Will Smith slaps Chris Rock at Academy Awards Ceremony

[Storm Hess]

The slap heard around the world....

I haven't watched the Oscars in years but saw online that during the Oscars ceremony actor Will Smith (who won an Oscar that evening) walked up on stage during the live ceremony and slapped presenter and comedian Chris Rock across the face for a joke that Chris Rock made about Will Smith's wife's hair. She shaved her head due apparently in part from having an alopecia condition (hair loss).

I'm interested in seeing opinions here on the subject.

Some people are lauding Will Smith as a hero, a gallant and chivalrous man who defended his wife after she was insulted and believe that Chris Rock deserved being hit.

Others view Will Smith as out of line and inappropriate and that violence isn't an acceptable response to words.

Some are saying that it's a display of so called "toxic masculinity" and has no place. Do some people who normally believe "toxic masculinity" is a prevalent problem in society today also laud Will Smith for what he did? That would be hypocritical. You can't have it both ways.

What are your thoughts on the subject?

I couldn't care less. Haven't even seen the video. Celebrity culture is a disease.

 

[Mary Terry]

@Judge would probably be able to speak to this, but I don't think "verbal assault" is an actual crime from a legal perspective. Slander, defamation of character are legal issues, but I don't think the joke enters into those areas. I've also never heard of a legal situation where someone physically assaults another person as an aggressor in response to words, insults, etc and the words one says "cancel out" the crimes of assault and battery.

There is an old common law defense to assault and battery in the US. Probably in the UK, too. It is called the "fighting words" defense. If someone says something that a reasonable person would be incensed about and moved to become physical about, then the offended person who assaults the speaker can offer the "fighting words" defense.

I think Will Smith was totally out of line and missed a great opportunity to verbally explain to Chris Rock and to people who think Rock is funny, what alopecia is all about. Smith messed up royally, IMHO.

 

[Mary Terry]

It's not clear to me that Chris Rock was aware that this woman was suffering
from anything. I know I have seen other women with their heads shaved
like that, and it was for style, not a disease. Seen around where I live,
not *celebrities.*

Chris Rock didn’t know Jada Pinkett Smith had alopecia before Oscars
Did Chris Rock Know Jada Pinkett Smith Has Alopecia?

I've seen women - and men - who lose their hair due to cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and would never, never comment on how they look. Whether Rock knew or did not know of Jada's medical condition is irrelevant; he was totally out of line to comment on her appearance. I get it that he is a "comedian" entertainer who roasts and insults other people to make money but bad taste is bad taste. Chris Rock is bad taste.

 

[Captain Jigglypuff]

I still think Chris sort of was asking for it once he started to make jokes about baldness caused by a medical condition. Will was wrong to hit Chris but Chris was the more offensive of the two. Women are often shunned by others if they are bald or have very little hair. They can’t help having hair loss or stop it from happening. But Chris has the ability to not make such jokes in poor taste. Will just acted without thinking out of anger which is something we all have done before. Chris is the one that should be apologizing and be placed under scrutiny. Will only slapped one person. Chris offended hundreds of women.