The Boy Who Cried Hate, and Why We Should Still Listen

While everyone is pondering whether or not Empire star Jussie Smollett planned an attack against himself, it is important to remember that hate crimes are real and happen more often than society would like to admit.

It was only the second month of 2019 and already a Utah man has been charged with federal hate crimes for expressing his desire to “kill Mexicans,” while attacking a Latino man and his son. That’s only one example of the many tragic incidents that minorities and members of the LGBTQ community often face. Yet, hate crimes usually don’t get the attention nor the justice that they deserve.

Instead of getting our pitchforks or crucifying Smollett for his allegedly ill intentions, people should instead use this time to bring awareness to hate violence.

The victims of these crimes, unfortunately, don’t have platforms as large as Smollett’s, but they do have real stories that deserve to be heard and treated fairly.

It is still unclear whether or not Smollett planned the attack against himself, but either way, the need for awareness does not change. If he was actually attacked then that’s a wake-up call that hate crimes can happen to anyone, regardless of status. If he did plan the attack then he’s a douche, but it does not change the severity of these types of crimes nor should it make anyone any less likely to believe a victim in the future.

According to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program (UCR) in 2017, there were 8,493 victims of single-bias hate crimes. Single Bias simply means the motivation behind the crime. Data from the UCR shows that motivation for hate crimes ranks as follows (from most to least):

Race/Ethnicity/Ancestry

Religion

Sexual Orientation

Gender Identity

Disability

Gender

It’s sad to think that even in 2019 someone can be attacked for simply being themselves, but unfortunately, that’s the society that we live in.

Hopefully, this Smollett incident makes an impact beyond funny memes and twitter threads. It’s an opportunity for everyone to recognize just how evil some people in this world can be, and how important it is that we protect one another regardless of race, sexual orientation, and everything else in between.

As of today, Smollett has been released on bail and the police investigating the case report they are treating him as a victim until evidence proves otherwise.

We should all hope the controversy surrounding Smollett’s case does not make it any harder for victims of hate crimes to continue coming forward with their truths. It is time that victims receive the awareness and justice that they deserve.