Smith, Rock, and the problematic slap
Comedians have long held the important job of holding a mirror up to society. Comedy at its worst can be crass, irreverent, tasteless, but it serves an important purpose — reflecting the good, the bad, and the ugly that surrounds us. It pushes us to take an uncomfortably close look at the human condition with all its follies. It also allows us to marvel at our ability to laugh at ourselves and appreciate the indomitable human spirit.
Comedian Chris Rock’s professional success is not based on him saying polite, tasteful, decent things about people on stage. The Academy invited him to entertain the audience because of his irreverence, not despite it. You know that a comedian at an awards show will crack jokes at the expense of the A-list audience with as much certainty as you know that the sun will rise in the east tomorrow. And Chris Rock was following exactly that mandate. Was his joke about Jada in poor taste? Should he have stayed miles away from making fun of her alopecia caused by an auto immune condition? Absolutely yes. Was Will Smith justified in slapping him and using violence as an outlet for his anger? Most definitely not!
Post this assault, Will Smith, went on to win the best actor Oscar and received a standing ovation from the audience. He spent over two minutes addressing millions across the globe to justify his actions and frame his toxic masculinity as the act of “defending” his family. He tried to cast himself in the archaic mold of the protector of his family’s honor. He could have used a few seconds of his acceptance speech to draw attention to alopecia and Jada’s courage with his words but he chose to dwell on cryptic messages that proclaimed him the ambassador of love instead! Has there ever been a situation at the Oscars filled with more irony and hypocrisy?
Isn’t the very foundation of movie-making deeply entrenched in the freedom of speech and artistic expression? Why is it ok for Will Smith to deck someone if their expression does not please his sensibility? Why is it ok for him to enjoy the privileges of the spotlight in the entertainment industry and then lose his temper when that spotlight brings some unwanted heat? The saddest part of the whole ordeal was the new lease of life that he gave to the angry black man stereotype while overshadowing the victories of so many other marginalized nominees that deserved to be celebrated without this dramatic distraction. Meanwhile, kudos to Chris Rock for mustering all his grace and carrying on with the show as was intended instead of using the special platform of the Oscars to wallow in his drama like some others chose to last night.
Last night, comedy showed us clearly just how self-absorbed and narcissistic we have become as a society. A comedian used someone’s disease (perhaps unknowingly) to garner a laugh and a legendary actor who is a role model to a legion of young, black males chose to use a moment’s unpleasantness as an excuse to become violent and framed the entire evening in a negative context.
Next time, hopefully, Mr. Smith will use his many artistic talents and his wide reach to convey his message at the right place, at the right time, in the right way instead of channeling his anger through a slap on live television.
