Will Smith Slaps Chris Rock

I almost never comment on things that aren't political, but I'm making an exception because of the things on Facebook I've read about people's opinions about what went down at the Oscars. 

First things first - there are consequences for the things you say. No one knows that better than a political blogger. Chris Rock got a lesson in that up-close and personal. Also, violence isn't the answer. 

Both can be true at the same time. 

I 100% understand why Will Smith did what he did. 

Here's a link to a story about what happened if you somehow have managed to not know about this yet. 

People have been all over the place about this "entanglement" as it were, so let me address some of the common themes I've been hearing. First is - Chris Rock is a comedian and Will Smith shouldn't take it personally. Well they are also both humans and in comedy, what makes a lot of things funny is the kernel of truth in the idea expressed. Comedians are one of the last groups of people that can push the envelope about what is acceptable. They are the mirror held up to our society. Often they find humor in dark places and it is said that they are the last people that should be "censored".

All true.

But being a comedian doesn't give you a license to be an asshole. There's no special pass you get because you didn't really mean what you said or it was just a joke. 

Thats not real. 

Comedians push the envelope, yes. But sometimes they push it so far that they have to face consequences for what they say. Chris Rock isn't the first comedian to face consequences for things he said. Ask Louis CK. Ask Michale Richards. Ask a whole host of comedians that tested that boundary and found out there is such a thing as going too far. 

Another thing I hear is people say - well, Will Smith didn't have a problem with it until he say Jada's reaction to it. Yeah, so what? Lets say for the sake of argument that is a true statement. Who cares? If a man took something some way and then saw that it hurt his wife, he's allowed to change his mind. 

And lets speak the truth here - Chris Rock was mocking Jada's medical condition on national television for the sake of humiliating her for a laugh. Many women see their hair as part of their identity, particularly women of color. 

I just don't see anything wrong with a man wanting to defend his wife from someone making fun of her medical condition in one of the most-broadcast events of the year. 

Another thing I hear people say is well, Will didn't do anything to the guy what was banging his wife and yet he slaps a comedian? He's a bully. Yeah, bullshit. First of all, the two have nothing to do with one another and if you have to mention Will being a victim of infidelity in one breath and then call him a bully in another, you clearly have issues. His wife's infidelity has nothing to do with him choosing to stand up for her while another man is mocking her - another person of color no less - on a global stage, for the sake of jokes. Seriously I don't understand the point of conflating the two. You think because she cheated on him that she somehow has it coming? 

I thought we were passed the whole slut-shaming thing.

She cheated on Will Smith. How they dealt with that is between them. I'll get personal here - a lot of people have been guilty of infidelity and did so for any number of reasons. I'll be real with y'all - I've done it in relationships in my past. Never in a marriage, but I've done it and I'm not proud of it. I've also been the victim of it - and it took that happening to me, to really understand the impact of what I had done in my past. Criticize me for that all you want, I accept my faults. 

When you're married and you cheat, you don't just cheat on the spouse - you cheat on a family. You're not only unfaithful to someone you made a vow to - you're unfaithful to your family as a unit. How they got through that situation is between their family - and we don't know what that process looked like. We don't know if Will Smith ever confronted the guy. 

But it isn't relevant to what happened at the Oscars unless you're somehow making the argument that she deserved that to happen for cheating on Will Smith. 

A black man defended a black woman on national television and everyone is having a heart attack about it. We should NORMALIZE defending women. I mean, thats what I hear so many people profess that we SHOULD do - until it happens apparently. 

People read my blog because they know I'm gonna tell it like it is. That means, I don't write anything I wouldn't say to someone's face. I think about that when I write something. Its one of the first filters I put my writing through. They reality is there are consequences for what you say. I've had to deal with that - so I understand it. 

Chris Rock got served what he dishes and he didn't like it - and I don't feel sorry for him. When did a man defending his wife become a bad thing? Are all men supposed to be fucking Ted Cruz now? 

Not me homes, I ain't the one. 

I've had a significant other mocked for her appearance. I'll slap the shit out of the guy if I ever see him, so I can completely understand Will Smith wanting to defend his wife. 

Also, just do a little background on Will Smith's personal life. He has carried guilt for not standing up to his father for him abusing his mother. So now as a grown man, I can 100% see him not willing to tolerate another man causing harm to a woman in his life. 

Its all fun and games until the vato is standing in front of you...