The Fresh Prince wants the world to love him again, writes Fiona Sturges. But he’s going about it the wrong way, with the most tortured career resurrection in recent times
The Fresh Prince wants the world to love him again, writes Fiona Sturges. But he’s going about it the wrong way, with the most tortured career resurrection in recent times
Didn’t he punch some guy in the face for making a joke? Pretty sure I’ve never done that…
Chris rock.
He made a joke about Jada’s Alocopeia (the hair condition thing, if I spelled that right.) and also some jokes about their open relationship.
So, most of us can understand the impulse, I imagine. And most of us have enough sense not to make fun of medical conditions on a stage that large. To their face.
Will laughed at the joke just as hard as everyone else, looked back at Jada glaring at him and decided to do a bit of performative violence.
He did that as an apology for laughing, he did that because he thought that’s what Jada wanted in that moment. If some asshole does that in a bar, they get the cops called on them. The whole action was not only cringe, it was as much of an act as his entire bullshit speech when they actually let him accept an award later.
The Oscar’s should have stopped the show and had the police escort him out. Instead they awarded him later. Chris Rock made him look like such a bitch in his tour a few years later, it was beautiful. That man acted appropriately, and got his back later.
I can’t imagine looking at this action in the whole and seeing any justification. Which is why he’s finding a come back so hard.
Ya’ll tell on yourselves too much when you say things like “most.”
Seems like you understand it quite well.
You’ll notice there’s a difference between understanding a motivation or impulse and acting on it, or indeed, condoning the act.
And we can also quite happily describe what Will did as wrong, just as we can be critical of Chris for making the joke in the first place.
That you seem think Will’s action invalidates any inappropriateness in Chris’s actions is itself pretty telling.
IMO they both suck. And we can say what the Oscar’s should have done with Will. I don’t really care. Cops aren’t going to press charges if the person assaulted doesn’t call for it regardless of where it happened. But also Oscar’s should have vetted that speech and been like “maybe don’t make fun of a person’s medical condition.” Which likely would have headed the whole matter off. Details.
That doesn’t warrant getting on stage to slap a guy. And… As a guy, who slaps another guy? If you’re at the point of violence, who wouldn’t just throw a punch? Slapping another guy is embarrassing in and of itself.
I didn’t say it did, don’t put words in my mouth.
I did say I understood the impulse.
As for slapping instead of punching? Me.i would.
Broken hands are not fun; and once you’re there, you’re gonna want your hand working afterwards.
A well-delivered slap can ring the recipient’s bell. Even so, the chances of breaking your metacarpals with a punch are exaggerated, unless you’re making a square strike against bone and have a lot of punching power. The martial-arts rule of thumb is “don’t hit something hard with something hard.” Because of hand-wrapping and gloves, boxers don’t need to consider that, and can mess up their hands if they fight barehanded and don’t know better. Hence the stories of broken hands.
Not that I think Will Smith is anything but a pampered entertainer.
Also, the symbolism of slapping is significant. It was Smith giving Rock his bitch hand.