Male violence at the Oscars

[RoseslnTheHospital]

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.

There is a big world out there outside our viewpoint in First World England. There's a lot of people in England who will agree with Smith!

Will Smith has been cuckolded quite publicly by his wife and this, in the eyes of some, will most definitely have helped him reclaim some of his manhood/respect/whatever you want to call it.
Some/many people most definitely agree that he was within his rights to slap Chris Rock.

If you put this on a global scale, across different countries to 500 million people, you're going to get a hell of a lot of people respecting Smith for his 'actions.'

As Bree Larsson put it when talking about one of her films, "this event wasn't made for you."

@BeforeGodAndAllTheFish

So, according to "a source," Chris didnt know about her alopecia. He doesnt follow them or what they're doing so didnt know. The joke wasnt scripted, and he just saw her sitting in the front row with her shaved head and made a joke. He didnt know the background. Maybe explains why he looked to Will and said "it was a G.I. Jane Joke" with that bemused look he had.

Really?

CR is hosting on the top awards ceremony of the movie business. Its broadcast live°, all over the world, scripted and time slotted. Its rehearsed for a reason.

°Live plus a delay, in the US after the flashing incident live events normally have a delay to allow producers to censore the broadcast.

Yet CR who knows nothing about her or her personal history and decides to draw world wide attention to her lack of hair?
After 20+ years as a stand up comedian CR has no idea at all why a woman 40 - 50 may have not hair?

If her hair was the punchline what was the opening line of the joke we were all to laugh at.

Has any 'source' explained the joke yet?

I think his display of aggressive physicality was meant for everyone. That's the point of that kind of display. To intimidate not just the target, but those watching too.

Of course this kind of aggressive behaviour will play well with those who hold sexist or openly misogynist views about women. It panders to the idea of women belonging to men, and men needing to defend their own "honour" if "their" woman is insulted. Just because Smith is being cheered on by people who hold those views doesn't make his behaviour acceptable, justified or right. Even if there are 500 million of them.

[quote NoNever]@youvegottenminuteslynn

Yes, I’ve seen it. It rings fake to me. That is was stupid/bad pr doesn’t change how I see it. So was Justin Timberlake ripping Janet Jackson’s shirt, but it still happened.[/quote]
Screaming "take my wife's name out of your fucking mouth" repeatedly is not something that any pr person is ever going to have set up.

It is proper tinfoil hat territory to suggest otherwise. Things do, in fact, happen.

@SolasAnla

I want agreeing with him or the joke. I was just posting a version if events that has been reported.

And what do you mean by has someone explained the joke yet? What do you need explained? Jokes dont need an opener and a punch line. One liners references something in popular culture are pretty standard jokes. And yeah, at these events, it's pretty normal to roast the audience and make jokes at the expense of the celebrities in attendance. It's been the way of award ceremonies for years. The hosts of the awards made a lot more crass and horrible jokes, other presenters made jokes. It isnt unusual.

@RoseslnTheHospital

I think his display of aggressive physicality was meant for everyone. That's the point of that kind of display. To intimidate not just the target, but those watching too.

Of course this kind of aggressive behaviour will play well with those who hold sexist or openly misogynist views about women. It panders to the idea of women belonging to men, and men needing to defend their own "honour" if "their" woman is insulted. Just because Smith is being cheered on by people who hold those views doesn't make his behaviour acceptable, justified or right. Even if there are 500 million of them.

Indeed.

Indeed. I'd be surprised if Smith wasn't being cheered on by many.

Male violence is endemic.

Which is why people are normalising it. From claiming Chris Rock deserved it, to saying it's bad, but understandable.

Chris Rock knows not to talk about black womens hair

He did a documentary with basically the ‘moral’ being dont talk about black womens hair

Whether he knew about the alopecia or not

(And no…I don’t think smith should have hit him)

@NoNever

Their facial expressions and obvious waiting to see audience reaction between the joke, the slap, the first declaration, followed by the louder declaration…..it doesn’t feel right. And yes, I’ve seen the “apology.” Janet Jackson apologized too - saying it was a wardrobe malfunction when it was obviously intentional. The stunt flopped, it’s an easy out.

I’m totally okay with others disagreeing. I see actors acting. I don’t believe them.

Was TC acting here ⬇️or making his point while working?

People forget that smiling and being seen to be laughing at the funny one liners is part of the work of acting and stand up.

As far as I am aware the UK producers stopped production of that program (based around assaulting people in the public eye) after that incident. It may have been that TC pointed out he could sue all involved and have the bloke charged, or that they realised it was not funny after TC pointed it out in very simple calm way.

@NoNever

Their facial expressions and obvious waiting to see audience reaction between the joke, the slap, the first declaration, followed by the louder declaration…..it doesn’t feel right. And yes, I’ve seen the “apology.” Janet Jackson apologized too - saying it was a wardrobe malfunction when it was obviously intentional. The stunt flopped, it’s an easy out.I’m totally okay with others disagreeing. I see actors acting. I don’t believe them.

Judging from that comment, you don't understand anything at all about how acting works, how PR works, or how humans work.

I have seen this theory being promoted on twitter by the usual suspects such as "Dr" [sic] gillian mckeith and the [redacted] Right Said Fred.

It's very very silly.

Rufus
I think everyone should watch Good Hair - it might stop schools & workplaces from saying black girls & women have untidy/messy/unsuitable/unprofessional hair & all the resultant damage. Or at least help a little.

I don’t think that Smith should be let off lightly/his behaviour dismissed, but when people insist with such certainty on their interpretation (which is made even less likely by his not having reacted immediately/initially laughing, now I think of it) it weakens the the justifiable criticisms of what he actually did.

I've seen many tweets by African American women and men saying that white women need to shut up about this issue and we always centre ourselves because we have no clue what's going on.
From what I can gather black women have been the butt of jokes over there, amongst other things, and they're tired of it. Forbes published an article with the heading Why Are Jokes Always At The Expense of Black Women?
Which obviously isn't true. Comedy is often "offensive" and always has been. Didn't Ricky Gervais roast everyone at a ceremony fairly recently and what of that Jimmy Carr traveller "joke"? Surely we can't go around banning and smacking every comedian who says something that stings.

I wonder how many of the people here would have a different opinion if someone was verbally abusive to you and your husband just stood idly by.....
Personally I'd be horrified if my husband punched someone if they insulted me in the same way he'd be horrified if I punched someone for insulting him. We do not use violence - we are not fucking gorillas.
I am also disgusted at the justification about his childhood. I know many men who grew up in violent households who abhor violence.
And we wonder why domestic violence is soaring ... the message is that you can punch someone if it's "justifiable". Everybody who punches another will have his/her own justification.

I agree. Both have cheeky little grins immediately after.

You can’t take a micro expression from a snapshot and apply this kind of conclusion. That’s ridiculous.

Janet Jackson apologized too - saying it was a wardrobe malfunction when it was obviously intentional.

Yes, Jackson was thrown under the bus for that one. And none of it was intentional on her part.

@BeforeGodAndAllTheFish

One liners references something in popular culture are pretty standard jokes.

CR sees JS, sees her hair, says GI Jane 2, takes a bow, comes back a second time with something to reinforce the one liner.

So assume CR never thought possibly cancer or hair loss.

Whats the cultural reference for him and her and us?

I was not aware that CR had done a movie around the culture around black womens hair. Even without that there has been so much talk about hair straightening and the Afro and the perm virtually disappearing from movies and from TV. CR cant claim he was unaware that hair "presentation" has cultural inferences.
Note the hairstyles⬇️ and the choice is more a woman than man issue.

And yeah, at these events, it's pretty normal to roast the audience and make jokes at the expense of the celebrities in attendance.

So you think that the line was not a complementary one, it was made at the expense of JS?

Whats the pouplar cultural reference?
We were all to reference an image, picture JS as the image which we could laugh at, it was a putdown for people to laugh at.
So the queston is whats the image?

@BeforeGodAndAllTheFish
I was just posting a version if events that has been reported.

Sorry BeforeGodAndAllTheFish to avoid miscommunication.
I was questioning the intention of the 'source' explaining CR's comment; which helpfully means CR can avoid further public statements on his choices.
I was not commenting on your views on CR or WS.👍

NitroNine

Rufus
I think everyone should watchGood Hair- it might stop schools & workplaces from saying black girls & women have untidy/messy/unsuitable/unprofessional hair & all the resultant damage. Or at least help a little.

I dont think that people understand how deeply ingrained that bias is in almost all white cultures.
Would they realise that the cultrual significance of putting womens hair up and hem down remains.

"Jada is an example of the possible repercussions of airing your private life to the public"

I suspect there is a very good reason why Jada decided to do that with her Red Table Talk show.

I suspect she decided that airing her private life and all the dirty laundry herself, under her own control, framing and creating her own narrative about it, was the only way to prevent another entity from using that information to blackmail and control her.

If the circumstances are as some stories say, it is a damn smart move on Jada's part.

Ivy Twines said ..."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."

If Melania took offence at something Rock said and Trump got up and slapped him would that be ok?

@CarlRogersCat
Personally I'd be horrified if my husband punched someone if they insulted me in the same way he'd be horrified if I punched someone for insulting him. We do not use violence - we are not fucking gorillas.

Gorillas are very peaceful animals. It's a bit concerning that you went for that reference, though...

@Childrenofthestones

Ivy Twines said ..."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."

If Melania took offence at something Rock said and Trump got up and slapped him would that be ok?

Then she took it back

Gorillas are very peaceful animals. It's a bit concerning that you went for that reference, though...

In what way? Where did your mind go?

@LondonWolf on a thread about an alteration between 2 black men? Where do you think it went sweetie?

@LondonWolf

Gorillas are very peaceful animals. It's a bit concerning that you went for that reference, though...

In what way? Where did your mind go?

I'm not white so I am quite alert to subtle and not so subtle racism. Sorry if that needed explicitly stating. I thought it was pretty obvious.

[quote Porcupineintherough]@LondonWolf on a thread about an alteration between 2 black men? Where do you think it went sweetie?[/quote]
Your mind went there didn't it? Why would it if you weren't making that correlation yourself? Mine didn't go there till I saw your post. Why are you calling me "sweetie" when you're clearly furious? 😁. Don't give yourself away like that.