I’m shocked and appalled. I have been a Will Smith fan for quite some time. I have also been a Chris Rock fan for quite some time. I watch the Oscars annually - except this year. Hearing about this incident was disheartening on so many levels.
Comedians Can No Longer Make Jokes
Sadly, in this era of Cancel Culture, it’s a difficult line
of work to be in. Everyone is offended
by everything. That said, I can speak for myself - having no knowledge of Jada’s hair issues - it was a joke. Black woman are almost always seen hair
first, so that it was likely jarring to be the brunt of a hair joke. We have all been there at some point. Assaulting a comedian, however, is just not funny.
Protect Black Women
Say you don’t understand what we mean when we say this rather
than trying to use this slogan to justify this overreaction. There was absolutely nothing to protect. His wife was not in any danger – physically,
mentally, spiritually, financially. Her
reputation/virtue was not under attack. Using this is slogan is overreaching at best and condoning bad behavior at worst.
Place and Time
As a lover of confrontation, I definitely understand (and
wholeheartedly enforce) the theory of catching these hands upon request. However, there are times when discretion
proves to be the better part of valor.
This was such an instance. It was
neither the time nor the place to address an infraction, if deemed so. Dare I say, this was the same woman who
called for a boycott of the Oscars years ago.
Maybe we have forgotten about that. She wanted the awards show to be "blacker." Happy?
Mental Health
I will never vilify Will. He has been dragged for years - for not cussing, for not having a bad reputation, for his marital business, for his children. I do not envy his position in life; it comes with the territory. I often wish he had a better support system. Apparently, someone has veered away from the daily affirmation - "what happens in this house..."
In my opinion, this is what mental breakdown looks like. How much is too much for one person to endure? We point and laugh, make memes of our Black men – Kanye, Will, Bill, R. Kelly - knowing they exhibit the same behaviors as some of the men in our lives...that we keep quiet about...that we don't want anyone to know about. Men we are ashamed of. Men we wish would change. Men we speak about in hushed tones and hope someone somewhere will "talk some sense into him." When will it end?
Recently, we all mourned and posted hashtags regarding suicide
and mental health following the death of Miss USA Cheslie Kryst. We should probably
take a moment to see the seriousness, pause for the yellow flags before they
turn red and DO something. We must get involved because He is you and She is me. We are NOT
ok.
I’m thrilled that Will won an Oscar and against a powerhouse
like Denzel. May his latter days be better…
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