Jussie Smollet Tried To Move On Up By Playing The Race Card.
Jussie “Empire” Smollett allegedly staged a faked race attack upon himself and blamed white supporters of Trump. The reaction from America’s usual band of left and right wing media warriors was predictable. Left wing and LGBTQ advocates were rightly outraged when they first heard Smollet’s appalling tale and are now hanging their heads in stunned horror at the scale of his colossal arrogance and stunning immunity (possibly sociopathic) to basic human decency.
We’re all asking why, why, why? What possessed someone who was a walking, talking, poster-child for the post-Obama college educated African American urbanite to behave so stupidly, so cravenly? Could this only be about money? Is he truly that venal?
Annoyingly Young, Ridiculously Gifted, and Unapologetically Openly Gay at a time and working in a place when all of these attributes are a handsome positive. Smollett possessed advantages beyond the ken and reach of most white Americans, let alone the disadvantaged, dangerously-at-risk gay African-Americans whose stunned collective eyes he has just spat in. As a leading member of the TV show Empire, Smollet worked in what can only be described as an African-American creative garden of Eden and could not have asked for a more luxurious, secure environment in which to flourish.
On Empire Smollett worked for Lee Daniels, a creative African-American powerhouse who is dedicated to populating black-centric stories with a diverse urban cast. The production team and crews heavily feature African-Americans talent. The cast features award winning African American talent. Smollett was a regular on prime time African-American shows that praised his talent and enabled him to express his thoughts and personality in the safest of environments. Smollet was given every opportunity to succeed. He was marketed as an aspirational, all-too-achievable symbol of modern African-American success. He was a prime example of what any gifted young African-American could achieve once they were provided with an equal playing field and, crucially, no bigoted, bullying white overseer could bellow over their trembling shoulder, “Stop! You shall advance no further!”
And yet… for some reason… (as yet unknown)... when Young, Gifted and Black Jussie Smollet came to a moment of crisis in his life – and the nature of that crisis is currently unknown – he decided to resolve it by playing the race card.. This successful, affluent, insanely well off young man, decided the best way to further his career was to portray himself as a hapless, powerless victim of racism.
It’s truly mind-blowing.
How does Smollet emerge half-intact from this? Will his lawyers try and spin Smollett’s actions into some kind of daring poetical contrivance to advance the LGBTQ cause? Possibly. Will Empire seek to build its ratings by casting Jussie’s nigh saintly character as an out-an-out villain who stabs everyone who loves him in the back?
I haven’t watched Empire in years and don’t intend to, so there’s no personal loss on my part there. I do worry about Smollett’s mental health and hope this doesn’t end badly.
Intellectually, I can ponder over Smollet’s current woes. Emotionally, I’m not that engaged. Increasingly, I find the weekly madness flying out of the US increasingly tedious. America no longer seems capable of providing any wisdom or enlightenment on any social issue that concerns me. On the issue of race, the US, a nation once revered for its civil rights’ struggles, now appears to have little moral leadership to offer any over country that is also struggling with this issue.