Listen to the average social; media outlet and along with the allegations, rage, and current coverage you will get bombarded by a deluge of conspiracy theories.
Some seem fairly reasonable, for Hollywood degeneracy, and some are so far out there as to make even Art Bell blush.
But, despite the blustering from armchair experts and content creators, one group continues to drown in the background.
From Epstein Island to Buckingham Palace, victims seem to be both the fodder and the dirty little secret for fueling the drive to chase celebrities. And although industry insiders seem to exposing the secrets we all seem to know, it has also pushed any thought to victims into the background.
Case in point, when Dept. Homeland Security,(DHS), raided the properties of Sean “P Diddy” Combs on March 25, 2024, for the investigation involved in trafficking.
His estates in Los Angeles and Miami were raided simultaneously by DHS.
Although it has not been completely made clear that he was indeed the target of the investigation, the level of hype and clicks heard in social media land has added fuel to an inferno that has already been burning since the Epstein death investigation.
But, no matter the status of the accused it seems that the victims are dragged out for the trial and maybe quotes for the press then dump the victims like bad baggage.
R Kelly was only charged with eight counts of trafficking at this trial, however, according to the investigation for his crimes, his actual involvement in trafficking had gone on for a couple of decades. So, since the law got their man, and the mass media got their pound of celebrity flesh, the other victims of R Kelly and his procurement machines have largely been ignored.
However, what we like to call alternate media throughout the various social media outlets one can find theory after theory that floods the digital landscape. For as many creators that use their platform to advocate for the victims and their families, and those that rightfully call Hollywood and law enforcement to the carpet, you have even more that foam at the mouth and scream that alien shapeshifters have replaced the cast of Sesame Street and Snuffleupagus is a secret CIA plant to control your brain seem to get the most attention. There are celebrity insiders who have shed much light on the indecency of Hollywood and their abuse of power. These stories are filled with lust, rage, and salacious commentary but they never seem to lift the victims, unless the storytellers themselves are the victims.
And there are those who advocate for the victim at the cost of celebrity and those who seem to delight in the destruction of another’s name for their own glory.
Here’s hoping that the victims will get there due not in the spotlight, but in the glow of compassion that seems to be shined more on well-loved perpetrators than their prey.