Michael McCaffrey
RT
Jussie Smollett story is a microcosm of what is wrong with America and the mainstream media.
On Thursday, US actor Jussie Smollett was arrested in Chicago after being charged with filing a false police report.
Smollett, a gay African-American actor who stars on the hit TV show Empire, claimed that on January 29 he was the victim of a hate crime when two white men hurled racist and homophobic slurs at him, punched, kicked and poured bleach over him, and then put a noose around his neck while taunting him by proclaiming "this is MAGA (Make America Great Again) country."
Smollett's story was dubious to some because the idea of two Trumpites out at 2am in progressive Chicago hunting gay black men with a noose and bleach in minus 20 degree weather seemed far-fetched, as does the idea that they would be pop-culturally aware enough to have watched Empire and recognize a marginal celebrity like Smollett in the first place.
In the wake of Smollett's unusual claims, the media uncritically accepted his story and numerous celebrities such as Emma Watson, Katy Perry, Olivia Munn, and Ariana Grande tweeted vociferous support. Actress Ellen Page gave a heartfelt speech on The Late Show with Colbert laying the blame for Smollett's attack at the feet of "homophobic" Vice President Mike Pence.
Democratic presidential hopefuls chimed as well, with Kamala Harris and Cory Booker both calling the attack a "modern-day lynching," and a cavalcade of other politicians who tweeted their unquestioning support for Jussie and devout belief in his story.
The problem with all of the belief in Smollett is that, like Ms. Page's impassioned Late Show rant, it was entirely based on emotion and not reason.
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