Oscars: What Will Smith’s slap and apology tell us – BBC News

But the rude joke, Smith’s violent reaction, and the unaffected continuation of the awards ceremony have sparked a heated debate about what it means to “protect women” and a discussion of America’s clearly tolerant culture of violence.

Comedian Amy Schumer eased the mood after an advertising break for the awards ceremony, joking that “the mood has changed,” which didn’t do much, seeming to admit that Locke wasn’t the only one surprised, but in vain Trying to soothe the mood after an ad break.

Some joked that Smith was taking a serious approach, playing his bad-boy character Mike Lowrey. But others found the brawl shocking.

In a since-deleted tweet, director Judd Apatow said Smith had “lost his mind” by “potentially killing” Chris Rock. There were even calls for his arrest and charges of assault.

But actress Tiffani Haddish praised Smith for protecting his wife, and many agreed with her.

“Maybe the world might not like it developing this way, but for me, it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” she told PEOPLE.

Haddish, who co-starred with Jada Smith in “Girl Trip,” said black women are often the targets of jokes and ridicule, so seeing a black man stand up for his wife “It means a lot to me”.

Many black Americans noticed that, ironically, Chris Rock, who made the documentary Good Hair, talked about the importance of hair in black culture, only to joke about Jada Smith’s choice of hairstyle.

Jada Smith is one of many women who have recently come out publicly about her battle with alopecia, a form of alopecia commonly known as “ghost shaving,” which affects many black women.

Will Smith won his first Oscar later that night for his role as Richard Williams in King Richard (King Richard, King Richard, Kings Family) Accepting the award, he tearfully apologized to the organizers, who initially refused to apologize to Locke.

“I have been called all my life to love and protect people … drama is like life,” Smith said.

He went on to dedicate the award to his mother, acknowledging that “a lot of things are complicated for me at this time as well”.

The line was featured on radio host Lenard McKelvey’s show. On his popular radio show The Breakfast Club, McKelvey said he thought Locke’s joke was a small part of Smith’s lashing out.

“I don’t know what the reason is, but for Will to react like this, he has something deep inside him that we don’t know,” he said.

Smith spoke candidly about growing up in a family plagued by domestic violence. In the first chapter of his autobiography, Will opens with a tragic account of his father attacking his mother. The actor wrote that the event defined his childhood and, ultimately, his career.

“Everything I’ve done since then…I offer my mother a paltry apology for my inaction that day,” Smith wrote, “no matter how successful I become…there is a subtle and silent The feeling was always beating in my head: I’m a coward.”

Psychologist Dr. Jacqui Lewis, who has read Smith’s book but not the actor in person, said she hoped Smith would turn to another way to protect his family.

“Sometimes something happens and doesn’t want to live the way he wants, which can happen to any of us,” she said. “He doesn’t want to be the guy who hits like his father, but that’s what happened last night.”

The feud between Smith and Locke shattered the semblance of perfection that often surrounds celebrities, but Lewis said we should use it to examine how violence is the norm in our culture.

“We live in an age of violence: language, body, emotion, territory, political discourse and humor are violent. Chris Rock is violent too,” she said. “It’s all interconnected, the violence is happening everywhere and it’s equally shocking, can we say enough is enough?”

“Do we want violence against violence? I don’t.”

In a lengthy statement posted to Instagram on Monday night, Smith apologized for what he described as “unacceptable and inexcusable” behavior and said he was in “constant self-reflection.”

“All forms of violence are toxic and destructive,” the actor wrote. “I’m embarrassed that my actions don’t show who I want to be. A world full of love and kindness has no place for violence.”

The actor also apologized directly to Chris Rock, writing: “I crossed the line, I was wrong.”

Many netizens, including McKelvey, praised Locke for taking the blow silently and remaining calm enough to continue the ceremony.

“I care about Chris Rock and Will Smith, two legends. Two gods. I personally don’t like seeing this between two black people,” he said. “We all laughed, but that The other end of the slap is still another person.”

Both Smith and Rock are comedians, and as the saying goes, the best jokes don’t get knocked down. Oscar said it has now opened an investigation into the altercation and Smith.

If Smith has anything to learn from the new prince and this incident, it’s that “a little fight” can change the course of your life.