I'd say, by your standards, his Hitler mustache was his defining moment. I think it deserves a place in that long first sentence of his eventual obit: "Michael Jordan, acclaimed as the greatest basketball player of all time, who led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships during the 1990s, helped to popularize the sport for a generation, became a worldwide cultural phenomenon and commercial brand as the epitome of fierce competition and unmatched athleticism, and, for reasons still unclear, in 2010 sported a mustache with a striking resemblance to that of Adolf Hitler, died at his Florida home yesterday. Herr Jordan was 87."
I think the Lewinsky scandal will figure in the first sentence of Clinton's obit, but I don't think the other two examples -- Smith and Feinstein -- will figure in theirs, just as Jordan's odd Hitler mustache will not figure in his. That was my only point.
Smith is not at the end, and I think this episode, if not exactly forgotten, will not take a terrible long-term toll on his reputation, inexcusable though it was.
My initial reaction was that the Will Smith slap was staged because Chris Rock didn’t make any move to defend himself and Smith seemed to be smirking when he walked away. Rock is a comedian and Smith has had a lot of physical/comic roles so it was all in character for both of them. The slap didn’t seem to do any harm and even Smith’s subsequent shouting at Rock seemed like part of the act. I couldn’t figure why they would do something like that, though, because it had such a predictably negative effect. Smith’s later public statement didn’t save it. From this angle, what Smith did made no sense.
Then I decided that Rock didn’t react because he wasn’t in on it and didn’t expect it. Smith just pulled a Kanye and decided he could hijack the event to make a personal statement. He should have asked his wife if she wanted to leave. Every celebrity there should be ready and able to take a zinger from a Chris Rock because it acknowledges their status. From this angle, what Smith did made no sense.
I thought it strange that Smith seemed to laugh a the G.I. Jane joke at first, then noticed his wife's facial expression. Was he trying to molify her feelings at the insult with the over the top reaction defending her? Whatever, he was wrong.
Sunday was just another day at the office for Chris Rock. I think that explains his reaction. This wasn't the first time he's been charged on stage for something he's said and it won't be the last. As a professional heckler/tormenter ... er, comedian ... he knows how to defuse a situation and get back to the task at hand. This is how he's made his millions. He's very good at it.
I am not a fan of his style of comedy, but I will defend his right to free speech. It's very worrisome of late how we confuse language with physical violence. They are not the same.
As for Will Smith, my advice will be familiar to parents everywhere: "Use your words!" Although when he did, during that awful speech, he continued to make the incident about him, which explains a lot of what we saw. He had an opportunity to put the spotlight on his wife, educate the audience about her autoimmune disorder or even (horrors) give the mic to HER. But he didn't because it wasn't about her at all. Will Smith's ego, party of one.
I was disappointed in both Chris Rock and Will Smith, but in the many replays of the event all over the news, what was most troubling is how Will Smith strutted off the stage with a big smile on his face! Then he son puts out a slimy tweet about that's how we do it? Great parenting example!
My guess on the reason Chris Rock kept his hands at his side (or behind his back) is that he expected Will Smith to give him some shit, insult him back, or something. But not a physical attack.
I have to read and make my comments in order... 1. Did Chris know there was a medical issue? Was this joke any worse than the criticized Ricky Gervais comments calling out 'indiscretions?' Regardless - Smith's response was wrong and feeds many poor stereotypes. I think Rock did not know what was going to happen - hence arms at his sides. Worst case scenario: If 'faked" this would be worst than Smollett. 2. Jean S.C. - So you don't want to help those labeled "the most disadvantaged" because it generalizes? Because they aren't the only people who would benefit? SMH 3. Basketball - full court; 4:4; 3 game TO total; All free throws held off and down at the end of the game. 4. Big Brother is watching. Maybe we should have "Riot Drones" circling our cities. 5. Name schools after inanimate objects
I need to go back to Willie. You say that a door to door give away of 50 dollar credit cards in the poorest areas of Chicago is better. I don't think so.
Willie is giving (or gave) 1 million dollars divided by 50 is 20,000 credit cards.
So we get 2 people to work an area and give away 1000 cards. We will need 40 total.
Let begin - drive up to a street and park. House 1 - knock knock - no answer. House 2 - guy comes screaming to the door - he works the night shift and it is 1 pm and tells you to get the f out of his face. House 3 guy with track marks on both arms thanks you very much. House 4 door opens with a shot gun facing you. Two guys relieve you of the rest of the credit cards, your cell phones and car keys. They point and tell you run away from your parked car.
Not working so god...
And don't forget that some of the "rich" folks who own cars may use the gas to drive others to work, to the doctors or to school.
Willies way is alot safer and more efficient than the Eric Zorn way.
Smith should have been escorted out of the theater immediately, like a fan who runs out on the field or a batter who charges the mound. He then would not have been able to receive his trophy in person or give his speech -- a perfectly appropriate punishment.
Rock may not have known that Jada had alopecia, in which case it was a harmless joke. In any event, it merited no more than a stony look. Someone might have even told Rock later about the alopecia, and he might have apologized. Think what a nice example that would have set! Instead, we get Will Smith first laughing at the joke, working up some fake outrage, and playing the role of the big strong man defending his woman's honor. Give that man an Oscar!
If Jada Pinkett-Smith didn't like Chris Rock's joke, she could have expressed her opinion herself, verbally, or with a gesture, or even gone onto the stage to slap Rock herself. Alopecia doesn't cause any disability which would make her incapable of dealing with this herself. Her husband could have "seconded the motion" but the joke wasn't about him.
We got thousands of people dying in the Ukraine - the slap thing is a publicity stunt worthy of being ignored. Remember when they showed people running out on a ball field - then they got smart and didn;t show it anymore. This reduced these events quite a bit.
Let's ignore this stupid slap thing or else we will get more copy cat dramatic incidents.
Will Smith’s curveball altercation with Chris Rock at Sunday’s 94th Academy Awards is just that much more massive evidence of the critical need in American society for government imposed, ubiquitous speech-control and severe, universal speech codes. Amen.
When Will Smith stormed onto the Oscar stage to strike Chris Rock for making a joke about his wife’s short hair, he did a lot more damage than just to Rock’s face. With a single petulant blow, he advocated violence, diminished women, insulted the entertainment industry, and perpetuated stereotypes about the Black community.
That’s a lot to unpack. Let’s start with the facts: Rock made a reference to Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, as looking like Demi Moore in GI Jane, in which Moore had shaved her head. Jada Pinkett Smith suffers from alopecia, which causes hair loss. Ok, I can see where the Smiths might not have found that joke funny. But Hollywood awards shows are traditionally a venue where much worse things have been said about celebrities as a means of downplaying the fact that it’s basically a gathering of multimillionaires giving each other awards to boost business so they can make even more money.
The Smiths could have reacted by politely laughing along with the joke or by glowering angrily at Rock. Instead, Smith felt the need to get up in front of his industry peers and millions of people around the world, hit another man, then return to his seat to bellow: “Keep my wife's name out of your fucking mouth.” Twice.
Some have romanticized Smith’s actions as that of a loving husband defending his wife. Comedian Tiffany Haddish, who starred in the movie Girls Trip with Pinkett Smith, praised Smith’s actions: “[F]or me, it was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen because it made me believe that there are still men out there that love and care about their women, their wives.”
Actually, it was the opposite. Smith’s slap was also a slap to women. If Rock had physically attacked Pinkett Smith, Smith’s intervention would have been welcome. Or if he’d remained in his seat and yelled his post-slap threat, that would have been unnecessary, but understandable. But by hitting Rock, he announced that his wife was incapable of defending herself—against words. From everything I’d seen of Pinkett Smith over the years, she’s a very capable, tough, smart woman who can single-handedly take on a lame joke at the Academy Awards show.
This patronizing, paternal attitude infantilizes women and reduces them to helpless damsels needing a Big Strong Man to defend their honor least they swoon from the vapors. If he was really doing it for his wife, and not his own need to prove himself, he might have thought about the negative attention this brought on them, much harsher than the benign joke. That would have been truly defending and respecting her. This “women need men to defend them” is the same justification currently being proclaimed by conservatives passing laws to restrict abortion and the LGBTQ+ community.
Worse than the slap was Smith’s tearful, self-serving acceptance speech in which he rambled on about all the women in the movie King Richard that he’s protected. Those who protect don’t brag about it in front of 15 million people. They just do it and shut up. You don’t do it as a movie promotion claiming how you’re like the character you just won an award portraying. But, of course, the speech was about justifying his violence. Apparently, so many people need Smith’s protection that occasionally it gets too much and someone needs to be smacked.
What is the legacy of Smith’s violence? He’s brought back the Toxic Bro ideal of embracing Kobra Kai teachings of “might makes right” and “talk is for losers.” Let’s not forget that this macho John Wayne philosophy was expressed in two movies in which Wayne spanked grown women to teach them a lesson. Young boys—especially Black boys—watching their movie idol not just hit another man over a joke, but then justify it as him being a superhero-like protector, are now much more prone to follow in his childish footsteps. Perhaps the saddest confirmation of this is the tweet from Smith’s child Jaden: “And That’s How We Do It.”
The Black community also takes a direct hit from Smith. One of the main talking points from those supporting the systemic racism in America is characterizing Blacks as more prone to violence and less able to control their emotions. Smith just gave comfort to the enemy by providing them with the perfect optics they were dreaming of. Many will be reinvigorated to continue their campaign to marginalize African Americans and others through voter suppression campaign.
As for the damage to show business, Smith’s violence is an implied threat to all comedians who now have to worry that an edgy or insulting joke might be met with violence. Good thing Don Rickles, Bill Burr, or Ricky Gervais weren’t there. As comedian Kathy Griffin tweeted: “Now we all have to worry about who wants to be the next Will Smith in comedy clubs and theaters.”
The one bright note is that Chris Rock, clearly stunned, managed to handle the moment with grace and maturity. If only Smith’s acceptance speech had shown similar grace and maturity—and included, instead of self-aggrandizing excuses, a heartfelt apology to Rock.
I did not find Rock's joke particularly offensive. Will Smith's slap was uncivilized, antisocial, and illegal. There is no reason for Rock to have anticipated such behavior. The slap, and its force, may have been an intentional adjustment to the punch that Smith intended when he stood up. Showing at least a partial sense of proportion. His shouting from his seat is also the action of a person with no class. All of this from a man with ample resources for a civil response. Thanks for the Monty Python clip, one of my favorite skits.
Whenever my (fictional) wife says, "I feel like grapes", I counter with, "I'd say you feel more like an over-ripe melon." I imagine she doesn't like it.
Regarding naming schools after rich benefactors, that sort of thing won’t lend itself to more diversity in names. Sure we can have Willie Wilson Elementary, but beyond that the choices are limited if we go by dollars. Plus, I’m not a fan of naming things after living people. Too much hassle or embarrassment when those people fall into disgrace.
Regarding the all-day breakfast visual tweet .. in the mid 1970s, I traveled to Birmingham, Alabama several times a year on business. A brand new Ramada Inn opened near my company's plant, providing a highly anticipated alternate lunch opportunity. Its brand new buffet line featured a sign stating" All You Can Eat: $2.75. Extra large portions: $3.50."
The standing ovation was for the Oscar win. The votes had been counted days before the TV ceremony.
I'd say, by your standards, his Hitler mustache was his defining moment. I think it deserves a place in that long first sentence of his eventual obit: "Michael Jordan, acclaimed as the greatest basketball player of all time, who led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships during the 1990s, helped to popularize the sport for a generation, became a worldwide cultural phenomenon and commercial brand as the epitome of fierce competition and unmatched athleticism, and, for reasons still unclear, in 2010 sported a mustache with a striking resemblance to that of Adolf Hitler, died at his Florida home yesterday. Herr Jordan was 87."
I think the Lewinsky scandal will figure in the first sentence of Clinton's obit, but I don't think the other two examples -- Smith and Feinstein -- will figure in theirs, just as Jordan's odd Hitler mustache will not figure in his. That was my only point.
Smith is not at the end, and I think this episode, if not exactly forgotten, will not take a terrible long-term toll on his reputation, inexcusable though it was.
My initial reaction was that the Will Smith slap was staged because Chris Rock didn’t make any move to defend himself and Smith seemed to be smirking when he walked away. Rock is a comedian and Smith has had a lot of physical/comic roles so it was all in character for both of them. The slap didn’t seem to do any harm and even Smith’s subsequent shouting at Rock seemed like part of the act. I couldn’t figure why they would do something like that, though, because it had such a predictably negative effect. Smith’s later public statement didn’t save it. From this angle, what Smith did made no sense.
Then I decided that Rock didn’t react because he wasn’t in on it and didn’t expect it. Smith just pulled a Kanye and decided he could hijack the event to make a personal statement. He should have asked his wife if she wanted to leave. Every celebrity there should be ready and able to take a zinger from a Chris Rock because it acknowledges their status. From this angle, what Smith did made no sense.
I thought it strange that Smith seemed to laugh a the G.I. Jane joke at first, then noticed his wife's facial expression. Was he trying to molify her feelings at the insult with the over the top reaction defending her? Whatever, he was wrong.
Sunday was just another day at the office for Chris Rock. I think that explains his reaction. This wasn't the first time he's been charged on stage for something he's said and it won't be the last. As a professional heckler/tormenter ... er, comedian ... he knows how to defuse a situation and get back to the task at hand. This is how he's made his millions. He's very good at it.
I am not a fan of his style of comedy, but I will defend his right to free speech. It's very worrisome of late how we confuse language with physical violence. They are not the same.
As for Will Smith, my advice will be familiar to parents everywhere: "Use your words!" Although when he did, during that awful speech, he continued to make the incident about him, which explains a lot of what we saw. He had an opportunity to put the spotlight on his wife, educate the audience about her autoimmune disorder or even (horrors) give the mic to HER. But he didn't because it wasn't about her at all. Will Smith's ego, party of one.
I was disappointed in both Chris Rock and Will Smith, but in the many replays of the event all over the news, what was most troubling is how Will Smith strutted off the stage with a big smile on his face! Then he son puts out a slimy tweet about that's how we do it? Great parenting example!
My guess on the reason Chris Rock kept his hands at his side (or behind his back) is that he expected Will Smith to give him some shit, insult him back, or something. But not a physical attack.
I have to read and make my comments in order... 1. Did Chris know there was a medical issue? Was this joke any worse than the criticized Ricky Gervais comments calling out 'indiscretions?' Regardless - Smith's response was wrong and feeds many poor stereotypes. I think Rock did not know what was going to happen - hence arms at his sides. Worst case scenario: If 'faked" this would be worst than Smollett. 2. Jean S.C. - So you don't want to help those labeled "the most disadvantaged" because it generalizes? Because they aren't the only people who would benefit? SMH 3. Basketball - full court; 4:4; 3 game TO total; All free throws held off and down at the end of the game. 4. Big Brother is watching. Maybe we should have "Riot Drones" circling our cities. 5. Name schools after inanimate objects
I need to go back to Willie. You say that a door to door give away of 50 dollar credit cards in the poorest areas of Chicago is better. I don't think so.
Willie is giving (or gave) 1 million dollars divided by 50 is 20,000 credit cards.
So we get 2 people to work an area and give away 1000 cards. We will need 40 total.
Let begin - drive up to a street and park. House 1 - knock knock - no answer. House 2 - guy comes screaming to the door - he works the night shift and it is 1 pm and tells you to get the f out of his face. House 3 guy with track marks on both arms thanks you very much. House 4 door opens with a shot gun facing you. Two guys relieve you of the rest of the credit cards, your cell phones and car keys. They point and tell you run away from your parked car.
Not working so god...
And don't forget that some of the "rich" folks who own cars may use the gas to drive others to work, to the doctors or to school.
Willies way is alot safer and more efficient than the Eric Zorn way.
Smith should have been escorted out of the theater immediately, like a fan who runs out on the field or a batter who charges the mound. He then would not have been able to receive his trophy in person or give his speech -- a perfectly appropriate punishment.
Rock may not have known that Jada had alopecia, in which case it was a harmless joke. In any event, it merited no more than a stony look. Someone might have even told Rock later about the alopecia, and he might have apologized. Think what a nice example that would have set! Instead, we get Will Smith first laughing at the joke, working up some fake outrage, and playing the role of the big strong man defending his woman's honor. Give that man an Oscar!
If Jada Pinkett-Smith didn't like Chris Rock's joke, she could have expressed her opinion herself, verbally, or with a gesture, or even gone onto the stage to slap Rock herself. Alopecia doesn't cause any disability which would make her incapable of dealing with this herself. Her husband could have "seconded the motion" but the joke wasn't about him.
We got thousands of people dying in the Ukraine - the slap thing is a publicity stunt worthy of being ignored. Remember when they showed people running out on a ball field - then they got smart and didn;t show it anymore. This reduced these events quite a bit.
Let's ignore this stupid slap thing or else we will get more copy cat dramatic incidents.
Will Smith’s curveball altercation with Chris Rock at Sunday’s 94th Academy Awards is just that much more massive evidence of the critical need in American society for government imposed, ubiquitous speech-control and severe, universal speech codes. Amen.
This gave me a lot to think about...
From Kareem Abdul-Jabbar:
When Will Smith stormed onto the Oscar stage to strike Chris Rock for making a joke about his wife’s short hair, he did a lot more damage than just to Rock’s face. With a single petulant blow, he advocated violence, diminished women, insulted the entertainment industry, and perpetuated stereotypes about the Black community.
That’s a lot to unpack. Let’s start with the facts: Rock made a reference to Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, as looking like Demi Moore in GI Jane, in which Moore had shaved her head. Jada Pinkett Smith suffers from alopecia, which causes hair loss. Ok, I can see where the Smiths might not have found that joke funny. But Hollywood awards shows are traditionally a venue where much worse things have been said about celebrities as a means of downplaying the fact that it’s basically a gathering of multimillionaires giving each other awards to boost business so they can make even more money.
The Smiths could have reacted by politely laughing along with the joke or by glowering angrily at Rock. Instead, Smith felt the need to get up in front of his industry peers and millions of people around the world, hit another man, then return to his seat to bellow: “Keep my wife's name out of your fucking mouth.” Twice.
Some have romanticized Smith’s actions as that of a loving husband defending his wife. Comedian Tiffany Haddish, who starred in the movie Girls Trip with Pinkett Smith, praised Smith’s actions: “[F]or me, it was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen because it made me believe that there are still men out there that love and care about their women, their wives.”
Actually, it was the opposite. Smith’s slap was also a slap to women. If Rock had physically attacked Pinkett Smith, Smith’s intervention would have been welcome. Or if he’d remained in his seat and yelled his post-slap threat, that would have been unnecessary, but understandable. But by hitting Rock, he announced that his wife was incapable of defending herself—against words. From everything I’d seen of Pinkett Smith over the years, she’s a very capable, tough, smart woman who can single-handedly take on a lame joke at the Academy Awards show.
This patronizing, paternal attitude infantilizes women and reduces them to helpless damsels needing a Big Strong Man to defend their honor least they swoon from the vapors. If he was really doing it for his wife, and not his own need to prove himself, he might have thought about the negative attention this brought on them, much harsher than the benign joke. That would have been truly defending and respecting her. This “women need men to defend them” is the same justification currently being proclaimed by conservatives passing laws to restrict abortion and the LGBTQ+ community.
Worse than the slap was Smith’s tearful, self-serving acceptance speech in which he rambled on about all the women in the movie King Richard that he’s protected. Those who protect don’t brag about it in front of 15 million people. They just do it and shut up. You don’t do it as a movie promotion claiming how you’re like the character you just won an award portraying. But, of course, the speech was about justifying his violence. Apparently, so many people need Smith’s protection that occasionally it gets too much and someone needs to be smacked.
What is the legacy of Smith’s violence? He’s brought back the Toxic Bro ideal of embracing Kobra Kai teachings of “might makes right” and “talk is for losers.” Let’s not forget that this macho John Wayne philosophy was expressed in two movies in which Wayne spanked grown women to teach them a lesson. Young boys—especially Black boys—watching their movie idol not just hit another man over a joke, but then justify it as him being a superhero-like protector, are now much more prone to follow in his childish footsteps. Perhaps the saddest confirmation of this is the tweet from Smith’s child Jaden: “And That’s How We Do It.”
The Black community also takes a direct hit from Smith. One of the main talking points from those supporting the systemic racism in America is characterizing Blacks as more prone to violence and less able to control their emotions. Smith just gave comfort to the enemy by providing them with the perfect optics they were dreaming of. Many will be reinvigorated to continue their campaign to marginalize African Americans and others through voter suppression campaign.
As for the damage to show business, Smith’s violence is an implied threat to all comedians who now have to worry that an edgy or insulting joke might be met with violence. Good thing Don Rickles, Bill Burr, or Ricky Gervais weren’t there. As comedian Kathy Griffin tweeted: “Now we all have to worry about who wants to be the next Will Smith in comedy clubs and theaters.”
The one bright note is that Chris Rock, clearly stunned, managed to handle the moment with grace and maturity. If only Smith’s acceptance speech had shown similar grace and maturity—and included, instead of self-aggrandizing excuses, a heartfelt apology to Rock.
I did not find Rock's joke particularly offensive. Will Smith's slap was uncivilized, antisocial, and illegal. There is no reason for Rock to have anticipated such behavior. The slap, and its force, may have been an intentional adjustment to the punch that Smith intended when he stood up. Showing at least a partial sense of proportion. His shouting from his seat is also the action of a person with no class. All of this from a man with ample resources for a civil response. Thanks for the Monty Python clip, one of my favorite skits.
Whenever my (fictional) wife says, "I feel like grapes", I counter with, "I'd say you feel more like an over-ripe melon." I imagine she doesn't like it.
Regarding naming schools after rich benefactors, that sort of thing won’t lend itself to more diversity in names. Sure we can have Willie Wilson Elementary, but beyond that the choices are limited if we go by dollars. Plus, I’m not a fan of naming things after living people. Too much hassle or embarrassment when those people fall into disgrace.
Regarding the all-day breakfast visual tweet .. in the mid 1970s, I traveled to Birmingham, Alabama several times a year on business. A brand new Ramada Inn opened near my company's plant, providing a highly anticipated alternate lunch opportunity. Its brand new buffet line featured a sign stating" All You Can Eat: $2.75. Extra large portions: $3.50."