arrested and prosecuted. In a world of divisiveness. In a world of outrage of the moment. I urge everyone to pause. I urge everyone to look at the facts and not dismiss said facts. A hat does not make you a racist. Being black does not make you a criminal. I am calling for a return to personal responsibility. I am saying what are we as people doing that made this young man think that being a victim was a career path.
Pick your heroes folks, don’t let the media do it…
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