Jussie Smollett, MAGA, And The Political Implications For 2020
We were all outraged when news broke that actor, Jussie Smollett, was allegedly the victim of a racist and homophobic attack. It has been over two weeks since this incident occurred. We have witnessed so many twists and turns, bringing us from the alleged assailants being “two MAGA-hat-wearing white men” to now two Nigerian brothers.
All roads seem to lead to this being some type of hoax, an elaborate story that purports Smollett staged his own attack. If true, he’ll need the assistance of Olivia Pope the character and the real Olivia Pope, Judy Smith, to do damage control.
This attack felt ripped straight from an “Empire” storyline where a member of the Lyons family was involved in yet another criminally induced incident. Only, in this case, it’s real life.
Our beloved Jamal Lyons (Smollett) was hurt and the outpouring of support for him has been overwhelming. Up until this point, Smollett was highly respected in the entertainment industry and characterized as a “decent, gentle, and nice human being.”
The significance of it all is that not only was this incident initially identified as a hate crime, it also polarized our current political climate. The assailants were allegedly MAGA supporters and that further fueled the ongoing battle of Democrats vs. Republicans.
Besides public opinion being given by many on social media, political figures including Senator Kamala Harris, Senator Corey Booker, Rep. Maxine Waters, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, and a slew of others have also weighed in, some calling the alleged incident a “modern-day lynching.” Even Trump initially said what happened to Smollett “horrible.”
However, as the days have turned into weeks, the outcome isn’t looking too good. I have been asking myself so many questions.
Can this work in Trump’s favor to be re-elected in 2020? Could Jussie Smollett be the reason for Trump 2020?
This could be a possibility for the broad brush that was stroked by the media of MAGA supporters; villainizing them without due process and characterizing all MAGA supporters as white does not help the Democrats’ platform and solidifies the thinking of MAGA supporters that the media is “fake news.”
I have consistently told people that there are many Latino, Asian, and BLACK MAGA supporters but we will never know because that narrative is not being told.
Quite frankly, in the past couple of months, this is the third occurrence (remember Kavanaugh and Covington Catholic?) where the media may be on the road to losing total credibility with MAGA supporters on matters that should be taken seriously. Like, can anyone say Russia? Or collusion?
If Trump wins in 2020, there will be many assumptions and reasons as to how he won, but for me, I will look at this incident, The Smollett Effect, as being another turning point.
Danielle Henry is a social impact enthusiast who believes that CHANGE is possible. You can read her articles here and follow her on Instagram.
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I didn’t know this story but great read.
I think this is really disturning, not this article, but the idea that Smollet would take an obvious issue that is currently plaguing America and try to “bring light” in such a negative way. I’m sure his intentions were good, but all of this backlash is only going to make the election worse. It has opened the door to so many more closeted, and open racists, that we (Black America) are so desperate to prove that racism exists that we would go so far as to make up false claims or invent crazy stories.
I love the fact that you posted this, because this entire incident is going to lead a lot of closeted, or openly known racists, to question us because they already believe that Black America is so intent on proving that racism exists in 2019. It makes me really sad, because I’m sure this incident had a good intention behind it, but the way in which Smollett executed this was allllll wrong. I know he maintains his innocence, but it is a huge disappointment and setback for all of the progress we are currently trying to make. The 2020 election is definitely going to be an intense one.
I am trying to wrap my head around the “why”. I feel like I have to wait on his statements to really give him a fair judgement. That was a really dumb decision that really affected people who loved and cared about him. I await to hear his side of things.
Great read!! I really love your perspective. I didn’t realize that this incident would have something to do with the elections possibly. I am wondering is he apart of the greater spectrum of issues involving the media and black entertainment?