Will Smith just threw a $50m punch

[TyBo]

Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar both appeared to be dumbfounded by Will Smiths action.
Similarly many other comedians are expressing outrage. Of course! They are comedians, clueless to the fact that not everyone appreciates their work.

Will Smith was actually very clear in his message, which seemed to be, "Joke about me all you want, but leave my wife out of it." He was the most clear thinking person at the whole event.

This event was not an attack on performers, such as musicians and actors. But it may signal a decline in the appeal of these kind of insulting comedians.

Sorry, gotta disagree about the "clear thinking" on the part of Will Smith. After smiling and chuckling at first, at the joke (which admittedly wasn't very funny), Will then flipped (maybe Jada prodded him, who knows?) and stormed the stage, striking Chris Rock with what looked like a fairly forceful blow. Over a friggin' joke. Ok, it was in bad taste, if one knows of Jada's alopecia condition (which I didn't at the time), but we've heard a lot more cutting stuff in Oscars past, from Ricky Gervais for example. Smith was thin skinned, driven by anger and ego (I mean, just look at the footage, it's right there). And he committed a criminal act, assault, right there on stage for the whole world to see. He's fortunate to be a huge star who's not gonna pay too much of a price for his actions - ordinary people would very possibly be ejected and arrested for that crap.

Smith exhibited the polar opposite of clear thinking. Even he seemed to perceive that after the fact, issuing a formal written (probably by a publicist) apology admitting that he was wrong to have done what he did. An ugly episode.

 

[Paul New]

The joke was no big deal. Will Smith is an ass.

Next!

 

[Doug4321]

Hey! No politics!
Moderators, please delete this thread it’s hurting me.

 

[Rich Fiscus]

About what?

The law? Probably, I'm not American, I don't know your laws deeply.

But in a democracy, there is the right of free speech, no?

Chris Rock has every right to make the jokes he wants.

And Will Smith has every right to not like it.

Hit him? What's next? A stabbing in a comedy bar? A shooting?


I am very surprised to see he wasn't arrested, or charged.

I actually would have been very surprised if he had been arrested or charged, but I agree with your point entirely. There's a saying I picked up from reading a lot about the First Amendment. The correct answer to bad speech is more speech. This is somewhat out of context, as it is usually referencing censorship, but I think it applies equally here.

Regardless of whether Chris Rock's joke crossed some line or not, Smith's response unquestionably did. In fact, the line he crossed was so bright, we consider it a crime. I neither know nor care what personal thing might be going on between them. It doesn't really make a difference to me, since I can't imagine how you can honestly equate a rude public comment to an actual assault.

 

[J_Bass]

I actually would have been very surprised if he had been arrested or charged, but I agree with your point entirely. There's a saying I picked up from reading a lot about the First Amendment. The correct answer to bad speech is more speech. This is somewhat out of context, as it is usually referencing censorship, but I think it applies equally here.

Regardless of whether Chris Rock's joke crossed some line or not, Smith's response unquestionably did. In fact, the line he crossed was so bright, we consider it a crime. I neither know nor care what personal thing might be going on between them. It doesn't really make a difference to me, since I can't imagine how you can honestly equate a rude public comment to an actual assault.

Exactly.

And what's alarming is that, reading this thread, we can actually see how some people normalize and accept violence.

Will Smith's slap was the perfect moment to know the difference between comedy and aggression.
We live in a time when many people understand that words are equivalent to physical violence.

 

[ElectroVibe]

Most people do not want to condone assault, which is illegal, or equate it to someone making a joke while performing as a comedian and a KNOWN quantity, which is not illegal.

I don't think that acting rashly in a way that might well get you arrested is clear thinking. I had a long discussion earlier today with someone who was attempting to whine about how she was bullied as a child and therefore feels that giving the bully his due was justified. Well, I was bullied as a child too, and I understand that mean-spirited humor is weaponized, but these are two grown ADULTS, they are not children in a schoolyard. Adults should model more appropriate behavior.

Smith is lucky charges were not pressed. Had it been anyone else, anywhere else, he would have been detained by security and led away from the premises in handcuffs.

But we all know that he didn't slap him hard enough to hurt him. It was more like a parent disciplining a child.

 

[J_Bass]

But we all know that he didn't slap him hard enough to hurt him. It was more like a parent disciplining a child.

Hitting a child.

And I thought Smith's slap was cowardly enough. Hitting a child is a step further, though.


As a father of 3 children, I don't demonstrate my authority with physical violence, or any other kind of violence. I would be very concerned if my kids only responded with violence.

It would be a sign of my failure as a father.
They respect me and my wife. And we respect them. And listen to them. Leading by example and using words and arguments are the pillars of my authority over my kids.

The day I have to hit one of them, is the day I know they no longer respect me.

 

[Rich Fiscus]

Exactly.

And what's alarming is that, reading this thread, we can actually see how some people normalize and accept violence.

Will Smith's slap was the perfect moment to know the difference between comedy and aggression.
We live in a time when many people understand that words are equivalent to physical violence.

I don't think that's really anything new. The problem is that lots of people can empathize with Will Smith's urge to slap Chris Rock. I can empathize with it myself. I also reject that urge because I know my brain lies to me all the time.

I once saw a great poster in a psychologist's office. It said, "Don't believe everything you think." The reality is your body controls your brain much more than your brain controls your body. Most of the thoughts that just appear in your head are almost as autonomous as your heart beating or your GI tract digesting food. Some reflexive decisions still serve us well more often than not, but others are about as useful as your appendix. At least most of the time, you have ample opportunity to make a better choice.

On the flip side, I don't see any purpose being served by pressing charges over it. If Will Smith slapped some average guy on the street for making a crack about his wife, it would be entirely appropriate. In this case, more speech would still be a better answer. Chris Rock wouldn't need the criminal justice system to hold Will Smith accountable.

I honestly think it's mostly blown out of proportion, and nobody needs to be held accountable for anything. The discussion people are having about it now is of much greater significance in the grand scheme of things.

 

[JMacBass65]

It was more like a parent disciplining a child.

Oh, well since you put it that way, you're right. This was no big deal.

 

[bassicmike]

But we all know that he didn't slap him hard enough to hurt him. It was more like a parent disciplining a child.

EV, you maybe should thinking about backing out of this discussion.

 

[turf3]

You all actually think any of this was real? I bet you believe pro wrestling is, too.

Come on! None of these Hollywood types ever does anything in public that hasn't long before been completely scripted out by their publicists. Look how much extra publicity for the Oscars (which basically no one cares about any more anyway, and hasn't for at least 20 years)!

 

[jmattbassplaya]

Chris made a dumb joke, but that’s his role as the host. He may or may not have known of Jada’s condition - I know I didn’t.

It seemed like most folks in the audience laughed at the joke - including Will.

Will’s actions were assault. His handling of the situation was criminal. It being only a slap is irrelevant once he put his hands on someone.

The fact that Will wasn’t removed immediately from the show sets a very bad example and precedent that this sort of behavior is perfectly acceptable in polite society. Enraged because of words? Violence is okay - especially if you’re a rich celebrity.

People saying it was staged - that’s even worse. That means people had the chance to consider this spectacle in a calm and controlled environment and thought the message it sent was fine. Maybe it could have worked if Will put Chris into a chokehold, it was obviously playful, they cut to commercial, and we come back to Chris in a neck brace with crutches, but this was not playful or staged in the slightest.

 

[TyBo]

But we all know that he didn't slap him hard enough to hurt him. It was more like a parent disciplining a child.

If my dad acted like Will Smith did there, I'd have been terrified of him. Did you see the anger pouring out of him? Yikes. Even Smith himself acknowledged that what he did was wrong, in so many words. So I don't see the point of defending it, when even he himself does not.

I can understand empathizing with Smith feeling angry at a perceived insult to his wife, but that and storming the stage to commit an act of assault are two different things. Even the police said that the only reason they didn't cuff Smith is that Chris Rock declined to press charges.

Smith was the adult in the room? Nah, that dog won't hunt.

 

[two fingers]

Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar both appeared to be dumbfounded by Will Smiths action.
Similarly many other comedians are expressing outrage. Of course! They are comedians, clueless to the fact that not everyone appreciates their work.

Will Smith was actually very clear in his message, which seemed to be, "Joke about me all you want, but leave my wife out of it." He was the most clear thinking person at the whole event.

This event was not an attack on performers, such as musicians and actors. But it may signal a decline in the appeal of these kind of insulting comedians.

There's a HUGE difference between "not appreciating" someone's work and physical assault. Are you saying Rock's joke rises to the level of justified assault?

Smith clear thinking????? Puhleeeez. Gimme a break.

 

[Jeremy Crockett]

...

Smith is lucky charges were not pressed. Had it been anyone else, anywhere else, he would have been detained by security and led away from the premises in handcuffs.

"Luck" had zero to do with it. Your second sentence demonstrates that.

Privilege saved his hash. Unadulterated privilege.

 

[Jeremy Crockett]

That is NOT the way the winds are blowing.

The wind has never blown that way. It is as though all of a sudden everyone has magically forgotten that Don Rickles ever existed and did the exact same thing for 50 years.

 

[Rich Fiscus]

Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar both appeared to be dumbfounded by Will Smiths action.
Similarly many other comedians are expressing outrage. Of course! They are comedians, clueless to the fact that not everyone appreciates their work.

I doubt very much there is a successful standup anywhere who hasn't stared down entire rooms full of people expressing their lack of appreciation vehemently and vocally.

Perhaps they believe, as I do, that offending people is part of legitimate expression. Perhaps they believe giving offense is sometimes the most effective way to communicate an idea. Perhaps they believe most people take offense because they're looking for something to be offended by.

Perhaps they don't believe any of those things, but I would bet all my musical gear that one thing they don't believe is that everyone appreciates them or their work.

Will Smith was actually very clear in his message, which seemed to be, "Joke about me all you want, but leave my wife out of it." He was the most clear thinking person at the whole event.

Clarity is not an indication of reason. If anything, it's more likely to be the result of following your instincts without thinking things through. If he had tempered his clarity with some introspection, we likely wouldn't be having this discussion.

This event was not an attack on performers, such as musicians and actors. But it may signal a decline in the appeal of these kind of insulting comedians.

Every attack on speech on the basis that it is unpopular is an attack on free expression. Popular speech has never needed protecting.

I'm going to stop there so I don't drift from amateur psychology into politics.

 

[Winslow]

Just sayin'...

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Is that the motorcycle from "GI Jane?"

Oh no! What have I done!

 

[coy garcia]

Maybe Smith needed to teach the unwashed masses that freedom of expression will no longer be tolerated. But what do I know I'm just a bass player.

 

[FilterFunk]

If this wasn't staged, Will (aka Mike Lowrey) is going through something deep and troubling in his life before this slap. He snapped, he needs help. For 20 years, I've dealt with people who "snapped."

I'm not a licensed therapist, nor do I have any training in psychology. But I have been around almost 60 years, and I agree with this assessment. It seems like there's more to it than just the joke and Jada's reaction to the joke. Will's response was troubling, IMHO.