Furthermore:
If this (most likely fake) fake hate crime had occurred in a vacuum, you might have more of a point, but the power of the hoax ONLY comes from ACTUAL hate crimes that have occurred in the last two years -- A spike followed Trump's election.
What Right-wingers are also trying to cover up with their overreaction to the Smollett story is that they tend to call "hoax" a lot, especially when it "reflects badly" on them, so to speak. Claiming Antifa was riling up the poor beleaguered White Nationalists, or that the pipe bomber was a Liberal conspiracy, or even things like the Caravan being a Soros-funded Left-wing conspiracy.
Or that these type of hoaxes mainly originate from liberals and are then spread by a media and others that are more interested in virtue signalling than they are in straight reporting of the news.
Remember the Duke lacross team or the UVA phony rape scandal? These stories seemed as tailor made to the narrative of men, especially White men oppressing women and or minorities as the Jussie Smollett case, and the media ran with them as well.
Granted that there are cases of real hate-crimes out there but there are also a hell of of a lot of hoaxes too. And even though I don't think you would, I include the Kavanaugh allegations. Accusations with no corroborating evidence. After all Dr. Ford had no motivation to make false accusations, this reasoning seems to go, so her accusations had to be true. And then when her story fell apart, some people used the fact that Judge Kavanaugh showed anger as evidence that he had a temperament unfit to be confirmed.
But, yes; to some the Left can do no wrong. The fact that they're pure, righteous and fight bigotry even where it doesn't exist, as in the Smollett case or the Duke lacross or the UVA rape case, trumps everything.
After all, you should never let a chance to signal how virtuous you are go to waste.
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Frogarama (12942)
5 years ago
If someone really wanted to, and I'm sure someone has, competing lists of right-wing hoaxes can easily be listed.
Since you stick the Kavanaugh stuff in there, I'll reference the ENTIRE birther movement as one big racist false-flax "hoax controversy."
Alex Jones specializes in "hoax controversies" and does it to a damaging degree that literally puts people's lives in danger.
Just going back to the Obama years, we could probably find all kinds of right-wing fakery. One comes to mind: Death Panels! Another comes to mind: Benghazi!
This is what politics does to people, IMO.
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Gary O. (997)
5 years ago
It does occur on both sides of the political spectrum. I've never denied this and you give a couple of very good examples of absolute nonsense, especially the Birther movement. But not all of the birthers were motivated by race. They were opposed to Obama's policies so much that they were willing to try almost anything to undermine his legitimacy. That was a case of wanting very much to believe it; so much so that the facts didn't matter. It was very stupid but in some cases at least, it was motivated by politics not by race.
So, yes; this is what politics does to people--on both sides of the political spectrum.
On this point you and I are in agreement. I hope it doesn't hurt you too much.
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Frogarama (12942)
5 years ago
It's wonderful to agree... cheers!
Oh and an amusing side note, this board suddenly makes Moviechat look like a busy site.
Where do all these users go when there isn't a controversy?
Lol I wish the whole site was like this!
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