People who believe in nothing will believe anything
— after G.K. Chesterton
How many people will believe Jean Carroll, the woman who alleged Donald Trump raped her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in the 1990s?
As many people as want to, those being Donald Trump haters. Truth has never been more relative, less empirical, and more partisan. The rest of us — especially those of us who hug the middle — have become cynics, I’m afraid. Too many outright hoaxes. It’s as if the operative political equation goes like this:
If you’re not accusing, you’re losing.
You have to watch CNN’s Anderson Cooper interview this person. “I think most people think of rape as being sexy,” Carroll told viewers. “They think of the fantasies.” Glad a conservative didn’t say that. Might it surprise you to know that the lady is a pro-abortion, anti-Trump, Hillary Clinton contributor? (Source.)
The Washington Pundit claims that Carroll’s story is a copycat of an episode of Law and Order from season 13 — right down to the rape fantasy in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room. If you’ll pardon the twist on The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance:
When the hoax serves your purpose, print the hoax
In today’s Wall Street Journal, the essential Jason L. Riley reviews a political scientist’s findings that fewer than a third of 346 such allegations was genuine.
In 2012 a popular gay bar in suburban Chicago was destroyed by fire, and the owner cited homophobia as the reason. The same year, black students at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside reported death threats from hate groups and found a noose hanging from a dorm room door. Ultimately, the owner of the bar pleaded guilty to arson and insurance fraud. And a black student at the university fessed up to sending racist threats and planting a noose.
These alleged incidents are invariably seized upon by politicians and activists looking to feed a sacrosanct belief among liberals that discrimination and oppression are the main drivers of inequality.
“In the mainstream media we hear almost constant talk about scary new forms of racism: ‘white privilege,’ ‘cultural appropriation,’ and ‘subtle bigotry,’ ” [U. of Kentucky political scientist Wilfred Reilly writes, yet “a huge percentage of the horrific hate crimes cited as evidence of contemporary bigotry are fakes.”
Think about it:
- Jussie Smollett
- Michael Brown’s “hands up, don’t shoot” in Ferguson, MO.
- The Duke lacrosse players gang rape
- Rolling Stone’s University of Virginia fraternity
- Oberlin College’s boycott of the downtown bakery
- Michael Avenetti’s claim that Justice Kavanaugh is serial rapist
- and the grandaddy of them all: Al Sharpton’s Tawana Brawley fable.
A teacher betrayed for a good cause
Madison has its share; the latest being positive behavior coach who “tore a little black girl’s braids out at Whitehouse middle school.”
Where is the outrage? The superintendent of Madison’s public schools fell head over spiked heels for a hoax so unbelievable, on its face, that she threw a veteran teacher under the school bus rather than wait for the facts.
That teacher’s career is ruined over a false narrative promulgated by the Rev. Alex Gee, Boys & Girls Club boss Michael Johnson, and school board candidates Muldrow and Ananda Mirilli.
“I am aware of the public narratives about this incident,” Ozanne said. “Some of these narratives are based on incorrect information and assumptions that have been alleged as fact. Slices of this story have come out and some members of our community have coupled this information with their own experiences, drawing conclusions that are simply wrong.”
The positive behavior coach’s career is ruined. (“I have been betrayed.”) While the hoaxers profit. Muldrow and Mirilli won their elections; Alex Gee and Michael Johnson hustle white guilt, and Jennifer Cheatham gets a cushy job at Harvard training more guilty white superintendents who jump to conclusions rather than search for the truth.
Blaska’s Bottom Line: We used to think the search for truth was the purpose of education.
52 responses to “Your hoax doesn’t have to be believable if it fits your narrative”
There are women who have become hostile and attempted to shame me when I’ve expressed the following (and other women who share similar thoughts). They think that because I’m a woman, I should believe someone’s accusations just because we share the same gender. Unless, of course, the accusations are of someone they like, then the room gets quiet.
We need to be honest with ourselves. Are we judging the accused based on the facts or because we don’t like that person? Given the exact same set of circumstances, would we believe the accusations if they were against someone we liked?
Due process is much more important than our opinions. And every person, regardless of who they are, is entitled to due process – I say this even about people I can’t personally stand.
Also, while I think there are women who come forward (not just about Trump) who have indeed been assaulted, I also believe there are those who unfortunately manufacture accusations.
Those who lie need to be punished by the courts, because they are harming the credibility of real victims and undermining our justice system. I think they also need professional help and perhaps a character assessment.
@Paula Fitz;
“Unless, of course, the accusations are of someone they like, then the room gets quiet.”
This cross your desk?
The Media’s Double Standard on Culture-War Controversies | National Review
The Gotch
Cornelius,
Thanks for sharing that article. Good read.
There’s a lot of dishonesty in the media and in public discourse. I think it does all of us a great disservice and causes people to tune out.