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Original poster

Male violence at the Oscars

206 replies

RoseslnTheHospital · 28/03/2022 09:23

Is anyone else disappointed at the reaction to Will Smith's display of aggression at the Oscars? I am really surprised that they didn't have any security staff to remove him from the room when it was apparent what he had done. Everyone there just seemed paralysed into inaction. And then to see all those other men (Denzel Washington, Tyler Perry, Bradley Cooper) consoling and reassuring him, rather than escorting him out.

I'm also disappointed by the wider reaction, with so many people justifying his behaviour due to the (unfunny and vile) joke about his wife. I also think that it's a massive shame for Venus and Serena, that he has won an Oscar for a film about their lives, and yet this is the focus.

OP posts:
BeforeGodAndAllTheFish · 28/03/2022 10:22

@tabbycatstripy

Of course he's got away with it. He's won an Oscar and had hundreds of thousands of hours' worth of attention. He hasn't been arrested (which is what should happen when someone is violent). So far he hasn't been sued. I hope he is.
It would end Chris Rock's career if he sued Smith or filed a police report.

The split on twitter is pretty 50/50 with regards to whether or not Will was wrong to slap him. If he goes to the police or sues will then the 50% of people who are defending Smith will turn that to bashing chris rock and trying to ruin him. The supporters of Chris will be much quieter.

Right now, the story is about the slap. With the joke obviously being mentioned but the story is Will Smith slapping him. If he sues, the story becomes about the joke and probably about all the jokes he has ever made which have cut close to the quick. He cant sue or file charges. He'd be done.

WinterTrees · 28/03/2022 10:24

@Clymene

Nimco Ali is on Women's hour now talking about this. She is talking about what he does in private if he behaves like this in public.
Interesting discussion on Woman's Hour. Nimco Ali absolutely spot on in her analysis of a violent man with a massive ego. Shappi Khorsandi wibbling about on the fence and failing to condemn a horrible display of toxic masculinity or make any coherent points at all, really.

How Jada Pinkett-Smith must have felt in the moment and afterwards I can only imagine. I would be utterly disgusted and furious. (If she's on MN - 'AIBU to be FUMING with DH?') Will Smith, in supposedly 'defending' her, totally took away her ability to deal with it in her own way and has made it all about him. And about a million times worse.

WinterTrees · 28/03/2022 10:26

Sorry itwasntme - didn't see your comment before posting to essentially say the same thing!

spacehardware · 28/03/2022 10:26

Agree with all of the above re his property being disrespected, and Nimco Ali. Shudder

Thought he was one of the good guys. Wasn't aware he has form for this, very disappointing

Clymene · 28/03/2022 10:28

Yeah @WinterTrees Khorsandi sounded like she'd forgotten she was was on Women's Hour and thought she was on Just a Minute.

Crawfishspots · 28/03/2022 10:29

I’m really disappointed, I liked him as an actor and thought he was a good person.
Violence is completely unacceptable and he should have been removed from the ceremony. And I agree if he behaves like that in front of millions how does he behave behind closed doors? I also can’t fathom why other actors were consoling him and why he was allowed to go up and accept his award to applause? I dislike chris rock and his humour but violence isn’t acceptable.

littlbrowndog · 28/03/2022 10:30

Just wrong wrong wrong

Hitting someone is wrong

Goofbawl · 28/03/2022 10:31

Yes and yes re: him defending his property. I completely understand the impulse to step in and defend a loved one if they’re being attacked, but I can stand up for myself if I’m being insulted. If I feel the need to.
If I was Jada Pinkett Smith I would be furious with him for doing that on my account.

DarleneSnell · 28/03/2022 10:36

He is a disgrace. I was huge fan, thought he was one of the good guys.

The fact he laughed to begin with, and now the footage of him partying away with his Oscar afterwards. He's not worried. But hey, this is a society where words are actual violence and some people are infinitely more equal than others.

IvyTwines · 28/03/2022 10:41

Maybe it's a class thing, but I'm fine with it.

IvyTwines · 28/03/2022 10:43

I'm genuinely surprised by the outrage.

Original poster
RoseslnTheHospital · 28/03/2022 10:44

@IvyTwines so you're ok with men using violence to address things if they get upset with what people say?

OP posts:
tabbycatstripy · 28/03/2022 10:53

'Maybe it's a class thing, but I'm fine with it.'

You're fine with young people watching this and thinking you can just slap your way out of a disagreement?

Also, probably not a class thing. I'm working class myself.

mynameisnotkate · 28/03/2022 10:59

The Guardian has written a sympathetic article about how hard his childhood was and how this explains his reaction. His childhood sounds awful, but I’m sure a lot of violent men have traumatic, violent childhoods, and this doesn’t make their perpetuation of violence ok. Very disappointing.
www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/film/2022/mar/28/will-smith-abusive-childhood-chris-rock-oscars

Snoozer11 · 28/03/2022 11:00

@Clymene

Yeah *@WinterTrees* Khorsandi sounded like she'd forgotten she was was on Women's Hour and thought she was on Just a Minute.
Isn't Khorsandi full on TWAW? Perhaps she thinks Smith's slap doesn't identify as a slap.
spacehardware · 28/03/2022 11:01

"Very disappointing"

Evergreen comment on the guardian tbf

IvyTwines · 28/03/2022 11:02

[quote RoseslnTheHospital]@IvyTwines so you're ok with men using violence to address things if they get upset with what people say?[/quote]
I'm fine with a man getting up and slapping another man who has just mocked the physical appearance of the woman he loves, who has hair loss, in front of an audience of millions of people, yes.

Cleanmean · 28/03/2022 11:04

Can you imagine the reaction and headlines/ terminology if a woman had assaulted someone! Will Smith is completely out of order. Maybe jada's revelations in the last few years made him feel like he had to prove his masculinity in the worst possible way. But he's also proved what an unhinged and violent man he is too. His actions diminished his own work and the work of the many people of colour and women who were nominated and won awards last night.

IvyTwines · 28/03/2022 11:04

@tabbycatstripy

'Maybe it's a class thing, but I'm fine with it.'

You're fine with young people watching this and thinking you can just slap your way out of a disagreement?

Also, probably not a class thing. I'm working class myself.

Middle class people tend to opt for lawyers.
My3cents1 · 28/03/2022 11:04

Ohhh I can only imagine what his like behind closed doors. Disgusting excuse for a human being. Then he goes on to preach about love. Idiot!

IvyTwines · 28/03/2022 11:06

Also rather bizarre to hear it discussed with outrage on BBC Radio 5 this morning, a channel which many evenings hosts, for our listening pleasure, two working class men going into an arena to beat seven shades of shit out of each other just for money.

Original poster
RoseslnTheHospital · 28/03/2022 11:09

"I'm fine with a man getting up and slapping another man who has just mocked the physical appearance of the woman he loves, who has hair loss, in front of an audience of millions of people, yes."

This is just... I mean, we all talk about male violence being the problem, and here is a high profile example of a man using violence in response to words, and so many people are rushing to justify it as totally acceptable. Never mind ignoring the sexism inherent in Smith deciding he was the most upset in that scenario and making it all about him and the possessive way he kept referring to her as "my wife".

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sweetbellyhigh · 28/03/2022 11:10

I was v surprised, he comes across as so cheerful and light but clearly he is harbouring a lot of rage. He must be sitting around a 7 all the time to erupt like that.

Imagine what he does when the public isn't watching 🙈

tabbycatstripy · 28/03/2022 11:16

'Middle class people tend to opt for lawyers.'

This is crass stereotyping. Working class people aren't all violent types who slap people for making bad jokes, you know.

SolasAnla · 28/03/2022 11:21

It was controlled violence with designed humiliation. Open hand to the face by a male on a male is not accidental.

Just using the open hand is designed to limit the damage and allows any fight to continue. WS will have been trained as a boxer for some of his movies. No punch in the stomach to wind or punch in the mouth. Minimum physical damage maximum public spectacle. Using the words "my wife" focus the responsibility on and justification by WS on WS. He's not stupid all of that was a calculated decision.

The O's are about the actors not the characters this film was about MR Williams, father and coach, fighting trying to get the best for his children. Anybody spot a theme?

WS demonstrated why controlled physical violence is an effective tool in forcing behaviours.
The people will sympathise with him because it was controlled. Its shows there is a physical risk associated with saying something when the listener has physical access. Woke cancel culture, woke V cancel culture, so many variations from multiple view points.

The difference imo between a joke and this is that this was personal and an abusive comment. I had seen the clip but could not work out what giJane had to do with her. Roasting, imo required the roastees participation.

He could be charged, as i understand that, Cal has provisions for non-complainant witness prosecution. Introduced to deal with domestic abuse so the video evidence and verbal exchange could be used. So if it was staged CR and producers would have to make a statement to officials.

So its a watch this space and how good are the lawyers involved.