Awards Season 2021

[Kracker]

The Twitterverse seems to all about whataboutisms this week. Anyone who chimes in on the Smith situation and isn't Team Smith is having their sins read to them. Even Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. While there is hypocrisy present, it doesn't make what he said any less true. I'd be surprised if it isn't in the mail for Richard Williams now.

[hearthesilence]

The worst responses I'm seeing on my feeds imply or strongly suggest they'd do the same or ask for the same. Like it's clear they don't see the inherent problem with physically assaulting someone - or better yet, what it's probably like to get assaulted. We could qualify it in this case and say Smith stopped short of seriously beating Rock into a bloody pulp, but the arguments I'm seeing aren't exactly suggesting limits or guidelines to how far you can go. In one case, they repeatedly talk about jumping or being all over the hypothetical person who'd make an offending remark.

It really feels like a disparity in culture and values - there'd be absolutely NO tolerance for this kind of thing where I grew up, but it does bring to mind the culture shock I've had when moving to other places. The short time I was in London, I was stunned how many fist fights would break out, usually near pubs but I can think of any number of incidents that weren't necessarily alcohol-fuled. When talking to an adult (also an American) who had been there for quite some time, he did pick up on that too when he moved there. I vaguely remember his response and may be conflating it with my own, but it was something like an urge to beat someone into a pulp that seemed to be more frequent, and half-jokingly we rationalized that it was probably aided by the lack of guns. That is, you don't have to worry about someone shooting you if you challenged them to a fight. But even that brings to mind something a former teacher of mine said online when one of his students tried to defend Smith's actions - he drew a comparison to what she said to the idiotic turf wars in Chicago that break out into violence, something he's seen firsthand.

[felipe]

The worst responses I'm seeing on my feeds imply or strongly suggest they'd do the same or ask for the same. Like it's clear they don't see the inherent problem with physically assaulting someone - or better yet, what it's probably like to get assaulted. We could qualify it in this case and say Smith stopped short of seriously beating Rock into a bloody pulp, but the arguments I'm seeing aren't exactly suggesting limits or guidelines to how far you can go. In one case, they repeatedly talk about jumping or being all over the hypothetical person who'd make an offending remark.

And it also surprises me that people can't see the difference between themselves and a millionaire celebrity at an awards show. "If it was me I'd do the same" No, somebody making fun of your bald wife on the subway is not the same as a comedian making a joke about people who have been in the spotlight for 30 years.

[flyonthewall2983]

And are friends, at least according to Rock’s statement.

[mfunk9786]

Sources: Academy Lied About Asking Will Smith to Leave Oscars

We're told Will was aware there was talk about asking him to leave the theater. During one of the commercial breaks, we're told Oscars producer Will Packer walked up to Will and said, "We do not want you to leave" ... this according to our sources.

Now, before you get on a high horse about who is reporting this... I do not work for them. Take it at face value, whatever that is for you. For me: I feel about the same about this publication as I do about the Washington Post.

[domino harvey]

That wouldn’t necessarily negate anything we’ve heard, which is that the talks about leaving were directed at Smith’s team, not him directly. And it would not surprise me at all to learn Packer decided to reassure the big star that he wanted him there for his big winning moment, regardless of what anyone or even everyone else wanted behind the scenes, because he’d know full well his speech would garner the kind of mass attention he promised to deliver. Very Network, really.

[captveg]

One aspect that hasn’t been discussed as much is SAG-AFTRA’s apparent strong objections to what happened— note how the Academy instantly changed its tone once they got involved. There is a non-zero chance that they could forbid any members from attending the Oscars for safety reasons, which would be disastrous (as in ceremony-ending) for the Academy. If anything gives me hope that Smith will actually face consequences for his actions, it’s this.

Yeah, SAG-AFTRA has no choice but to vigorously fight on behalf of members who are asked to be presenters / performers at these live events. A zero-tolerance policy for this type of violation simply must be enforced from that point of view, both legally and ethically. If they were to treat the incident with any less seriousness their membership would rightly have cause to curtail or end their involvement or membership.

[Kracker]

Doesn't change anything either way really. If the Academy did nothing about the situation then they definitely have to levy a hefty punishment to save face with SAG-AFTRA or whoever, the same way Will had to save face with Jada by slapping Chris ironically

[felipe]

There is just no way the Academy can win here. Whatever course of action they choose to take will either be too much or not enough for just about everybody.

[hearthesilence]

Rather than let the debate go on, I guess Will Smith could voluntarily resign from the Academy and give a speech that feels like a true mea culpa. That might be good closure and there's precedent for that course of action in similarly bad situations, usually in politics, but I don't think that's going to happen here.

[domino harvey]

That may be the only way I’d actually believe he was sorry… so I doubt it would happen

[swo17]

I think it's slightly more possible than Trump conceding the election

[domino harvey]

Smith initiated a private meeting with Rubin and Hudson and the duo hid it from the Board of Governors when they met afterwards to decide what to do

[therewillbeblus]

I've been thinking about this a bit tonight, and my new hypothesis is: Will Smith only reacted violently because he laughed at Rock's joke and Jada didn't. I don't think Will Smith ran through this consciously in an "Oh shit, I was caught on camera laughing while my wife was stonefaced and thus must make up for it with an intense reaction" but I do think that his entire career has been spotlighted by fake smiles and avoiding embarrassment, and so a moment of 'shame' (laughing at a joke at the expense of his wife, ironically through a habitually-developed impulse to be 'one with the crowd' smiling and laughing at everything) woke a fragility he had not experienced publicly, exacerbated by it being public, and broke him. I'm not saying that, if Will Smith noticed Rock was talking to his wife and was more intentional about his reaction, that he still wouldn't have yelled out or cast an iron glare or something, but I believe the source of the size of his reaction was the shame from laughing at his wife, or more specifically the appearance that he was laughing at her, destroying his image of himself.

Anyways, it doesn't matter. Actions are actions and I'm not trying to diffuse anything at all. I still dislike Smith slightly more than I always have (and in a sick way, am feeling kind of validated that the rest of the world is seeing the narcissistic behavior I've been harping on about for years), but I just thought it was an interesting way to think about it psychologically, because that's what I do all week.

[Randall Maysin Again]

For me, I've tried a bit, but honestly can't think of any performer who has a wider gulf between how i feel about their onscreen persona (I haven't seen Collateral Beauty...just typing the title makes me feel embarrassed haha) and their real-life behavior. I don't despise him or anything, but he sounds like a total preening, toxic, deranged jackass, whose profile in my mind irks me quite a bit more than the garden variety unpleasantness I've heard about others in the industry.

[Randall Maysin Again]

Therewillbeblus your theory sounds perfect to me! You should write an article! It makes perfect sense. He's an idiot.

[Randall Maysin Again]

tl:dr Kwik-Read version:

"You see, the thing about [Will Smith] is....he's an idiot."

[Kracker]

I thought that was pretty obvious with that shot of Will laughing harder than most while Jada rolled her eyes, visibly annoyed rather than deeply hurt. Then when the camera went back to Rock there must have been that moment where Will looked at Jada and got a huge whiff of disapproving side-eye which extinguished his smile instantly leaving him in that awkward embarrassed state one doesn't know how to get out of. Problem is he went on stage and everyone including Chris obviously expected Will to give him a hard time and verbally humiliate him in return as a way of dealing with it, seeing how its kind of his thing. In other words, 'yeah, he's an idiot'

Btw if anyone wondered:

"I would have made a joke about her boyfriend" - Ricky Gervais

[Finch]

Will Packer told Good Morning America that Chris Rock asked the Academy not to remove Will Smith from the ceremony. My respect for Chris Rock is growing more every day.

EDIT: Never mind, Deadline has sources saying this is not true and Packer is getting this mixed up with Rock telling him he did not want to press charges

We’re told that Packer is conflating this from a conversation that happened after Smith slapped him onstage, where Rock told Packer he did not want to press charges. Had he chosen to do that, the LAPD would have removed Smith and arrested him. Had Packer asked Rock if he wanted Smith removed from the building, he might have gotten a different answer. The question of where Smith should have been left in place to receive his Best Actor Oscar and give a speech where he apologized to everyone but Rock, this was never asked of the comedian. Packer conveyed his version of events to the Academy, and no action was taken. The problem with all this is that the onus has been placed at the feet of Rock for Smith not being ejected from the Oscars, which is not the case, sources said. Rock was never asked that question by Packer.

And the Board of Governors is pissed off at Hudson and Rubin for not informing them about the call they had with Smith on Tuesday. What a mess.

Is it April 18th yet?

[therewillbeblus]

It seems this wasn’t the first time Will Smith slapped someone when they challenged his fragile masculinity in the public eye

[domino harvey]

Without clicking, I’m assuming that’s the Italian prankster who tried to kiss him? A bit of a different situation there!

[therewillbeblus]

Sure, he’s been working out, slaps harder now.

In all seriousness, I should clarify that I’m not saying there’s a precedent for a “wildly out of control Will Smith” as some clickbait material is suggesting by linking the clip, but that the after-the-fact slap and subjective need to say he’s lucky I didn’t hit him followed by the faux-‘hand-over-mouth-whooooops’ “Shouldn't have said that!” to me implies a link between Smith’s drive to protect his public image with a stereotypically masculine one using a tough-guy attitude when feeling emasculated, rather than some BS-statement about protecting one’s family. It’s his ego he’s protecting.

This only interested me in wake of my formulation last night. Plus I had some client cancelations

[Black Hat]

Just several years ago, Spike Lee was asked to leave and left the ceremony for throwing a fit because Green Book won.

Everyone walks around holding a camera, but somehow no footage of this exists??? Tragic.

Also, I don't know who Will Packer is, but he seems like one of the most annoying people to ever walk the earth.

[mfunk9786]

That may be the only way I’d actually believe he was sorry… so I doubt it would happen

Will Smith Resigns from Academy

[Black Hat]

It really feels like a disparity in culture and values - there'd be absolutely NO tolerance for this kind of thing where I grew up, but it does bring to mind the culture shock I've had when moving to other places. The short time I was in London, I was stunned how many fist fights would break out, usually near pubs but I can think of any number of incidents that weren't necessarily alcohol-fuled. When talking to an adult (also an American) who had been there for quite some time, he did pick up on that too when he moved there.

The one aspect of this that's even remotely interesting is how people are interpreting the different reactions. Unfortunately, as is this nation's obsession, it's mostly been seen through the lens of race while, as usual, leaving out the class component entirely. This was what I was getting at earlier in this thread with my, "haven't any of you been in or experienced being close to a fight before?" comment but the atmosphere around here makes flushing topics out properly either too time-consuming or worse, irritating. The violence in London, having lived there for some time, is for the most part rooted in class. State school kids, for example, love beating up private schoolers.


Brian - Speaking of, I'm not sure if you were joking or not, but people get in fights all the time. Sports is the number one culprit, followed by being out and about, but also women and gambling are right up there. I mean people throw hands over all kinds of things, especially when you're a kid/teenager and I assure you most of the time, like Chris Rock, you don't see it coming, shit goes down hella fast, and you certainly don't deserve it.