I’d have slapped him too!

This rant probably needs no introduction to what it’s about - but to start us of…I’d have slapped him too! Yes, Will Smith, slapping Chris Rock after the comedian thought it a good idea to poke fun at Jada Pinkett Smith’ alopecia.

Now I get comedians often get close to the line or just the wrong side of it and we all laugh along at awkward or sinister jokes sometimes (think Ricky Gervais for awkwardness or Jimmy Carr for darkness) but mocking someone for a medical condition is just not acceptable.

What I struggle with though is the backlash aimed at Will Smith from the public, authorities and co-Actors. Also, to clarify, this rant isn’t a Chris Rock witch-hunt, it’s the reaction to Will Smiths reaction that has me amazed.

Let’s take them names away for a moment and replace them Bill Smyth and Craig Cock. One night, in a local bar Bill is having a drink with his Wife Julia who has alopecia. Craig enters the bar and seeing Julia makes a joke about her condition, provoking Bill to approach Craig and slap him for offending his Wife. I suspect anyone in ear shot of this situation would’ve reacted the exact same way and would actually praise Bill for defending his Wife, as that’s what husbands/fathers do; they protect their families and loved ones. They don’t standby and let scumbags offend them. They’re human after all and humans have emotions.

Now once Bill, Julia and Craig become famous, expectations require such situations to be absorbed of human emotion and replaced by order and a calm head. Although we don’t want a world of hot heads and angry people, humans can’t always be expected to remain cool and calm when inexcusably provoked - it’s what separates us from the machines!!! Also, just because a famous person is paid excessive amounts of money, treated to luxury and lavished with gifts at global events, such as the Oscars does not mean they are any less human than us lot in the pub. It’s as if being famous means you’re expected to be void of emotion and take abuse because you’re a role model or paid well.

It reminds me of public reactions you come across in sports, notable example being when Eric Cantona Kung-Fu kicked an opposing football fan after being sent off in a game in January 1995. The opposing fan had taken this opportunity to run 20 rows to the touch line and shout abuse at Cantona about his nationality and his Mother (I’ll spare you the exact words). Cantona (often a victim of abuse from opposing fans) physically assaulted the fan and long story short was banned for 9-months and sentenced to community service (which was eventually converted to coaching local young kids, so a silver lining to the story). However, the immediate aftermath was excessive with Cantona being vilified and expected to be thrown out of the game forever - because he didn’t take kindly to verbal abuse?

Again, I’m by no means comparing Chris Rock to a racist football fan but rather making a comparison with the victims reaction that can occur when one is exposed to personal insults and how just because someone’s famous they’re expected to transcend human emotion.

Now don’t get me wrong, this isn’t some means of inciting violence to go around slapping anyone who verbally abuses you (it’s not), but when it crosses a certain line, such as someone’s medical condition, then I can’t blame someone reacting to it. Where does the joke stop? Should we mock someone for having epilepsy, cancer, AIDS?

Also, I’m unsure as to why Will Smiths punishment is so hasty. He immediately apologised and withdrew from the Actors Academy…I think the self awareness and remorse for his actions were sufficient. However, as is often the case, the authorities always have to throw in extra for good measure with Will Smith now banned from the Oscars for a decade. I suspect even Chris Rock wouldn’t have wanted this or any of the backlash received by Will Smith. I suspect he saw the error of his joke and hoped it too would quickly be forgotten about.

As ever though we always have to take a stance and set a precedent for people’s actions. Ignore the context of the situation and just focus on the actions of Will Smith and not the instigator or provocateur.

This ban, coming from an industry that enabled Harvey Weinstein to conduct his predatory behaviour for decades…something Ricky Gervais mocked at a previous Oscars, which was a joke I could get behind given the various people who had enabled it and were now nervous they’d be exposed too.

The cynical side of me wonders if this same treatment would’ve happened to a Brad Pitt, Christian Bale, Leonardo DiCaprio…yes…a white man. Now I’m not going to unpack this issue here, but I’ll leave it for you to ponder…my verdict is no. Definitely not.

Whatever your thoughts on famous people, their money, lifestyle and regardless of other circumstances, someone defending a loved one who has been abused even in a ‘mocking environment’ shouldn’t be the villain. Yes, perhaps the authorities have to be seen acting in a certain way, but I think the world should stop attacking Will Smith…he is human after all.