The clock is ticking and I’ve got nothing to post, so I suppose I’ll opine on recent events.
Mostly I agree with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (and I’m deeply disappointed in Ayanna Pressley).
I keep wondering if Smith would have done the same thing if Amy Schumer or Wanda Sykes or Ricky Gervais had made the same joke. Something tells me he wouldn’t. The only person who can be assaulted in full view of 16 million people and nothing be done about it is a black man in America. (In fact, the assailant received a standing ovation minutes later. America!)
I’m also not buying the self-serving apology issued by Smith (or, more likely, his reps), or the image control BS from Pinkett-Smith.
As I write this I don’t think there’s been a statement from Rock. I gotta say I totally respect his professionalism in that moment and his willingness to put the show, his professional responsibility, in front of his own response.
Bad jokes are not a crime. Assault is a crime. If slapping people for bad taste was a thing, Smith never would have physically recovered from Wild, Wild West. Or Legend of Baggar Vance. Or Pursuit of Happyness. Or After Earth.
Now imagine this scene – Smith storms the stage, grabs the mic, says alopecia is no joking matter and he does not appreciate the joke, tells Rock he should be ashamed of exhibiting such poor taste, and then leaves the theater. Pinkett-Smith picks up the award, thanks folks, and gives a shout-out to Pressly for recently passing the CROWN act (alopecia affects black women disproportionatley because of the heat, chemicals, and tight styles that pull at the hair, styles they are often compelled to have because natural black hair is seen by many whites as ‘unprofessional’). The next day we’re all talking about hair justice and not trying to figure out why so many people are exulting about a another assault on another black man on national television.
(100 Days of Blogging: Post 058 of 100)