Duncan Grant
Duncan Grant's JournalI say assault and violence is a greater offense than being a comedian.
What’s clear to me is I don’t have to surmise Will Smith’s criminal assault. There’s no lens to enhance or distort his intent and impact. We have a chronology, evidence and agreement. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has condemned Smith and is conducting a formal review. (Had a member of the generally public transgressed the event, the results would have been completely different. That’s another story…)
I can also see how Chris Rock did not escalate, maintained his composure and facilitated an international audience who witnessed physical abuse and trauma with their own two eyes.
At this time, I cannot get past the deranged behavior of Will Smith. Chris Rock wasn’t dangerous or flipped-out, quite the contrary. The two are not equal.
Let's not minimize Will Smith's criminal assault while we're at it.
Lest we be complicit in the attack on an awards show presenter.
Because storming the stage is worse than being a comedian.
Add to that Smith’s assault, screaming expletives, the paucity of accountability…
What we and the international viewers witnessed was criminal assault. It was nauseating and horrendous.
Chris Rock on the other hand, was a presenter, a comic. He was assaulted but managed to remain composed under terrible circumstances. Not only that, he didn’t return the attack physically or verbally. The show went on because Chris Rock saved the day. He rose above Will Smith’s incompetence. It was astounding what he accomplished in that moment before millions of stunned people all over the world.
And that’s why I don’t accommodate false equivalencies saying Smith and Rock are equally at fault — or that they present toxic masculinity equally. The evidence says otherwise.
I was impressed with Rock's ability to stay composed and carry on with the show.
And Will Smith’s tearful speech? Wow, classic abuser BS. It’s nauseating to see his violence rationalized and supported.
Toxic masculinity? Talk about gaslighting!
Will Smith trespassed the stage, assaulted and screamed at a presenter and shocked an international audience. And you think Chris Rock has toxic masculinity? I ain’t buying into that mind f*ck. Serious people understand the gravity of the situation and it rest ever so firmly on Will Smith’s shoulders. He should have been restrained, escorted from the building and arrested — just like any unprivileged schmuck who attacks a presenter on a stage.
Hero? Hardly.
Nothing excuses a man who comes onto an awards show stage and physical assaults and screams at a presenter. There’s no context that makes it appropriate or understandable. His behavior was criminal. Had any of the tech crew or non-Hollywood guests taken these actions, they would have been tackled, restrained and arrested. We would all be thankful someone took action to protect the presenter and event.
Will Smith doesn’t get a pass from me. He’s a disgrace who deserves condemnation and expulsion from the entertainment industry. With any luck, I’ll never have to see or listen to him again.
You're advocating for physical violence. Not a good look.
Nothing Will Smith did was chivalrous or excusable under any circumstances. It was a public assault. Smith should have been detained and arrested, just as any member of the public would have been. The entire episode is a travesty from start to finish.
I’m stunned anyone would be a cheerleader for physical violence here at DU.
Contextualizing violence isn't helpful. It's wrong.
Nothing I saw of Will Smith’s behavior can be excused or explained. There’s no “under the circumstances, I understand why” argument to be made.
Will Smith trespassed, intimated, slapped, assaulted and screamed at a comedian in front of untold millions. In my mind, that’s the real issue, not words or “comedy”. The sick minds thing? That was Will Smith believing he had the right to beat down a comedian at the Academy Awards.
I understand you found the words cruel. That is difficult. I simply find the physical violence and its subsequent “let’s pretend it didn’t happen” response to be appalling and unacceptable. Some corrective action needs to be taken.
Your 2nd paragraph? Wrong. The violence was very significant.
You know who deserves sympathy and purple prose? The worldwide viewing audience. They’re the real victims here, not the Smiths. The fact that Will Smith was allowed to remain in the building and receive a standing ovation is inexcusable.
Efforts to contextualize his violence and assault are disturbing. It’s gaslighting. Nothing about his actions make his behavior chivalrous, understandable or remotely excusable. I don’t need a PR statement/campaign to help me understand what I saw with my own eyes. The violence was significant beyond words.
Will Smith violently assaulted someone and trespassed a public forum.
I don’t know what planet you’re living on but here in reality-land, Will Smith has f***ed himself and his career over for a lifetime. Unacceptable behavior. No excuses.
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