Cheers to Titus on his excellent post about the Oscars. Unfortunately all discussion of movies at the movie award ceremony in 2022 was overshadowed by a lower brand of bread and circuses- the violent kind. I refer of course, to the unplanned (?) slap that Will Smith gave to comedian Chris Rock during his routine.
My first inclination was to approve the use of physical force to defend a reputation; that is what one should do if it happens on the street. “Taking it outside” for a fight is not done much anymore though, just as the practice of dueling has been phased out. And then I remembered: this slap was not done on the street, it was done on camera during a comedy routine. Chris Rock is a jester. Jesters serve a valuable role in a healthy society, and should not be slapped- and that is all common sense should say about this.
Our minds have been blown so much in America lately that alot of people simply don’t know how one should react to an incident like this. Many have looked for which victim card is relevant- blackness, femininity, apolocia health disability - and tried to make a judgment based on that. This grasping at moral straws shows that a basic understanding of morality and human motivations is sorely lacking in America these days.
Chris Rock could have made MUCH meaner jokes about Jada and Will's relationship- but it doesn't make a difference what the content of the joke was though, because it was a joke context.
Note that Will did this for his wife Jada, and she didn’t seem to mind. What Will Smith should really do is listen to old man Denzel Washington- surely the wisest man in Hollywood- who said to him: “At your highest moment, be careful, that’s when the devil comes for you.” Will should go back and watch Denzel’s latest movie- Macbeth- and study the character of Lady Macbeth. The irony will hopefully not be lost on him this time.
" . . .which victim card is relevant..." One wonders how - or if . . .we will ever find our way back.
It's indeed a circus. The tail is still wagging the dog, TV still comes before reality.
https://isi.org/modern-age/tyranny-of-television/