"Empire" actor Jussie Smollett is being urged to apologize to the LGBTQ and African American communities in the aftermath of his allegedly faking an attack on himself by racist and homophobic, MAGA-hat wearing thugs.
Those calling for an apology are saying that, as a result of Smollett's alleged actions, African Americans and gay people will face skepticism if they report real attacks in the future.
If it turns out that Smollett's attack was the hoax the Chicago PD says it was, doesn't Smollett owe an apology to Trump voters, too?
Here is how People described Smollett's alleged instructions to the two men whom, according to the Chicago PD, he hired to attack him:
Smollett allegedly texted that he “wanted Ola to place a rope around his neck, pour gasoline on him and yell ‘This is MAGA country,’ ” also allegedly instructing the men to purchase red baseball caps which resemble the ones that say President Donald Trump‘s “Make America Great Again” slogan.
Think about that: Trump supporters were to be portrayed as would-be perpetrators of a lynching, a particularly horrific crime, or at the very least, people who were out on a cold night to threaten an innocent young man with the prospect of being lynched or drenched with gasoline and burned to death.
Smollett knew that this would play well to Trump haters–and it did.
Of course, Smollett owes an apology to the LGBTQ and African American communities.
But he also owes an apology to Trump supporters.
On the left, there has been total silence about the possibility that Smollett might have inflamed hatred against Trump supporters.
An apology that is all for show is no good. Real apologies cost us something.
It would hurt Smollett to apologize to the uncool Trump supporters. It would especially hurt as President Trump (in an unusually restrained tweet–so far) has asked Smollett to apologize to the Trump supporters the actor maligned.
But real apologies are supposed to hurt, before they liberate us. .