smollet
The nation's liberals were struck by a devastating blow this week after finding out a hate crime, reported by Empire actor Jussie Smollet, didn't actually happen.

"I needed this to be true," said liberal columnist Hanna Spalding. "When I first heard the news of this attack, I was filled with so much hope. I felt so validated. Then that was taken away. Now I just want to cry into my pillow."

The attack had been called "a modern-day lynching" by democratic presidential candidate Cory Booker but after Chicago police reported that the "trajectory of the investigation" into Smollet's story had shifted, Smollet was stripped of his victim status. Booker became irate, phoning the Chicago police chief and shouting repeatedly, "Check it again! CHECK IT AGAIN!"

After some deep breathing exercises, Booker spoke with reporters. "How are we supposed to intentionally turn the nation against each other and exploit these divisions for political power if people won't commit a simple hate crime once in a while?"

Candlelight vigils are being arranged in liberal cities across the country as millions mourn the loss of one of the most potentially divisive crimes in the last decade. "There was so much promise there. Now there's just emptiness," said one mourner in Berkley, CA.

"While Smollet's attack may have been a hoax, our emotions have undergone a modern-day lynching," said activist Andrea Jones at a vigil in Chicago. "If you think about it, this is even worse than if the crime had actually happened. A lot of people put a lot of hope into Smollet's story. Our expectations have been violently assaulted. Yesterday we thought one man had been attacked. Today, our narrative is the one in a hospital bed, sucking Jell-O through a straw and fighting for its life."