horrifying attack on Jussie Smollett

[theprestige]

It occurs to me that, no matter what the situation is, my snark and ill-informed musings can't help the situation. No matter what happened and where the blame lies, sympathy and empathy for Mr. Smollett is the best that I can offer.

That's fair. Thanks for helping me think about being a better person.

 

[The Big Dog]

Do we know if he reported the attack to building security?
It doesn't seem like he did.

we know he did not. The CPD has the video from inside the lobby.

He breezed right past them, as one does when there are MAGA country hooligans with a deep knowledge of Empire the tv show stomping the **** out of homosexuals on their front stoop.

 

[MikeG]

Constantly. But the critical thinking skeptic part of my brain is beating the crap out of the other part of my brain. It's all because of what has been reported.

But have you applied that critical thinking in reverse? Have you looked at how much this guy has to lose through being caught up in a fraud, and how little he has to gain (like nothing at all)? Critical thinking doesn't turn puzzlement at incomplete second hand info into a conspiracy theory. There isn't any way to claim that that is critical thinking.

 

[LTC8K6]

We can't narrow down the time of the attack.

We have no description of the attackers.

We have video of a couple of people walking on the other side of the street, that seems to eliminate the attack occurring during the time period of the video, and puts it sometime before then.

We seem to have an exact time of the attack, according to the manager, since a phone call was going on at the time, but we don't know when that was. The police have not reported what that time was, if they know it.

 

[William Parcher]

But have you applied that critical thinking in reverse? Have you looked at how much this guy has to lose through being caught up in a fraud, and how little he has to gain (like nothing at all)? Critical thinking doesn't turn puzzlement at incomplete second hand info into a conspiracy theory. There isn't any way to claim that that is critical thinking.

Constantly. And that is why I proposed the idea that the story was never meant to go further than the other guy in the condo.

 

[MikeG]

We can't narrow down the time of the attack.

We have no description of the attackers.

We have video of a couple of people walking on the other side of the street, that seems to eliminate the attack occurring during the time period of the video, and puts it sometime before then.

We seem to have an exact time of the attack, according to the manager, since a phone call was going on at the time, but we don't know when that was. The police have not reported what that time was, if they know it.

Actually, it's none of our business. There are professional evidence gatherers doing their job who can choose to release some or all of this information, or none of it. None of which allows us to make up conspiracy theories in the place of evidence.

 

[LTC8K6]

I presume we know when Smollett was at the Subway sub shop as a time period boundary?

He has to have been attacked after that point, but before the "two people" video begins, I think.

Once that video begins, there is good coverage of what happened, and we don't see any sign of an attack or encounter.

 

[LTC8K6]

Actually, it's none of our business. There are professional evidence gatherers doing their job who can choose to release some or all of this information, or none of it. None of which allows us to make up conspiracy theories in the place of evidence.

Well, right now at this board, we are all discussing what might have happened, using what evidence we have been given.

If we stayed out of other people's business, we'd have little to talk about, particularly in this board area.

 

[William Parcher]

We have no description of the attackers.

Smollett may have given descriptions to the cops that went beyond ski masks and gloves. He may have described clothing. I noticed that the guys in the video stills seem to be dressed only generically and with dark colors - this is because we can't see detail. But the one guy has very light colored pants and they might be white pants.

A simple description coming from Smollett might be, "clothes were all dark, except the one guy had on white pants". That there might seal it for the police that the guys on video are the attackers.

 

[baron]

Actually, it's none of our business. There are professional evidence gatherers doing their job who can choose to release some or all of this information, or none of it. None of which allows us to make up conspiracy theories in the place of evidence.

As so it has been decreed my MikeG. Shut down the site immediately, nobody is 'allowed' to speculate, only state facts.

 

[LTC8K6]

Smollett may have given descriptions to the cops that went beyond ski masks and gloves. He may have described clothing. I noticed that the guys in the video stills seem to be dressed only generically and with dark colors - this is because we can't see detail. But the one guy has very light colored pants and they might be white pants.

A simple description coming from Smollett might be, "clothes were all dark, except the one guy had on white pants". That there might seal it for the police that the guys on video are the attackers.

The police have already indicated that the people on video are not the attackers, though. Smollett was only out of frame for ~60 seconds, and no encounter is captured on the video. The two people do not appear to interact with Smollett.

 

[MikeG]

Well, right now at this board, we are all discussing what might have happened, using what evidence we have been given.

Do you see anyone discussing the possibility that the victim here is just teling the truth? Why does your "might have happened" not include that?

If we stayed out of other people's business, we'd have little to talk about, particularly in this board area.

That's a slight misunderstanding of what I was saying, but that's my fault. I should have been clearer. It's perfectly all right for us to discuss other people's business, of course. What I meant was that it isn't our business to expect to have the evidence/ information you listed.

 

[dudalb]

If it was not for the "MAGA" country bit, there would be no controversy.
You have a bunch of right wing ideologuts who don't want to admit one of their own could do something like this. That is it in a nutshell.

 

[dudalb]

More and more I am coming to realize that some so called skeptical thinkers here are sailing under false colors.

 

[baron]

If it was not for the "MAGA" country bit, there would be no controversy.

Apart from the other two dozen anomalies exhaustively discussed, you're right.

 

[sir drinks-a-lot]

Do you see anyone discussing the possibility that the victim here is just teling the truth? Why does your "might have happened" not include that?

I think it's possible, but as time goes on it is looking less likely to me.
Have you considered the possibility that the victim is not telling the truth?

 

[theprestige]

Do you see anyone discussing the possibility that the victim here is just teling the truth?

The OP explicitly assumes that Smollett's story is true. Much of the thread is about examining the OP assumption in light of the available evidence.

Are you going to take Travis to task for assuming facts not in evidence? Or are you just going after anyone who dares to dispute his narrative?

 

[dudalb]

But have you applied that critical thinking in reverse? Have you looked at how much this guy has to lose through being caught up in a fraud, and how little he has to gain (like nothing at all)? Critical thinking doesn't turn puzzlement at incomplete second hand info into a conspiracy theory. There isn't any way to claim that that is critical thinking.

It's peddling a conspiracy theory under the guise of critical thinking.

And why do I think a lot of "this was fake" talking points are coming off of right wing websites?

 

[MikeG]

I think it's possible, but as time goes on it is looking less likely to me.
Have you considered the possibility that the victim is not telling the truth?

Yes, but there's scant reason to think that, given, as I've repeatedly said, that he has a lot to lose and nothing to gain from being caught in a fraud, wasting police time etc.

 

[LTC8K6]

Do you see anyone discussing the possibility that the victim here is just teling the truth? Why does your "might have happened" not include that?



That's a slight misunderstanding of what I was saying, but that's my fault. I should have been clearer. It's perfectly all right for us to discuss other people's business, of course. What I meant was that it isn't our business to expect to have the evidence/ information you listed.

This is a skeptic board. Expect skepticism of extraordinary events here, not blind acceptance.

I'm under no obligation to believe any story I hear.

The police will probably eventually be able to piece together Smollett's trip from the Subway to home, as security cams are abundant in the area.

Hopefully that will provide evidence of what happened to Smollett on that walk.