Jussie Smollett attacked with bleach and noose

[BridgeConsoleMasher]

The saddest part is, this should be a moment of celebration for those that claim to oppose racism and bigotry. There is a little less racism in the world than we though there was. But that's not the case. People are disappointed that a black man wasn't beaten in the streets of Chicago. Because it's not about reducing or stopping bigotry, it's about maintaining the narrative.

Are social media liberals even talking about it much?

[Darth Wedgius]

The saddest part is, this should be a moment of celebration for those that claim to oppose racism and bigotry. There is a little less racism in the world than we though there was. But that's not the case. People are disappointed that a black man wasn't beaten in the streets of Chicago. Because it's not about reducing or stopping bigotry, it's about maintaining the narrative.

How would you feel if you saw yourself as Luke Skywalker, your friends as the Rebel Alliance, and then you found out that the Empire was just some kids with poor school attendance records?

[BridgeConsoleMasher]

Better question is, how would anybody feel after that?

[Antiboyscout]

The saddest part is, this should be a moment of celebration for those that claim to oppose racism and bigotry. There is a little less racism in the world than we though there was. But that's not the case. People are disappointed that a black man wasn't beaten in the streets of Chicago. Because it's not about reducing or stopping bigotry, it's about maintaining the narrative.

Are social media liberals even talking about it much?

Just before the sentencing, they were mostly worried that it was fake and mostly complaining that "magahats" would use it against them.

The silence now is noticeable.

[Antiboyscout]

The saddest part is, this should be a moment of celebration for those that claim to oppose racism and bigotry. There is a little less racism in the world than we though there was. But that's not the case. People are disappointed that a black man wasn't beaten in the streets of Chicago. Because it's not about reducing or stopping bigotry, it's about maintaining the narrative.

How would you feel if you saw yourself as Luke Skywalker, your friends as the Rebel Alliance, and then you found out that the Empire was just some kids with poor school attendance records?

Was the destruction of Alderaan faked? If so, I would feel used.

[Fuzzy Necromancer]

Honestly I'm shocked and confused. I have trouble imagining why somebody would go to this length just to...somehow boost his income on a TV show? What was the thought process? What kind of mind do you need to have to fake your own assault because you think your six-figure salary on a well-watched and beloved show isn't high enough, and to see a faked attack as the most practical and effective way of remedying that? o.0

[BridgeConsoleMasher]

The saddest part is, this should be a moment of celebration for those that claim to oppose racism and bigotry. There is a little less racism in the world than we though there was. But that's not the case. People are disappointed that a black man wasn't beaten in the streets of Chicago. Because it's not about reducing or stopping bigotry, it's about maintaining the narrative.

Are social media liberals even talking about it much?

Just before the sentencing, they were mostly worried that it was fake and mostly complaining that "magahats" would use it against them.

The silence now is noticeable.

Oh yeah, that kind of concern about the other side tends to bother me.

Honestly I'm shocked and confused. I have trouble imagining why somebody would go to this length just to...somehow boost his income on a TV show? What was the thought process? What kind of mind do you need to have to fake your own assault because you think your six-figure salary on a well-watched and beloved show isn't high enough, and to see a faked attack as the most practical and effective way of remedying that? o.0

Yeah this is what I've mostly been wondering. Everything about what we know seems scattered and doesn't really come together for me.

[Darth Wedgius]

The saddest part is, this should be a moment of celebration for those that claim to oppose racism and bigotry. There is a little less racism in the world than we though there was. But that's not the case. People are disappointed that a black man wasn't beaten in the streets of Chicago. Because it's not about reducing or stopping bigotry, it's about maintaining the narrative.

How would you feel if you saw yourself as Luke Skywalker, your friends as the Rebel Alliance, and then you found out that the Empire was just some kids with poor school attendance records?

Was the destruction of Alderaan faked? If so, I would feel used.

Yeah, understandable. But some Rebels would just double down, because their heroic self-image was just that important.

[Darth Wedgius]

Honestly I'm shocked and confused. I have trouble imagining why somebody would go to this length just to...somehow boost his income on a TV show? What was the thought process? What kind of mind do you need to have to fake your own assault because you think your six-figure salary on a well-watched and beloved show isn't high enough, and to see a faked attack as the most practical and effective way of remedying that? o.0

FWiW, as fishy as it sounded to me, when the story first broke I believed Smollett too. It sounded fishy enough that I didn't want to react to it until more info came in, but on the whole I believed it. It's easier to believe racist homophobes would do something irrational (after all, what kind of racist or homophobe are you if you balk at irrationality?) than a successful actor.

[Admiral X]

The saddest part is, this should be a moment of celebration for those that claim to oppose racism and bigotry. There is a little less racism in the world than we though there was. But that's not the case. People are disappointed that a black man wasn't beaten in the streets of Chicago. Because it's not about reducing or stopping bigotry, it's about maintaining the narrative.

Because it's never really been about that. It's about feeling righteous indignation over some social wrong and raging against the machine. This is why I wonder if they honestly believed that the police wouldn't investigate this incident because they've convinced themselves the police are all racist and wouldn't bother. It certainly seems to be the case that they've convinced themselves that the President is literally Hitler and the the US is fascist, so, yeah, imagine their disappointment when that turns out to not be the case - the MAGA-hat wearing boogeymen are not waiting to jump out from every corner to commit hate crimes.

Honestly I'm shocked and confused. I have trouble imagining why somebody would go to this length just to...somehow boost his income on a TV show? What was the thought process? What kind of mind do you need to have to fake your own assault because you think your six-figure salary on a well-watched and beloved show isn't high enough, and to see a faked attack as the most practical and effective way of remedying that? o.0

Given the special attention victims tend to get in current year, it's really not hard to see the reasons why he and others have faked hate crimes. Sad thing is, the more this happens, the more skeptical people are going to be whenever a new incident happens.

FWiW, as fishy as it sounded to me, when the story first broke I believed Smollett too. It sounded fishy enough that I didn't want to react to it until more info came in, but on the whole I believed it. It's easier to believe racist homophobes would do something irrational (after all, what kind of racist or homophobe are you if you balk at irrationality?) than a successful actor.

For me, the "this is MAGA country" part was the step too far. That is only the kind of thing someone who imagines all MAGA supporters are nothing but a bunch of racist white men thinks they would say. Being Native, I've met my fair share of racists, and they generally tend to stick to slurs. I mean, it's always possible some Richard Spencer moron actually would say something like that, which is why I reserved judgement, but it was a hint in that direction. Liberals don't seem to be able to get into the heads of conservatives as the other way around, so something like this was kind of a red flag for me. And given how cold it was at the time, those would have to be some pretty dedicated racist homophobes.