Oscar might have had over 20 odd winners this year but one name that has been making the headlines since the world’s most prestigious entertainment award ceremony was concluded is Will Smith. Chris Rock said to Smith’s wife, “Jada, I love you. G.I. Jane 2, can’t wait to see it.” and what came next was an unexpected event that tainted the ceremony. Will, who first appeared to be amused by Rock’s joke suddenly marched toward the comedian and slapped him when he realised his wife’s annoyed reaction to the joke. Jada Pinkett Smith has openly spoken about her struggle with a condition called alopecia that has been causing her hair loss and Rock’s remarks have purportedly offended her. Some argue that Rock’s joke was insensitive while others claim that it is innocuous. While I believe that Chris would not have intentionally intended to offend Jada, I still feel that he should have chosen his words wisely and appeared to be more sensitive towards Jada’s condition. However, what startled me the most was how Will responded in that situation. While I am well aware that there is a faction of people who are defending Will’s action and glorifying it, I believe that what Will did was unacceptable.
Violence is never an answer. Yes, Will might indeed have had the urge to defend his wife but he could have easily done that by confronting Chris during his speech, backstage or verbally after the joke was thrown at Jada. Instead, physically assaulting someone on the stage of one of the biggest TV shows in the world does not seem like the thing someone of Will’s stature would do. What’s more surprising was the absence of the security personnel to take control of the situation right after it has taken place and people have also argued that Will should not have been conferred the award as the best leading actor after the incident has taken place. The lack of response from the Academy seemed unprofessional and certainly raised questions on the privilege of the Elites getting away after an assault as such. There was no way in the universe a commoner could have walked away after doing what Will did to Chris Rock so are we trying to imply that the rules aren’t for the rich here? That’s a question for all of us to ponder.
I am not here to side with Chris or Will, in fact, I believe they both should have done better but it is only right to accept that Chris handled the situation with so much more grace than Will did. Defending your woman is great but using violence as a means is not, certainly not to be condoned as well. Apart from them, the Academy should also be held accountable for their poor and slow response in the given situation which is also stirring up rumours that the whole thing could have been staged to improve ratings of the show. Whether or not it was staged, it is never okay to be insensitive toward someone’s physical or mental condition and it is even worse to use violence as a means of confrontation. Do better, Hollywood.
Thanusha is a content writer under Headliner by Newswav, a programme where content creators get to tell their unique stories through articles and at the same time monetize their content within the Newswav app.
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