I cannot believe that this is what is bringing me out of my blogging hibernation. I was supposed to write about the Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson hearings, but honestly, I couldn’t bear to read or watch any more about it. I couldn’t relive the blind fury that would bubble up in the core of my soul every time a republican asked a question. No, I think I’m still processing that unbearable display of racism and smugness. Instead, I’ll be focusing on the slap seen around the world.
I have read so many ill-informed and straight up strange takes on this fleeting event. It truly boggles my mind what people fixate on. If you haven’t heard, which honestly, good for you if you haven’t, last night at the Oscars awards show Chris Rock was presenting the Best Documentary award and, as he is wont to do, threw in some jokes. There was one ad-lib in particular that incited Will Smith to get up from his front-row seat and slap Chris across the face, turn, and jog oh so casually back to his seat. Before he runs away, they exchanged some awkward, spicy dialogue and that was it. All in all it was a truly perplexing moment that left most viewers confused and questioning if the entire incident was a skit. It wasn’t. Here’s the link of the entire interaction for the brave of heart. It’s incredibly cringe-y. You’ll see the extent of his joke there, but it’s too dumb to write out.
So now this glitter bomb of virtue-signaling, what he did is embarrassing, would he have done that to a white man, how can he fight for black causes now (yes, I saw someone say that!) musings are circulating the internet like wild fire. This is a very complicated situation, because black men are constantly under the scrutiny of white people to behave the utmost respectfully, displaying solely tepid emotions and that violence within our community has been used to push the notion that we’re not human or deserving of equal treatment. However, racists don’t need an excuse for racism, so these arguments saying what happened “set us back x years” or ”it’s perpetuating stereotypes” are null. It’s also extremely telling because Will Smith represents the sort of black person that is “acceptable” and has quickly lost that designation because he expressed himself in a way that does not fit in with this “respectable black man” trope. It’s all this but it also feels like it’s NOT THAT BIG OF A DEAL?! There are too many different things that are true at once in my brain.
I wish he didn’t slap Chris Rock on stage at the Oscars. All of this could’ve been avoided if he just spoke with him afterward or really anything but what transpired on stage. I understand him wanting to make it clear no more jokes were to be told at his wife’s expense, but this has created a completely avoidable, exhausting, and polarizing discourse that took away from some genuinely nice moments of the evening. HOWEVER, we were all able to experience those moments again in recaps and wrap-ups, so it’s not like those accomplishments weren’t celebrated.
Let’s examine why Will felt compelled to react. Jada Pinkett-Smith has been dealing with alopecia, a health condition that affects your hair follicles, and can ultimately result in losing your hair. She has been very open and upset about it. As black women, we are constantly subjected to, witness, and understand the heaviness and incredibly touchy subject of hair. It’s something that draws pride, insecurity, anxiety, dread, excitement and a plethora of other emotions. It’s an aspect of blackness that we have fought to embrace and enjoy without judgment. So, I can imagine the feelings of loss that go along with experiencing alopecia that black women experience so deeply. A wholly devastating diagnosis and then to have someone mock your appearance is really just plain painful. Will saw that exasperation and slapped Chris because he felt he was protecting Jada. It was childish and immature to resort to hitting him, and wholly out of pocket, but emotions are running high right now and I think that along with some other factors led to this outburst. I don’t think this should define his past or future. People are calling for his Oscar he won after the slap happened, which is preposterous if you think of people who currently hold Oscars. No, the crimes those others committed didn’t happen at the awards show, but they are egregious enough that they should have gotten their trophies stripped immediately. If his gets taken away, then let’s make sure pedophiles and sexual assault offenders are also included in this moral crusade.
At the end of the day, Chris was slapped, not knifed, not gunned down, not even laid out, he was slapped. A fiery exchange was had and it seemed to be coming from a deep, dark place. Will was defending Jada. I’m not here to pass judgment on whether or not that was the best choice that was made, but I’m not condemning Will Smith to the depths of hell for what he did. I don’t think he should be arrested, because Chris Rock didn’t press charges, or banned from the Oscars, because I can think of so many Oscar winners and goers who are known to create toxic work environments.
To be clear, I don’t think Chris Rock deserved to be slapped, but I also understand wanting to protecting your family and the fragile state we’re all in right now. I also recently learned that Chris Rock shared he was on the spectrum so social queues are sometimes missed and maybe that’s what happened that night. Maybe he mistook the moment, maybe he misinterpreted something. Maybe there were other things said or insinuations made earlier in the evening. Whatever the case, he went too far and upset people. Lots of speculation can be made about what caused this explosion. Ultimately, we’ll never know as outsiders, which is why I pause to completely vilify Will Smith. It was a major lapse in judgment on both sides and a moment we all witnessed that got out of hand, but at the end of the day, let those adults figure it out themselves. It was unfortunately witnessed by millions, but it’s a conflict between two people. Again, I just wish it wasn’t on a NATIONAL STAGE during an event meant to be an easy escape filled with laughter and entertainment. Will Smith eventually apologized, so I think we can officially wrap this up!?!!?
Whatever happens next, I can genuinely say, I am not invested. I simply cannot give this anymore thought than I have and am slightly ashamed to be one of the already too many think pieces about the situation. There’s just too much other stuff going on. Let those rich people figure it out.
I do appreciate constructive conversations happening around this about toxic masculinity, protecting black women, mental health, and empathy. It’s always helpful to continue expanding on how we can be better as a society. It’s just weird which events can sometimes elicit these strong opinions.