JUSSIE SMOLLETT

A lot is being said about Smollett, a handsome and mostly obscure actor who is supposed to have staged a fake hate crime attack on himself. The sympathy turned into incredulity once the hoax was laid bare by the Chicago police. 

Actually this faux-Dreyfus affair cannot be relegated to some Page Six sordid tabloid category. It says a lot about the mood in 2019 America. The incident uncovered the paranoia of some and the sickening glee of others. The story in itself has no real heroes or villains, but for a mediocre actor and clueless acolytes. The socio/political minefield deserves a more sophisticated scrutiny. In the current polarized climate, individuals start to enact upon their own "fabrications". They end up losing ownership once the "news" gets out. The liberal side in this case is left with a hangover, while the right goes into overdrive, spreading Fox News-types of aberrations.

Today, the subtitle steals the story. All elements are manipulated to marginalize the real problems. This technique is also applied to the Michael Cohen hearings wherein the original sins from Trump get a free-pass from the Republicans, who prefer to kill the (flawed) messenger rather than having to endure the real news he might bring. In Trump and God they trust.  Get ready for more...it is just the beginning!

Unfortunately, the structural damage in America has free reign. The inequalities grow, the foreign policy mistakes multiply and this administration dumps acid rain on all that stands in the way of its well planned takeover. Poor pathetic Jussie Smollett is actually not unlike Michael Cohen. Both were gullible and overestimated their cleverness. Both are now confronted with a mess, which they co-own. 

Elijah Cummings, chairman of the House Oversight Committee, who presided over the Michael Cohen hearings shows that there still remains moral class and decency even in these present dark ages. The Republican attack dog, Jim Jordan, should apply for a Gestapo part in Inglorious Bastards Part II.