Rock V Smith
It’s not the role of “protector” to slap someone silly for making a joke you don’t like
Editorial rights purchased from iStock. Photo by Pict Rider
Will Smith committed assault in front of millions of people, on camera--everybody saw it. It doesn’t matter to me if Chris Rock wants to press charges or not. Smith assaulted Rock. This fact is not in question. If Smith is not charged with assault this is one more guy with money, power and fame who gets to do whatever the f*** he wants. I am not okay with that.
In addition to assaulting Rock, Smith returned to his seat and made foul threatening statements indicating that Rock didn’t have the right to say Jada Pinkett Smith’s name. But the most egregious thing (other than the slap itself) was the pathetic, hypocritical, teary-eyed nonsense Smith spewed when he received his Academy Award.
Smith said he considered himself a “protector.” Protector of what? His own macho sensibilities? His wife may not have liked the joke, but it was a joke! No one was beaten--no one was tortured--no one was defamed. Yet Smith was compelled to jump out of his seat, run up on stage and smack the s*** out of Chris Rock. This is not a man acting as a protector--this is a man being an asshole.
In addition to claiming the role of protector, he made a few references to this role as one chosen for him by God--really? Was it God who told him it’s okay to slap someone silly because they say something you don’t like? I guess we need to add religious to powerful, famous, and rich when we describe the kind of jerk who can get away with this sort of thing.
This could be a teachable moment. It could be a chance for Will Smith to re-evaluate what it means to protect someone. Perhaps there should even be some kind of penalty for this behavior. Oh wait, there is! It’s called jail.
Instead, people are saying he’s too popular, and too successful to even be banned from the Oscars. If we can’t punish someone for committing assault publicly just because he doesn’t like what someone said well maybe that’s why we’ve never properly punished the likes of Trump or Putin. And we can all see how well that worked out.
It's time to make men accountable. The only thing that teaches people the difference between right and wrong is having to suffer the natural consequences of their actions. Can we please stop acting like we don’t already know this?