What do you think about what Will Smith did to Chris Rock?

Sunny said:
Is there some reason we should care?
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I think the reason we should care is culture. In the past, Will would have taken off a glove and slapped Rock with it and no one would have seen defending a wife as something that is wrong. However, being slapped with a glove could lead to a duel and dueling certainly did become socially unacceptable. Especially the duel between Hamilton and Burr turned public opinion against dueling.

When dueling was popular, it was seen as a means of upholding morality and defending one's dignity. It became quite an elaborate affair, requiring at least 3 attempts be made to resolve differences before agreeing to meet for a duel and dueling involved others assuring rules would be followed.

I think that past is preferable to today's political correctness and the intolerance of people that we have today. Completely turning against someone because of one spoken thing or one action is intolerance that threatens all of us. Culturally what we are becoming is very ugly and increasingly violent.
 

There are some people coming out with negative things to say about Will Smith since this incident. That's not a surprise. Some people may want to add to this. But there are some I'm sure who said nothing for years and now feel like they can speak out.

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oldman said:
Any couple that lives in an open marriage kind of leaves themselves open for whatever comes down the road.
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I think Puritanism and the intolerance and self-righteousness that went with it, is something that should stay in the past.

This is not to say morals and human dignity should be ignored. I think both are very important. But thinking ourselves superior to others and being intolerant of others does not make the world a better place.
 
StarSong said:
Equally important to them is the constant adulation and attention demanded by their super-sized egos.
The scariest scenarios for most celebrities is not being recognized in public, becoming irrelevant, or hearing, "Didn't you used to be....?"
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I also find it very hard to accept what the years have done to me. I am not the physically capable person I once was, and I can not do the things I once did, and I struggle with accepting the change.
 
Remy said:
There are some people coming out with negative things to say about Will Smith since this incident. That's not a surprise. Some people may want to add to this. But there are some I'm sure who said nothing for years and now feel like they can speak out.

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Is this what we used to call gossip? I remember my high school years, when my peers formed clicks, and I always hated it when people talk bad about each other. I am aware of how doing so is part of being popular, unless there is a shared dislike of gossip.
 
Vida May said:
Is this what we used to call gossip? I remember my high school years, when my peers formed clicks, and I always hated it when people talk bad about each other. I am aware of how doing so is part of being popular, unless there is a shared dislike of gossip.
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Not necessarily. People will keep all kinds of things in because they know they won't be believed. But one known incident can give people the thought that they can now speak up and may be believed.

That's also high school. Brains are not yet fully developed. Very immature. I can give a pass on many who bullied me in school, even physically. I'm sure they never think about it or how their actions may have affected others.
 
I'm just going to put this out here. From posts I've seen on Facebook from Gen-X'ers, some of whom I'm friends with and some who I know through my son....the general thought is "You don't joke about a man's wife"...period! And might I add...especially when the husband is in the audience. None of us actually condone Will's action, however. I saw part of an interview with the show's producer. He said when the police came and started telling Chris what his options were, he cut them off and said he didn't want to press charges. The producer told him to let the officers finish telling him the options. Still Chris decided not to press charges. If Chris is willing to let it go............
 
oldman said:
Any couple that lives in an open marriage kind of leaves themselves open for whatever comes down the road.
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yes exactly. They're quite happy to be paid to discuss their sordid lives on chat shows and in the media ..

Thr other things which are quite likely to happen is that huge sums of money which are paid for these people to make endorsements are likely to be withdrawn too...
 
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I agree @OneEyedDiva that comedians shouldn't take personal shots at anyone.

Moving forward, if anything good can come out of this, it will be comedians taking those jokes off the table. But Chris Rock came on the heels of the likes of Don Rickles and "Celebrity Roasts" that, even though brutal, were taken with a "Sense of Humor". "Turning one's cheek" was the order of the day. Things have gotten way more serious "overnight" in today's climate. Even Jada and Will laughed at Chris's joke at first. Then a switch went off.

In such a litigious society I'm shocked Chris Rock was so quick to forgive...and I admire him for his self-control. He could easily have sued Will Smith for some part of Will's net worth of multi-millions. Chris didn't even have to think about it. I find that to be a huge indicator of where his heart is. Making ends meet as a comedian is often a concern of theirs.
 
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Lara said:
I agree @OneEyedDiva that comedians shouldn't take personal shots at anyone.
Moving forward, if anything good can come out of this, it will be comedians taking those jokes off the table. But Chris Rock came on the heels of the likes of Don Rickles and "Celebrity Roasts" that, even though brutal, were taken with a "Sense of Humor" was the order of the day and "turning one's cheek". Things have gotten way more serious "overnight" in today's climate. Even Jada and Will laughed at Chris's joke at first. Then a switch went off.

In such a litigious society I'm shocked Chris Rock was so quick to forgive...and I admire him for his self-control. He could easily have sued Will Smith for some part of Will's net worth of multi-millions. Chris didn't even have to think about it. I find that to be a huge indicator of where his heart is. Making ends meet as a comedian is often concerning.
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Jada did NOT laugh...Will Smith laughed, then he glanced at his wife, and he saw the 'eye-roll' from her, and from then he lost his mind!!
 
Not only do you have the slap/assault there is all the butt covering by the academy with conflicting reports of Smith being asked to leave. Then the academy says their 'investigation' will take weeks(hint to Smith take that time to resign-which he did).

The Academy Awards aren't a popularity contest there are politics and yes one has to be a member to vote on movie. I think many assume it's not a club one has to belong to get nominated but it is. Just like the celebrities the academy is worried about and will work at good PR.
 
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I don't want to repeat what I've previously said about this incident(ithinkit'safake) but the net result is that it generated a huge about of public attention, and to entertainers that means big money. If the slap was real then everyone should kiss & make up and put this all to a much needed rest.
 
OneEyedDiva said:
I'm just going to put this out here. From posts I've seen on Facebook from Gen-X'ers, some of whom I'm friends with and some who I know through my son....the general thought is "You don't joke about a man's wife"...period! And might I add...especially when the husband is in the audience. None of us actually condone Will's action, however. I saw part of an interview with the show's producer. He said when the police came and started telling Chris what his options were, he cut them off and said he didn't want to press charges. The producer told him to let the officers finish telling him the options. Still Chris decided not to press charges. If Chris is willing to let it go............
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Not sure that Chris's declining to press charges indicates he's willing to let this go. This incident will surely find its way into his standup routine - and that of many other comedians. I can only imagine the retorts that came to his quick-witted mind at that moment but he kept his cool. It could have gotten very ugly indeed.

"You don't joke about a man's wife" suggests she's Will's possession - a weak little damsel in distress - which she is not.

JPS is an actress in her own right (which Rock referred to when mentioning GI Jane 2 - the joke wouldn't have sense if she wasn't an actress). Her well-cultivated public persona is that of a woman who's willing, able, and frequently seen speaking quite forthrightly for and about herself. We're not talking about 1950s era "little woman" who needs her husband's protection.

If my husband slapped, assaulted, cursed at or threatened someone who'd made a joke at my expense, I'd be outraged at both his behavior and his serious underestimation of my ability to handle minor situations.

p.s. Jada laughed AFTER her husband smacked Chris, not before. That speaks volumes.
 
StarSong said:
Not sure that Chris's declining to press charges indicates he's willing to let this go. This incident will surely find its way into his standup routine - and that of many other comedians. I can only imagine the retorts that came to his quick-witted mind at that moment but he kept his cool. It could have gotten very ugly indeed.

"You don't joke about a man's wife" suggests she's Will's possession - a weak little damsel in distress - which she is not.

JPS is an actress in her own right (which Rock referred to when mentioning GI Jane 2 - the joke wouldn't have sense if she wasn't an actress). Her well-cultivated public persona is that of a woman who's willing, able, and frequently seen speaking quite forthrightly for and about herself. We're not talking about 1950s era "little woman" who needs her husband's protection.

If my husband slapped, assaulted, cursed at or threatened someone who'd made a joke at my expense, I'd be outraged at both his behavior and his serious underestimation of my ability to handle minor situations.

p.s. Jada laughed AFTER her husband smacked Chris, not before. That speaks volumes.
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I don't disagree with you. But defending one's wife does not necessarily signify that the man thinks his wife cannot handle herself. Some women would be offended if their husbands did and other's if he didn't. And I believe, like you and I, the women would not have wanted their husbands to resort to violence.
 
fuzzybuddy said:
There is a real war going on in Ukraine. People are dying. Shell are destroying buildings, like schools, crushing children. And we're worried about a jackass slapping another jackass?
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so just because there's a war in some part of the world..and let's face it when isn't there a war somewhere ?.. we have to ignore someone violently attacking someone else in public over a joke ?.. I don't think so...
 
On one hand you have a war, with all of the death and destruction in war. And a war that could possibly spark WWIII. And on the other hand, there are two millionaire actors, one slapped the other. And nobody's ruling out they won't star in a 'buddy flick" if the price is right.
 
fuzzybuddy said:
On one hand you have a war, with all of the death and destruction in war. And a war that could possibly spark WWIII. And on the other hand, there are two millionaire actors, one slapped the other. And nobody's ruling out they won't star in a 'buddy flick" if the price is right.
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It's understandable that you don't give a hoot about Will Smith and Chris Rock. There are topics I avoid on this forum because I find them uninteresting.

Instead of scolding us for being frivolous, why not just "unwatch" this thread and leave us to our trivialities?
Fuzzybuddy, please note that I ask this question with the greatest of respect and sincerity.
 
fuzzybuddy said:
There is a real war going on in Ukraine. People are dying. Shell are destroying buildings, like schools, crushing children. And we're worried about a jackass slapping another jackass?
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Different strokes for different folks. Some people have multiple interests. Some are fixated on Ukraine; some on the slap-fest; others on Walmart shoppers. To each their own.
 

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