The Stench of Hypocrisy!

It has been a while since I last jumped on the QWERTY keys to express my paltry opinion about anything. In fact, so much has happened since I last pecked out a meandering rant about something, doing so now feels … well … off. I have been disappointed, disenchanted, disenfranchised, discombobulated and just simply dissed over the past few years. Watching as the country embarks on a journey of such absurdity that Rod Serling himself might clear his throat preparing his iconic welcome to introduce the story unfolding in these United States. And while I have had plenty of opinions that I could have shared and opined on, I erred on the side of restraint and caution, choosing to allow the countless pundits eschew wisdom in some cases and vomit stupidity in others. I felt there was enough discord in America, and one more voice extolling the iniquities of a broken society would just add salt to the open, pus-filled wounds of our great sovereign nation. But just as with the never-ending 24-hour news cycle perpetually promulgated by our phones, TVs and other digital devices, the tomfoolery has just reached a point that even the most disciplined pessimist can’t idly sit by and let the incessant stench continue to waft into the air, permeating the minds of the meandering public. So I must do this. I must invoke the universal, ubiquitous act that stops everything dead in its tracks, allowing for all injustices to be reviewed if not overturned …

TIMEOUT! BLOW THE WHISTLE! MAKE A "T" WITH YOUR HANDS!

What the … sorry, I meant, who the … ok, I think I’ve got it together now … Michael Jackson, dead now these last 10 years, is now the supervillain we all once thought only inhabited our worst nightmares or the most intriguing cinema thrillers -- or Harvey Weinstein if you want to be exacting. He is on trial – again! This time in the court of public opinion for sexual crimes against young boys. And though I empathize with the victims and even believe there is likely some truth to their stories, I cannot help but scoff at the indignation that is seemingly surrounding a documentary detailing his alleged sexual abuse of children. If this story was the only one of its kind in the news cycle, then the heinous nature of the allegations could most certainly be the catalyst to prompt many to judge and denounce a once prolific American idol as the poster child for such a despicable act. Yet one need only look to the next article to see that Mr. Jackson is part of a phalanx of alleged offenders being outed by underage, traumatized victims of sexual abuse.

One such predator that comes immediately to mind is Jeffery Epstein. Who, though is not as famous as Michael, is filthy rich and has many friends in high places; and it seems has the proclivity to engage in inappropriate sexual activities with young girls … a lot of young girls … hundreds! Yet the story of Mr. Epstein seems to be secondhand news despite the fact that the varied supporting players in the Epstein story are high profile members of the elite, self-appointed ruling class of America. Not to mention that this gentleman was tried and convicted in a court of law for his offenses, affirming only his guilt as a connoisseur of prostitutes and not his real crimes of pedophilia and sex trafficking. And to top it all off, Mr. Epstein because of some egregious, illicit kindness of the judiciary in Florida (a story for another day), was able to spend a leisurely 13 months in and out of a county jail for his purported crimes.

All this and still the allegations of a dead black(?) pop star who was also tried but acquitted dwarfs the story of a – at last check – still living rich white man who gamed the system to get a slap on the wrist. Not only is the chatter about Michael Jackson more fervent on people’s tongues, but I’ve also heard some talk about how this latest exposition should be a referendum on the sexual abuse of children. That the acts of Mr. Jackson should be the catalyst for us to step up and address the problem.

You have got to be kidding me! It is confounding that folks don’t or won’t see the hypocrisy and the ridiculousness of this moment. You simply cannot in a contemporaneous fashion repudiate Michael Jackson and his alleged actions without acknowledging and equating those of Jeffrey Epstein. To do so is abhorrent, demonstrating ignorance or blatant discrimination of the sort to fit one’s own convenient narrative. You either wholly and unequivocally disdain pedophilia and those who practice and or participate in it, or you make exceptions choosing preposterous mitigating factors; which, again, classifies you, your prejudices and your intellect as something less than favorable.

I don’t begrudge anyone for being horrified by the alleged actions of Michael Jackson. As I stated earlier, I believe there is some truth to what the two men reported. What is confounding and aggravating to me is the sense of indignation by some to repudiate a decade-old dead man while choosing to ignore or dismiss a living, breathing, convicted monster of the same vile predation.

If you didn’t know who Jeffrey Epstein was and used that as an excuse as to why you failed to draw a parallel or denounce the actions of both as equally disgusting, that is your fault. To allow the media to shape your opinions to such an extent that it and only it is your source for personal edification and or social justice interpretations, convictions and opinions is inane. Information is a vital part of a functioning society. Yet bad information can be disruptive, divisive, destructive and debilitating. We have an obligation to ourselves to gather and process information using discernment and reasoning with the intent to get as much as the whole story as we can. To do less than this and then to opine openly using flimsy details and one-sided, myopic information, simply becomes an indictment of our person, our judgment, our intellect. Being informed is not a passive activity. Be diligent in your pursuit of information and commit to finding out as much of the truth as possible. It is important for each of us to point out inequities to ensure everyone is accountable. We all have agency and must use it to hold accountable those resources and people that portend to provide us with the facts. Fair is fair! Or, as my momma used to say, “what’s good for the goose is good for the gander.”   

S. McGill

2019

One of the most powerful things in the world can be obtained and used liberally by anyone who chooses to use it.  "If" can be the beginning of something great or the acquiescence to defeat. How will you use your "if"?