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

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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?

They were both wrong. Horrible to humiliate Jada like that.

@theton

what was said was so utterly unacceptable and for me is the worse crime by far,

how can having the piss taken out if you be worse than getting hit?

The thing is, being slapped like that with an open hand doesn't actually hurt you in any kind of lasting way. Nor was it a scenario where CR had real fear that he was going to be attacked, beaten up, or in danger. Nor were they involved in some kind of ongoing abusive relationship involving either violence or fear.

It's reductive to say anything physical that counts as violence is the same, in much the same way that it would be reductive to say that all verbal responses are the same. They aren't.

There are things you can say to someone that would be worse than a slap that help no threat of physical harm. Whether or not CR crossed that line is certainly debatable, but what's going to really bother him about this is not the physical element, it's the embarrassment and disdain Smith has made clear in a very public setting.

How is this a class discussion
Neither of them were right. The joke wasn't even funny. And willl smith laughed, then chose to walk up there and hit him it wasn't a protective reaction. It's all pathetic and the only class discussion should be the obscene amount of money they got to be sat there being filmed

@AnnesBrokenSlate

this dogmatic condemnation of violence becomes a bit unproductive And there is part of the problem ^^ A generation from 'good universities' who think physical violence is justified if someone hurts their feelings. Deliberately ignoring the fact that the people who suffer most from violent men are women. So women will have to learn to shut up so they don't hurt men's feelings and get a slap.

The entire education system is going to have to be rebuilt from the ground up. Perhaps with every student spending time working with a VAWG charity to see the real effects of the violence they are so quick to condone.

I certainly don’t recall condoning violence or equating it with hurt feelings in terms of severity. I mentioned demographic information as the thread is about whether there’s a correlation between age, education, social background and stance on this incident - sorry if my admitting to being fortunate offends you but I’m answering a question.

I wholeheartedly agree that normalising male violence ultimately hurts women and girls the most, and if you’d actually read my post before working yourself into a froth about the youth of today and their delicate sensibilities you’d see that I didn’t condone any violence, I just made a subjective assessment of which act I personally found more abhorrent.

As it happens, I’ve spent the last 7 years volunteering with my local women’s aid charity, prior to which I spent several years living in a women’s refuge as a young teenager. I am painfully aware of the consequences of laying the responsibility for men’s violent urges with women, and don’t appreciate you doing so here. To imply that a light slap between two grown men in a public arena is even remotely comparable to a man beating a helpless, physically weaker woman or child in a domestic setting that she can’t escape is not only disingenuous, it’s disgusting. If you think WS committed an act of violence on that scale then you’re the one who needs re-educating.

@Pizzadreams

Oh and I’m middle class and in my fifties and as much as I don’t condone violence I absolutely understand why he slapped him, what was said was so utterly unacceptable and for me is the worse crime by far,

He took the piss out a woman who has alopecia for having no hair, in front of the world. I have to be honest and say what Chris did was way way worse than what will smith did.

I agree. Chris Rock deserved a slap.

Outrageous reaction and even if not staged it was for show

Yes, MysweetAudrina I can't help but think it was for show. WS motives didn't seem to come from a place of being genuinely offended. He laughed at the joke. His wife rolled her eyes. Where did the anger come from. Was it real anger or pretend anger. It looked like Drama to me.

@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

This I got really fed up with my son being bullied and told him to start hitting back. Bullies are awful and maybe he’ll think twice before he starts making jokes about people.

Agree with pps, he laughed. He didn’t overreact to what CR said, but laughed either genuinely or to appear like a good sport. Then saw Jada wasn’t happy and overreacted to that, maybe to try to cover up or atone for his initial reaction or to show off that she’s “his”.

That’s the worst part for me. I’d dump him for that. But I’ve never understood their relationship anyway (not that I know them obv!)

My stepdaughter laughs at first when she's appalled or really nervous. It's a reaction. She actually hates it, because a lot of people misinterpret how she's feeling. But it's something she's done since she was small. Her default mode is a people-pleaser, so maybe it's rooted in that.

Maybe Mr Smith is the type to laugh as a reaction first as well. 🤷🏻‍♀️ I assumed years of experience attending these events must have taught him to put on an actor's laugh when jokes ("roasts") come your way. And that the emotional reaction was just delayed.

I also think Chris Rock was out of line. But thought Will Smith was powerful enough in Hollywood these days that he could basically blacklist Mr Rock from working on anything the Smith's are financially backing.

Hate violence but can’t feel sympathy for Chris Rock. Vile thing to say.

Then saw Jada wasn’t happy and overreacted to that, maybe to try to cover up or atone for his initial reaction or to show off that she’s “his”

Spot on I think!

That’s the worst part for me. I’d dump him for that

@MoonOnASpoon

Agree with pps, he laughed. He didn’t overreact to what CR said, but laughed either genuinely or to appear like a good sport. Then saw Jada wasn’t happy and overreacted to that, maybe to try to cover up or atone for his initial reaction or to show off that she’s “his”.

That’s the worst part for me. I’d dump him for that. But I’ve never understood their relationship anyway (not that I know them obv!)

I think it's possible that he overreacted to his wife being upset because he cares about her being upset rather than because she's "his".

It's still all wrong, but DH would have been cross with someone who upset me, even if he hadn't at first realised that what they did would upset me iyswim.

Hmm but if you’re wife’s upset, why not comfort her, apologise to her for laughing, maybe have it out with CR later and tell him to apologise. If I was upset by the joke, I would be more upset by my H making a giant twat of himself and drawing attention to the whole situation.

I’m as middle class as they come and I was inwardly cheering to see that smug look wiped off Chris Rock’s face like that. A nasty bully getting his just desserts.

If WS had held his cool and during his acceptance speech educated the audience and even Chris about the alopecia condition it would have turned the table on Chris and Chris would have had to apologize.

@ArmWrestlingWithChasNDave

Ooh get you being so brave and saying "it". Bold of you to assume everybody is as ignorant as you and we're all just afraid to say it.

Yeah this. What a snobbish and smug post.

@Notwithittoday

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

Not at all. I’m nearly 60 and I was appalled at WS’s behaviour. I find it very triggering when I see it replayed on the TV. It was an out of control violent act against another human being. Makes me feel anxious and sick.

CR was wrong to joke and jibe about her hair like he did (actually he went of sanctioned script to do it) and didn’t read the room about it not being ok to poke fun about sensitive conditions.

WS’s behaviour was a criminal act.

I actually don't really get the toxic masculinity argument either. Fortunately my mum is in remission now, but six years ago she temporarily lost her hair when undergoing cancer treatment. I'm a woman, if I'd been out in the street with my mum and a member of the public had made a nasty joke about her hair loss, I'd have been tempted to hit them in a similar manner to Will Smith. It's not toxic to say it's not okay to bully people for their disabilities.

The whole thing reminds me of school, where the "popular," kids would bully/ taunt someone due to their disabilities and would then whine how "unfair," it was when the disabled kid they were taunting physically hit them back.

Would it make a difference to the situation if we found out that Chris Rock didn’t know she had alopecia? Because if he thought she just had a shaved head as a fashion statement or for a role, the joke becomes acceptable, no?

Victim blaming is victim blaming and it all over all theses threads/ the whole internet.

There is a class divide in attitudes and prevalence of physical violence and attitudes to women and masculinity.

@Sharrowgirl

Would it make a difference to the situation if we found out that Chris Rock didn’t know she had alopecia? Because if he thought she just had a shaved head as a fashion statement or for a role, the joke becomes acceptable, no?

I mean probably not as bad but it's still not funny. It's also got homophobic undertones due to Jada being bisexual.

I was more annoyed that this incident was headline news on the BBC including radio 2, ahead of real news like Ukraine.

If it was staged for attention and ratings, it worked.

Don’t think so. DH said they were debating it in the office yesterday and only two people sided with Will, both young women and one is the boss’s daughter so very middle class and wealthy.

@ThePennyJustDropped

I read Will's autobiography last year. There are a few bits where Will mentions Jada being cross or frustrated by his over the top gestures and displays. I felt quite sorry for her when I read it, but respected how he included stuff that didn't show him in a good light. The slap last night just made me feel more sorry for Jada, I would assume she was embarrassed by the "joke" and by Will's reaction. I hope she's ok.

Side note, I think he deserved the Oscar, shame it's not celebrated for the achievement it should be today thanks to his bad temper. He's a terrific actor.

Yes agree with this dynamic. If you follow him on SM, Will Smith has a huge ego. He pumps out a lot of crap. I don't think he is a wholly bad guy, just needs to stop being so much of an idiot.