In recent years the Academy Awards have lost more and more
viewers, as they have either found other bill of fare on television
or other things to do on Oscar night. But something out of the
ordinary occurred last night which likely will be a one-off
but may stir enough renewed interest to bring back some fallen-
away viewers at next year's bash: an actor made a physical assault
on another --- right up on stage, for all the world to see, even on
television.
The roots of the contretemps had actor/rapper Will Smith's wife,
actress Jada Pinkett Smith, last year publicly announced that she
shaved her head because she found that she has alopecia. This is
a disease which causes baldness, and Pinkett Smith quickly lost
most of her hair so she shaved off the remainder, stating:
"Mama's going to have to take it down to the scalp so nobody
thinks she got brain surgery or something. Me and this alopecia
are going to be friends ... period!" Ever since then Pinkett Smith
has worn a wig.
But Chris Rock, who was one of the co-hosts of the Oscars this
year, being the prolific comedian that he is, could not resist
making a crack about Pinkett Smith's follicle situation. While
onstage Rock was about to announce the winner of the Oscar for
best documentary feature when he joked about her shaved head,
saying that he couldn't wait for GI Jane 2 with Pinkett Smith as
Jane. A short while later an incensed Will Smith stepped onstage
and slapped Chris Rock, an altercation never before witnessed
at the Academy Awards over its nearly century-long existence.
While many of those present at the ceremonies thought that the
whole thing was a pre-planned gag, they were quickly disabused
by Smith's angry warning he yelled, twice, at Rock after returning
to his seat: "Keep my wife's name out of your f****** mouth!".
Now, comedy has become a dicey and rather chancy thing of late.
Political correctness and wokeness, the latter being the former on
steroids has made it nearly impossible for standup comics to
perform in most venues, especially college campuses and the
Academy Awards without receiving the nastiest opprobrium.
Many in Hollywood have opined that Will Smith, who was a
recipient of an Oscar that night, should have his Oscar for
Best Actor taken away and given to another actor in that category
for his behavior. Your non-star struck Peasant, however, says
that while Smith may well have some punitive actions to face
(Chris Rock could certainly press charges of assault) but his Oscar
award is not relevant to the incident, therefore Smith should not
be stripped of either his victory nor his prize. I say this, not as
a fan of either combatant (although I have enjoyed some of
their work) but as an objective observer and commentator. And no,
I did not watch the Oscars last night, and have not done so for
several years, having gotten sick of all the narcissistic, snooty,
moral and political preening by the Oscar winners and other
attendees. But The Peasant feels the need to comment on the
events which were part of the larger event, as there are
ramifications for us all, and I'm unable to wait until the middle
of the week when I usually post.
Moreover, we as a nation have almost lost our ability to laugh
at ourselves. We take umbrage at the good-natured humor
focused upon us, a close family member, or a close friend,
never mind one's nationality, ancestry, or gender. Or, for that
matter, any other category of human existence. While it is
admirable that a man stands up for his wife, sometimes the
event doesn't necessitate a physical response. And when there
is such a response in a situation like this, more harm than good
is done. Good Lord, what would have happened to Don Rickles
if he tried to work in such an environment?
And we are further divided as a society, which leads to further
division in our towns, our cities, our states, and our nation.
We need more unity, not more divisiveness, so let's not give in
to anger over relatively small things and show righteous anger
at the bigger things, i.e. Russia invading Ukraine just because
their strongman Putin wants to rebuild Russia the way it was
in its Soviet Union days; a vast and truly evil empire.
MEM
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