Where there's a Will, there are Mixed Messages
Hello Everyone, I hope all is well with you and it feels as if Life is treating you fairly. Before I go on, obviously all our thoughts are still with the people of Ukraine. The constantly emerging stories of so many atrocities are horrifying and we can only hope, those who have committed these crimes are held to account. As regular readers know, I rarely stray into the world of politics, but from a humanitarian standpoint, there can be no question now, too many innocent people are suffering.
Anyway, another event that has dominated the headlines was the infamous moment when actor Will Smith marched up on stage at the Oscars and slapped comedian Chris Rock. Now I am well aware, that there has been a veritable tsunami of opinions on this encounter, some saying Mr. Smith was justified in taking action when feeling his wife had been insulted, while others seem to feel he needs to face criminal proceedings. Speaking for myself, if Mr. Smith was genuinely aggrieved, there were a million better ways of dealing with the situation. A simple eye roll might have sufficed while the cameras were trained on him and then when he had an opportunity to speak with Mr. Rock privately, he could have made his feelings known. Also as he has been known for being funny, perhaps when he had a chance, he could have responded to the original remark with a joke. But instead, as we all know, he made a somewhat different choice. Some have speculated, he was attempting to prove himself to be the 'alpha male' to his wife, while others just feel he is so convinced of his own importance, that he felt entitled to behave in any way he felt was appropriate. As a side note, I did feel extremely uncomfortable reading his son apparently tweeted, 'that is how it's done' suggesting he believed violence is always preferable to any other way of dealing with a real or perceived slight.
But if we put the actual incident to one side, the part which troubled me the most, was the attitude of the audience. As having just witnessed the assault, they then proceeded to give Mr. Smith a standing ovation when he was given his Oscar! It was as if they had somehow collectively forgotten the whole incident and were now gleefully showing their appreciation for the person responsible for assaulting an innocent man. I know it's hopeful to imagine there's room for having a conscience in such a notoriously backbiting industry, but it would have been nice to see at least a few people, refusing to join in the celebrations. Mind you, this is the same audience who were apparently profoundly moved by the horrors of the Ukraine war, while happily accepting Oscar goodie bags apparently worth $140,000! If everyone in the auditorium had politely refused to accept such a lavish gift, perhaps the thousands could have been donated to the Red Cross or some other worthwhile organisation. What is even more obnoxious, is the immense wealth most of the attendees already enjoy, so I don't think any of them really needed to have such extravagance. It seems hard to believe, that any of the viewing public was especially moved by the fact that some celebrities managed to pin on a blue/yellow ribbon to their designer gowns as a 'show of support' while quaffing champagne by the bucketload only a few hours later.
But before you get the wrong idea, I generally have absolutely no problem with the world of celebrity culture, in fact, I think it can provide a welcome escape from the day-to-day reality of most of our lives. I don't think there are many of us who haven't enjoyed daydreaming about gallivanting about the planet in a private jet or maybe holidaying on our own island. I would also agree, celebrities can be a source of enormous inspiration, after all, if they can achieve such success, it means it's possible for us all. But as the famous quote states 'with great power comes great responsibility' and it seems it's this aspect that too many seem less keen to embrace. If you're going to set yourself up as a role model, a representative of your race, culture, ethnicity, etc, then it seems to me, you have to try and be a positive one.
While on the subject of role models, too many were thrown into the shadows on the night of the Oscars, as Mr. Smith's actions became the only thing mentioned in the media. For example, Troy Kotsur was the first deaf man to win, Ariana DeBose was the first openly queer woman of colour to receive the accolade - can you even imagine what it meant to people from their specific communities to finally see such a high level of recognition? Aside from the winners, there was the very epitome of gracious respect shown by Lady Gaga as she presented an award with veteran star Liza Minelli who is obviously not in the best of health. It's a great shame that these moments were largely ignored because of the actions of a man who really should know better.
There's no way of knowing what personal consequences Mr. Smith will face, I don't doubt he is regretting his actions. But as I've said, I think the audience who were there that night need to look at themselves too and maybe reflect on how they could have behaved better. As an industry so consumed with appearances, applauding someone who has struck someone else without any real provocation, is hardly the best 'look' for anyone. I think it's for all of us, regardless of position or wealth, to decide what we find acceptable and so when something goes against our values, we have to show some courage and not look the other way or pretend nothing happened. I know from personal experience that it's not always easy to take a stand but the potential consequences of accepting the unacceptable are far worse, so we have to try, don't you think?
Anyway, that's more than enough for now, I hope you stay safe and well until the next time....
Take care out there xx
