After the slap heard round the world, I must admit there’s one thing I still can’t wrap my brain around. It’s just conflicting. I don’t understand.
Please don’t assume I understand why Will Smith got up and hit, slapped, whatever-you-want-to-call-it presenter Chris Rock. He was presumably offended at the ridicule of his wife; we do a lot of foolish things when we quickly assume a position of offense.
All sorts of editorials have since run rampant…
From… how Smith should have been arrested… violence is wrong… Smith “stole” the Williams sisters’ story… his succeeding resignation from the Academy… how this hurts his family brand… what wife Jada thinks… what we should all know about alopecia… the defense of black women… how a racist society is to blame… how toxic femininity is to blame… how former Pres. Donald Trump is to blame… how Chris Rock is to blame… how Rock is processing the situation now…
And no doubt cumulating in yesterday’s LA Times editorial entitled “Everybody has an opinion on Will Smith. Why the slap resonated.”
Still, not what most fits on my things-that-make-you-go-hmmm list.
After the slap while Rock was presenting the Oscar to the best “Documentary Feature,” two more awards were acknowledged prior to “Best Actor,” which Smith won for his portrayal of the father of Venus and Serena Williams.
Then…
Even with the stunning slap fresh in their minds, the audience gave Smith a standing ovation.
Envision that with me for a moment. Maybe no more than 30 minutes passes between incident and acknowledgement. The audience still cheers. On their feet. Extended applause.
Hear no judgment from me; that’s not the point. I’m sure it was difficult to know how to act in the present moment; and remember: most of these persons are actors.
But the disconnect comes from a collective group of people who for some reason, increasingly more, oft feel empowered to play a sort of societal moral compass. Actors frequently use their stage and celebrity to shame or belittle persons who hold diverse opinion, not truly valuing those who are different than they.
Maybe the issue is us. Maybe we’ve come as a society to celebrate celebrity so much, that we’ve been lax in examining the character of the one who feels so empowered. Maybe, just maybe, we’ve confused celebrity with credibility. Both have value, but they are distinctly different.
Let us be certain to not suggest all celebrities fit into the above, potential hypocrisy… Sandra Bullock, Queen Latifah, and Denzel Washington, to name a brief few. I’m not aware of any moment they’ve felt justified in their adulthood to publicly shame those of any perspective.
And to be clear, celebrity or not, we hold a lot of perspective — just as the LA Times editorial page suggested. What’s also true is that not every perspective or opinion needs to be shared. Also, celebrity or not.
Actors indeed have a gift. Their talent and expertise is in entertainment.
Such is a keen reminder. Entertainment is one thing. Influence is another.
When an actor then attempts to influence us in the socio-economic-political arena, let us remember that it’s ok that they, too, hold strong opinion, but their credibility is not established by their celebrity… What’s their expertise? How thoroughly have they researched the issue? What diverse voices are they listening to? Are they living in a likeminded bubble? And in arguably the number one credibility killer, are there any they feel justified to shame?
No disrespect, friends.
I’m simply conflicted that celebrities found reason to stand.
Respectfully…
AR