[Opinion]: Jussie Smollett and The Firehose Effect

Jussie Smollett - Bing Images

The Jussie Smollett case gives rise to the issue of public deception by the Firehose of Falsehood, a propaganda technique where one can leverage his celebrity in an effort to garner sympathy and manipulate the court of public opinion.

​Justin “Jussie” Smollett is the musical entertainer and co-star of Fox television series ‘Empire’ charged with staging a hoax hate crime to bolster his public profile and increase his earnings on the ‘Empire’ show.

On January 29, 2019, Jussie Smollett allegedly filed a false police report fabricating the story of a racial, homophobic physical assault by Trump supporters in the middle of the night on the streets of Chicago.​

He has since been arrested and charged with Disorderly Conduct, a Class 4 felony carrying a potential sentence of 1 - 3 years and fines up to $25,00, if convicted.

The Firehouse Effect
“Fire-hosing” came to the fore with the Russian invasion of American politics in 2016 and has since marked the Trump presidency as the proverbial tool of exploiting the public that signaled the initiation of the MAGA movement.

​The Firehouse of Falsehood is a propaganda technique where the public is bombarded with a stream of ridiculous lies, so much so that it becomes demoralized and unmanageable.

Sound familiar?

It is said that fire-hosing the populace with even obvious lies can be highly effective in shaping public opinion.  In this method, the lies don’t have to be believable, you just keep repeating it as much as possible, until it shifts the barometer and becomes the new normal.

According to social scientists, there are four (4) key factors in perpetrating the firehouse effect:

1. The lies are high volume.
2. The lies are rapid, continuous, and repetitive.
3. The lies lack basis in rational or objective reality.
4. The lies are inconsistent.

​It also helps if the lies are promoted via multiple channels (Hint: In Jussie’s case, the LA concert, social media and the Robin Roberts, GMA interview).

Why?  Because the presumption is that the more that we hear a lie, especially coming from multiple sources the more it becomes credible.

In other words, the more familiar we are with the lie the less likely we are to question it.

It’s important to note here that the concept of “fire-hosing” is theorized as a demonstration of power rather than a means of persuasion.

That’s right.  The perpetrator is not trying to convince anyone that they’re telling the truth, they are asserting their authority over the restraints of reality.

The powerplay is to degrade the fact-checker by forcing them to argue the obvious.  So, the public is essentially strong-armed into working for the truth.

In sum, the use of fire-hosing is to usurp the power of truth and reduce it to just a position – a perspective, - a version of reality, - a simple matter of opinion.

Remember Rudy Guiliani, “Truth isn’t truth?”  Enough said.

Bing Images - Jussie Smollett (The Robin Roberts, GMA Interview)

Jussie Smollett’s Case
Based on this theory, we can see elements of the “firehose” method in Jussie’s account of events, here are just a few:

• He went to the Subway sandwich shop at 2:00 a.m. in subzero temperatures but was recognized as the ‘Empire’ star.
• The attackers were racist and homophobic, riding around one of the most surveilled areas in Streeterville, Chicago (a predominantly commercial district Downtown) in the middle of the night targeting Black people with bleach and a noose on hand.
• They wore red hats shouting, “…this is MAGA country.” Assumed to be intended to mislead the public into believing that the attackers were White – the suspects turned out to be Nigerian-American.
• He was violently attacked with bleach thrown on him and fought back but managed to hold on to his (still edible) sandwich which he was eating when the police showed up.
• There were two (2) attackers but they just ran away as soon as he started to fight back, then dubbing himself “…the gay Tupac.”
• He waited approximately 45 minutes before calling the police but kept the rope (noose) on for police to see after the attack.
• He stopped cooperating with police after they asked for his phone, then turned in altered phone records.

Now, while Jussie is innocent until proven guilty – it looks really bad for him at this point.  With all these discrepancies, it’s hard to point out just one.

But, first, what is the likelihood that he would even be recognized.  There were subzero temperatures in Chicago that night.  Wouldn’t he have been bundled up with a hat, coat, and scarf to be out in that weather?

The most telling, in my opinion is when he made the point of telling Robin Roberts (the Good Morning America interview) that the noose was tied around his neck.  Then doubles-down by saying he left it on because he wanted the police to see it.

The rope could’ve been tested for DNA, there was no reason to leave it on.

​Also, did anybody notice how much he smiled during that interview or when he said the attackers “…would never be found?”

Just an observation but, I digress.

The evidentiary question here is: What Black (person) would leave a noose on after being lucky enough to get away?

I was easily reminded of Trump’s “…just stick with us, don’t believe what you hear from the fake news…” statement than when Jussie repeated over and over again, “…it’s truth, you just don’t want to believe…”

​Still again, Jussie has the presumption of innocence until and if there is a conviction.

​The Political Environment
So, how did this case become a right versus left campaign?

On the cusp of the 2020 election year, the accusations and mud-slinging had already begun but the Jussie Smollett case added just the right fuel to the fire.

Jussie, himself, injected political overtones with “…red hat wearing, white attackers shouting “MAGA country…” and “…going hard against 45…” assertions.

We can also consider the (unconfirmed) statistic that nearly 85% of news media outlets are liberal and employ journalists who are registered Democrats.

If so, it stands to reason why the right readily purports the culpability of the so-called liberal media to be “virtue-signaling” its base with politically correct sentiments such as ‘always believe the victim’ #METOO.

​On the other hand, the left never misses an opportunity to indict the right with accusations of “dog-whistling” its base to incite violence and exacerbate the country’s racial divide #MAGA.

(Gone are the days of traditional party politics – “identity politics,” in other words, race-baiting is the order of the day.)

Then, the rallying of support from Hollywood celebrities, presidential hopefuls, veteran Congress members, and the like, certainly seemed to confirm suspicions giving the necessary ammunition to solidify the right’s position.

The end result is that all hate crimes have come into question and “white privilege” is now challenged by the latest induction to the dogma “Victimhood Chic.”

That is, playing the role of victim as a form of status.

‘Victimhood Chic’ posits that prominent minorities are accruing critical acclaim, prestige and, even, financial gain (i.e. Colin Kaepernick) if they can successfully garner enough public sympathy around a noble cause.

It’s a stretch, but that’s where this is going.

And, in the view of revisionists, Jussie Smollett fits the bill.

The Jussie Smollett Case: Motivations and Consequences
So, why should we be concerned with Jussie’s guilt or innocence?

There is much speculation about his motivations for this alleged crime, such as:

• He was disgruntled about a lack-luster response of Fox studio executives to the recently reported hate mail sent to Jussie on the set of Empire.
• He’s dissatisfied with his salary on Empire and wanted a pay raise.
• He’s seeking attention and wanted to boost his public profile.
• He’s an aspiring political activist with aspirations of becoming a hero in the LGBTQ community.

But we haven’t heard from Jussie since his arrest, so who really knows?

In the words of Charlemagne the God (Breakfast Club), “…we cannot become what we claim to hate.”

The problem is that in the era of fake news, alternative facts, dog-whistling, and virtue-signaling, why is there a need to adapt the tactics of a spectacle-driven culture to accomplish a goal?

Ultimately, it doesn’t matter if his reasons were personal, political, or professional.

Integrity matters.

Besides this and most importantly, is the fear of a chilling effect this may have on future victims of hate crimes.

Conservative media outlets are already using the case as a symbol of false claims.  And, with this ammunition the misfortune would be that there are more incidents…without remedy.

It’s going to be interesting to see how defense attorneys are able to spin this story.

​But, rest assured, with the high-potential of undermining the critical cause of social justice and civil rights, there is no room for error.

Related Posts:
The Racial Wealth Gap Explained
http://www.canmichigan.com/blog/the-racial-wealth-gap-explained
Poverty & Welfare, Human Behavior, and the Trump Election
http://www.canmichigan.com/blog/poverty-welfare-human-behavior-and-the-trump-election

Links:
Jussie Smollett Story Shows Rise of Victimhood Culture
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/02/jussie-smollett-story-shows-rise-victimhood-culture/583099/
The Culture of Victimhood
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/women-who-stray/201406/the-culture-victimhood
The Russian “Firehose of Falsehood” Propaganda Model
https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/perspectives/PE100/PE198/RAND_PE198.pdf
Why Obvious Lies Make Great Propaganda
https://www.vox.com/2018/8/31/17804104/strikethrough-lies-propaganda-trump-putin