horrifying attack on Jussie Smollett

[RecoveringYuppy]

Not too familiar with Wahlberg, he cleaned up didn't he?

I don't think Smollett has done anything, yet, that should earn him lifetime pariah status IMO. If he were to get on the right track now, serve his time, pay his fines I'd have no problem with people working with him in the future or watching him in a film.

His current defense, denial, and subsequent lack of remorse aren't on the right track yet though.

 

[Doghouse Reilly]

You are wrong.

The active cesspool that is Hollywood along with the general public love to forgive their manufactured heroes no matter how horrible their crimes or actions. Here are just a few that come to mind:
Meryl Streep, Whoopi Goldberg and dozens of others defending child rapist Roman Polanski. Special Oscar and standing ovation from the majority of A-listers in the crowd. Millions watch his movies around the world.
Racist, wife/girlfriend beating, misogynist, gay hating Mel Gibson.
Racist violent Mark Wahlberg who taunted and assaulted some black children and after that arrest - nearly beat a Vietnamese man to death for being Vietnamese.
Lots more but I think you get the picture...

I don't think Smollett will be forgiven in the same way. He's a pariah now, and forevermore, because the nature of his offense was such that it is being perceived as hurting every victim or potential victim of a hate crime for purely selfish gain. Not only that, but he additionally won't admit to the offense, or at least hasn't yet, and, perhaps most importantly, he treated everyone like a fool by trying to dupe them. People don't take kindly to being treated like fools, and are more likely to forgive someone who's committed violence than they are to forgive someone who showed by his actions that he thinks they are stupid and not worthy of respect.

 

[mgidm86]

There's little info on whether MDMA is addictive, but it's effect list is very interesting.

https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/mdma-ecstasymolly

I don't see faking hate crimes on the list, or any effect that would cause one to.

How so?

 

[rockinkt]

Wahlberg was 15 and 17 and in a gang when those two attacks occurred.However, he was 21 when he fractured his neighbor's jaw for no apparent reason.

I hope you aren't suggesting that chasing children and throwing rocks while screaming racial epithets and threatening to kill them, and then beating a man almost to death, are things we all did when we were that age?

 

[rockinkt]

I don't think Smollett will be forgiven in the same way. He's a pariah now, and forevermore, because the nature of his offense was such that it is being perceived as hurting every victim or potential victim of a hate crime for purely selfish gain. Not only that, but he additionally won't admit to the offense, or at least hasn't yet, and, perhaps most importantly, he treated everyone like a fool by trying to dupe them. People don't take kindly to being treated like fools, and are more likely to forgive someone who's committed violence than they are to forgive someone who showed by his actions that he thinks they are stupid and not worthy of respect.

'Cause we never forgive politicians who do that to us on a near daily basis.

 

[RecoveringYuppy]

I hope you aren't suggesting that chasing children and throwing rocks while screaming racial epithets and threatening to kill them, and then beating a man almost to death, are things we all did when we were that age?

I'd be pretty sure he's not suggesting that.

Speaking for myself, If I had said those words my intent would be to point out that he could have grown up and become a better person. Now that he's in his forties is there any reason to think he hasn't?

 

[LTC8K6]

I hope you aren't suggesting that chasing children and throwing rocks while screaming racial epithets and threatening to kill them, and then beating a man almost to death, are things we all did when we were that age?

I would hope that being a gang member was the critical factor.

He was 15 when he chased the black kids.

He's 47 now.

As far as I know, he's gone about 26 years without any trouble. The last incident being when he was 21.

Is there any time limit where your behavior as a young person is no longer held against you? These days it seems like the answer is often no.

 

[LTC8K6]

I don't see faking hate crimes on the list, or any effect that would cause one to.

How so?

I just didn't know it had such effects.

Supposedly Jussie used Molly, which is apparently dangerous to buy on the street because just about anything might be in the powder.

 

[RecoveringYuppy]

I just didn't know it had such effects.

You haven't said what effects you're referring to.

 

[Foolmewunz]

Nothing like blaming ecstasy for your racial grifting

Lead from behind, amiright?

 

[LTC8K6]

You haven't said what effects you're referring to.

The effects listed at the link I posted?

 

[rockinkt]

I would hope that being a gang member was the critical factor.

He was 15 when he chased the black kids.

He's 47 now.

As far as I know, he's gone about 26 years without any trouble. The last incident being when he was 21.

Is there any time limit where your behavior as a young person is no longer held against you? These days it seems like the answer is often no.

Incident? The "incident" when he was 21 was "without provocation or cause" (as per court records), viciously and repeatedly kicking a man named Robert D. Crehan in the face and jaw while another man named Derek McCall held Crehan down on the ground.
Also - please do not forget that Wahlberg was scheduled to make a bunch of PSAs about hate-crimes in 1993 but those had to be cancelled after he assaulted a gay record executive in Hollywood after making disparaging remarks about homosexuals.

At least four vicious, violent actions - three being hate crimes by today's standards - tells me that these were not situational accidents or being in the wrong place with the wrong people.

A couple of years ago - after he became very rich and famous and supposedly grew up (in his mid forties) he applied for a pardon. Not so he could move on with his life - but because under California law he could be denied a concessionaire's license and he wanted to open one of his restaurants.
The fact that he refused to admit race was his motivation for his criminal convictions and refused to apologize for his racist beliefs as part of his pardon application is reason enough for me to not forgive him. The fact that he also made no effort to apologize or reach out to anyone to make up for his egregious actions until he wanted his pardon is also very telling.

 

[Leftus]

I don't think Smollett will be forgiven in the same way. He's a pariah now, and forevermore, because the nature of his offense was such that it is being perceived as hurting every victim or potential victim of a hate crime for purely selfish gain. Not only that, but he additionally won't admit to the offense, or at least hasn't yet, and, perhaps most importantly, he treated everyone like a fool by trying to dupe them. People don't take kindly to being treated like fools, and are more likely to forgive someone who's committed violence than they are to forgive someone who showed by his actions that he thinks they are stupid and not worthy of respect.

Most of any of his future redemption will be based on how he takes ownership of his actions. So long as he denies that he had any part of this, he is mostly done. Own it, apologize for it and in a few years it will stop being an issue. Can't forgive someone for an action they aren't asking to be forgiven for.

Also, if you are going to fake an attack, take one for the team, let them crack a rib, blacken an eye, anything more than a small scratch. Get something that requires stitches. But I guess that wouldn't fit with his "I fought back" line.

Not saying it can't be done, but the general public does like redemption stories and famous for second, third or fourth chances. Also, I'm not sure how high profile he was before this. Empire is not something I've watched so I have no idea on how popular or talented he is. His Wikipedia page seems to suggest that he is popular enough that someone is going to give him a second chance if he can clear himself of the controversy. Not the crime, but the controversy.

 

[alfaniner]

Also, if you are going to fake an attack, take one for the team, let them crack a rib, blacken an eye, anything more than a small scratch. Get something that requires stitches. But I guess that wouldn't fit with his "I fought back" line.

That was another suspicious data point in the story provided. Have you seen pictures of those guys?

 

[Stout]

Just for fun...

How Jussie Smolette Rehearse his "Attack"

 

[LTC8K6]

Incident? The "incident" when he was 21 was "without provocation or cause" (as per court records), viciously and repeatedly kicking a man named Robert D. Crehan in the face and jaw while another man named Derek McCall held Crehan down on the ground.
Also - please do not forget that Wahlberg was scheduled to make a bunch of PSAs about hate-crimes in 1993 but those had to be cancelled after he assaulted a gay record executive in Hollywood after making disparaging remarks about homosexuals.

At least four vicious, violent actions - three being hate crimes by today's standards - tells me that these were not situational accidents or being in the wrong place with the wrong people.

A couple of years ago - after he became very rich and famous and supposedly grew up (in his mid forties) he applied for a pardon. Not so he could move on with his life - but because under California law he could be denied a concessionaire's license and he wanted to open one of his restaurants.
The fact that he refused to admit race was his motivation for his criminal convictions and refused to apologize for his racist beliefs as part of his pardon application is reason enough for me to not forgive him. The fact that he also made no effort to apologize or reach out to anyone to make up for his egregious actions until he wanted his pardon is also very telling.

Well then Smollett would seem to be small potatoes.

Wahlberg is not really a good example, though.

Incidents like this one are the ones I meant.

http://gettysburgian.com/2019/02/ga...oto-of-him-in-nazi-uniform-found-in-yearbook/

 

[Leftus]

That was another suspicious data point in the story provided. Have you seen pictures of those guys?

Well, I suspect he imagined they would never get caught. I mean, they took an Uber to a cab to the scene of the crime. Who could possible trace that.

 

[theprestige]

I think Wahlberg is a bad comparison for several reasons, but at least his story provides a path forward for Smollett.

If Jussie Smollett admits what he did, apologizes for it, and spends the next twenty years making a reputation as a working actor who stays out of trouble and does his job, I'll consider him every bit as redeemed as Mark Wahlberg.

Michael Vick and Mark Wahlberg have been through a redemptive process. You might not think their process was valid. You might not think that the process earned the amount of public support that they now enjoy. But Jussie Smollett is still denying that he's done anything that needs redemption. Let him admit his crime and do his time. Then we can see if he's being treated worse than Michael Vick.

 

[qayak]

I think Wahlberg is a bad comparison for several reasons, but at least his story provides a path forward for Smollett.

If Jussie Smollett admits what he did, apologizes for it, and spends the next twenty years making a reputation as a working actor who stays out of trouble and does his job, I'll consider him every bit as redeemed as Mark Wahlberg.

Michael Vick and Mark Wahlberg have been through a redemptive process. You might not think their process was valid. You might not think that the process earned the amount of public support that they now enjoy. But Jussie Smollett is still denying that he's done anything that needs redemption. Let him admit his crime and do his time. Then we can see if he's being treated worse than Michael Vick.

I disagree. Wahlberg's transgressions came years before he made it and at a time when no one cared about the past lives of actors. There was never a need to redeem himself and so he hasn't.

Wahlberg's victims are nameless and faceless so it's much harder to get a reaction to what he did. Smollett got what he intended, which was for his actions to be front and centre in the news, which makes people's reactions very visceral. The further removed from people's lives events take place, the less people care.

 

[Whip]

Well, I suspect he imagined they would never get caught. I mean, they took an Uber to a cab to the scene of the crime. Who could possible trace that.

the real issue is that if the story was taken at face value, 2 potentially innocent people could have been sitting in jail now and he'd be going about his life receiving accolades.