He had it all: good looks, beloved, accepted, money, fame, influence ...success! Yet, it wasn't enough.
Unless you've been on a fast from the media for the past week, you are aware of the fact that "Empire" actor, Jussie Smollett, was charged with staging a fake hate-crime attack by the Chicago police department. The motive given for the hoax was that Jussie was dissatisfied with his Empire salary. The reported incident occurred on January 29th while Jussie was walking down a Chicago street at 2a.m. after leaving a Subway sandwich shop. He was reportedly attacked by two masked men who recognized him and shouted homophobic and racial slurs during the assault. Additional details were reported, including mailing a self-written hate letter to the FOX TV station.
I must admit that I was skeptical from moment I read about this saga. It just didn't make common sense. He would, by happenstance, be confronted by two masked men at this hour, who recognized him from Empire, would happen to be carrying bleach and a noose? If that wasn't suspicious enough, throw in the reference that the assailants shouted "this is MAGA country." It just didn't add up. I became frightened by the prospect of what this could mean for Jussie.
He has now been charged with by the Cook County attorney's office with felony disorderly conduct for filing a false police report. People are rightfully outraged, frustrated and disappointed. But, mind you, these are the allegations. Although he has been judged in the court of public opinion, he is still presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. If he is found guilty, by all means, he should suffer the consequences for his actions.
I'm not here to pen a scathing rebuke regarding Jussie's alleged actions. No, I pity him. I pity him because, if true, he failed to see how truly blessed he was. A young man at the age of 36, with earnings in the top 1% in America (sources suggest $65K per episode), so dissatisfied to the point of concocting such a deviant scheme to advance his career? Why? Perhaps he over-valued his role. Perhaps he felt there was too big a disparity between his salary compared to the other actors on the set. Maybe he thought this stunt would catapult him onto a larger platform. Perhaps he got the big head and got caught up in the hype. Maybe he was living too large. Only he can answer the real reason why.
While Jussie may have gone to the extreme to further his career with this alleged hoax, he is not alone. Manipulation is a common tactic people use every day to advance their careers. From the rich and powerful to the intern, entry level clerk, to mid-level manager. People are still "sleeping" their way to the top; lying, deceiving, back-stabbing, stepping on other people's throat to get ahead. The MeToo movement may have exposed some of the unwanted advances from women and men, but don't you believe for one moment there weren't willing participants whose lips are buttoned. Keep that in mind the next time you watch an awards show or that secretary who was promoted three levels in three years or the fellow that jumped from salesman to the executive suite overnight. Some may have earned their stripes, but some may have been the result of manipulation. You get what I'm saying!
There's nothing wrong with being ambitious, but to what extent? None of us is immuned to becoming impatient in our quest to advance. We look across the fence and the grass looks greener. Some of us are trying to keep up with the Joneses'. Others kid ourselves into thinking we're more gifted or qualified than we really are. What do we do? Rather than being thankful for what we do have, we become obsessed with what we don't have. We start to take matters into our own hands, which can be a recipe for disaster.
I pray that Jussie's story will be a lesson for us all. You may not be where you want to be, but when you take inventory, you may find that you're better off than most.
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