It breaks my heart to be at odds with so many of the thought leaders in my community. Although no one has came for me particularly; I can tell by their social media posts that they have little tolerance for Jussie's early skeptics and even less for people frustrated by what this could mean for liberal movements going forward.
There are ways to express compassion for Smollett while still holding him accountable. Surely, he deserves both. What conflict must exist within a man to be involved in such a tangled web of deceit and confusion? It shouldn't be about victimizing or vilifying Jussie. Instead we should focus on not allowing our biases to blind us to fact; since ironically, that crime really is committed by Trump supporters on a near daily basis! We must always be better. In any struggle the advantage goes to those on higher ground; morality non-excluded.
Will anything less than a self-incriminating confession sway the most ardent follower? The fact that this question can be asked of both Jussie and Trump supporters creates an equivalency that we should be weary of in this era of "alternative facts". Efforts by my fellow liberal activist to excuse or minimize a possible publicity stunt turned felony could be replaced with a dialogue around the pervasive homophobia within the black community; because that's obviously a real thing (i.e. Kevin Hart, Jess Hillarious, City Girls, Etc.) Not that any of those people should be vilified either.
Similarly they should reconsider demonizing and dismissing early skeptics that prove that the entirety of progressive America wasn't hoodwinked. We don't all have to go down with the ship; that's not what true loyalty to the cause looks like. What say you?
