I'm going to say it: There's a class divide in the Will Smith incident

[blockbustervideo]

I have a wide social circle.

What I've noticed today on social media is those from blue collar/working class backgrounds are defending Will Smith's actions, the women saying "he's a real man" "that's what men should do", "he was defending her" and those from white collar backgrounds/middle classes completely condemning Will's actions as pure unadulterated violence/assault.

Both obviously agreeing Chris' joke was in bad taste and not funny.

What's everyone else's experience been from their social media reactions?

I'm working class (and have alopecia if it matters) and I don't think WS should have done that nor do I think it makes him "a real man"

@Sleepeatrepeat

No kne has posted anything about it that I have noticed.

I am probably seen as white collar middle class.

I think he was foolish to slap Chris Rock. Especially so publicly but I honestly can't say that I don't understand where the compulsion came from.

How often have we told our kids to turn the other cheek only for the bullying to get worse.

How many times have we resorted to telling our kids that if someone hits them hit them back harder.

Bullies are vile cretins and they do not deserve anyone's sympathy when some one fights back.

Chris Rock is a disgusting human being. He vilifies and humiliates people. He is a bully. Bullies need to be taught a lesson.

Perhaps he will think twice next time.

Will Smith was an idiot for resorting to violence. But I can't say I blame him

Don't really do social media and not sure what class I would be seen as, but these are my thoughts exactly, and surely anybody who's child has been badly bullied will feel the same.

Yea but she wasn’t compared to bloody Matt Lucas was she. She was compared to a beautiful actress who totally pulls off having a shaven head!

@Pizzadreams Yea but she wasn’t compared to bloody Matt Lucas was she. She was compared to a beautiful actress who totally pulls off having a shaven head!

@strawberrycheesecake1989

Yea but she wasn’t compared to bloody Matt Lucas was she. She was compared to a beautiful actress who totally pulls off having a shaven head!

Well let’s hope you never suffer from alopecia and go bald and have someone publicly call you out on it for a laugh.

I think Chris Rock should apologise profusely for his misogyny, he also had a go at Penelope Cruz immediately before the incident.

@CaptainMyCaptain

Nobody on my social media has mentioned it.

or mine

He's taken what was a poor taste joke that would have been forgotten as soon as said and made it immortal.
Jade will never escape it, he highlighted the issue even more

Not mentioned by friends/family, but I don’t agree with your hypothesis at all. Seems a bit crass stereotyping rather than accurate. FWIW I’m not working class and am not clutching my pearls at a man slapping another for being an arsehole to his partner.

She's not exactly bald though is she... I mean, I have alopecia (patchy) and have family members who are fully bald and um she is not that bald. Her shaven head look is a choice. If she had longer hair she could probably cover up her bald spots like I do. Not sure if that's relevant, but the way I look at it, Chris was actually mocking her for a poor hair style choice, not alopecia.

Jada rolled her eyes and looked annoyed, but didn’t look like she was going to retaliate. I think a more dignified response would have been to ignore it at that time and tell him later it was unacceptable. I think Jada herself could have done that, without her husband going Neanderthal.

Chris Rock was an idiot. He misjudged it completely, but then those ‘hosts’ have form for that. Ricky Gervais didn’t cover himself in glory.

@Notwithittoday

My mum thought it was fine. I do not think it was fine. I think it’s an age thing as well

Er, I'm in my 60s, I come from a small town and I love Will Smith. Love him, maybe loved him. But that was not fine.

This has nothing to do with anybody's background. You're either the sort of person who thinks it's ok to hit other people or you aren't.

@Pizzadreams i think you’re a bit silly. To call someone out on something is to imply that something has been exposed or revealed.

She has very openly discussed her alopecia and has said she shaved her head to ‘own it’.

CR literally said ‘when’s the next G I Jane 2 coming out’, in doing so, he compared Jada to an actress in a film who not only has a shaved head but is very beautiful.’

So yeah, bore off

Most working people would get sacked if they were filmed smacking someone anywhere, let alone at work.

Unless you are Will Smith. Then you get an award and to party afterwards.

@TheLightSideOfTheMoon

The people I’ve spoken too think it was staged.

I agree.

He was laughing along with the joke then leapt up as though he’d missed his call to action.

Chris Rock carried on, and laughed about it.

Will Smith was smiling when he went back to his seat.

Police aren’t intervening. Security didn’t intervene.

They’re both actors/comedians (although I hadn’t heard of Chris Rock until this incident) and wanted to cause a bit of controversy.

Although if everyone believes it then he clearly deserves his best actor award.

The Academy has launched an investigation. Surely they would know if it was staged ir not?

@Pizzadreams and like I said I don’t think the Joel was in good taste but I just don’t think it was anything near justifying what WS did. That’s all!

Ricky Gervais did cover himself in glory, he completely called out the hypocrisy and paedophilia in Hollywood. Nobody would dare retaliate because he was speaking the truth.

@blockbustervideo

I have a wide social circle.

What I've noticed today on social media is those from blue collar/working class backgrounds are defending Will Smith's actions, the women saying "he's a real man" "that's what men should do", "he was defending her" and those from white collar backgrounds/middle classes completely condemning Will's actions as pure unadulterated violence/assault.

Both obviously agreeing Chris' joke was in bad taste and not funny.

What's everyone else's experience been from their social media reactions?

I come from a very rough NE council estate, and even now, decades later and all living very comfortable middle-class lives, the men in my family default to their fists in disagreements with other men (none of them would ever hit a woman).

I think, when you come from a background where you literally have to fight to survive, it becomes engrained, and in the heat of the moment, that's what you default to.

Remember when John Prescott thumped the man who egged him, and Tony Blair sort of shrugged his shoulders and said "that's John"? It's that reaction - an angry, thoughtless lashing out that comes from growing up fighting.

I'm not defending it, but I do understand it.

I grew up in the East end before gentrification, I've not seen anyone say anything other than he is a bell end, lots saying if they did that at work they'd get fired, not an award. I have seen a few say I'd like to watch him try that with someone without a camera crew stopping a reaction/escalation from the person he slaps. My dad is seventy and grew up under the sound of Bow bells as he would say and left school at 14 with no qualifications. He thinks it's ridiculous.
I think they both need to apologise to Jada and I think police should take action regardless of whether the direct victim wants to press charges. It doesn't work like that here for good reason.

I didn't think he was mocking her tbh.

I thought it might be an attempt at a backhanded compliment. GI Jane is beautiful, Jada is beautiful, Sinead O'Connor was beautiful when she had a skinhead. Only the most seriously beautiful people can carry it off.

But maybe I'm being too charitable.

Rock overstepped. He received an immediate consequence. Probably more effective than an investigation.

Sooo... the proletariat think Will Smith doubleplusgood ? And the bourgeoisie think Will Smith doubleplusungood ?

I'm glad you've identified this important socio- cultural phenomenon OP. Now I can get back to my pint of beer and bread and dripping.

My work place is a real cross section of classes, I think at least three quarters of us think Chris Rock deserved it

I am psycho analysing it. Will Smiths wife cheated on him. This was a socially acceptable way to take some anger out. Am I the only person who thinks this?