I remember Will Smith from the Fresh Prince days. I did not really watch the show, but I would see it occasionally, and Smith was indeed very funny. But he really came to my attention with the 1993 film Six Degrees of Separation. His performance was dazzling. But over the last thirty years, I stopped going to the movies. And I rarely see any of the blockbusters or blockbuster-wannabe's that command the likes of the movie star that Will Smith has become. The one exception was the 2007 film I Am Legend. It was no Six Degrees, but it was another excellent performance and, at the time, an interesting script. Today I would argue that I Am Legend is a must see film, especially for all the little Covid totalitarians.
In any case, to the extent that I think about movies and Hollywood, which is very little, I have always maintained a high opinion of Smith as an actor. Of course, as with all actors, I have no idea of what kind of man he is. I am vaguely aware that he and his wife have some sort of unconventional marriage. But I don't follow any of that closely enough to know the details.
I don't think I have ever watched the Academy Awards. Perhaps once as an adolescent. And Sunday night was no exception. The truth is, I did not even know it was happening. And even now, I would not typically know that it had happened. Except that, within hours, it appeared on my favorite website, Instapundit. Even there I would have ignored it but for the fact that this is not the sort of material that normally appears on the site. So something highly unusual must have happened. Earthquake was my first thought.
No need to rehash the details here.
Now, if you have an occasion to spend time with our criminal elements in their natural habitat, I would like to give you one little piece of advice on how to comport yourself. Be respectful. Not obsequious, just respectful. If circumstances call for firmness, fine, be respectfully firm. To everyone. Especially to those who don't deserve it. Why? Because respect is a big deal in these quarters and any perceived disrespect may lead to violence. If you are a big guy with a gun, maybe it does not matter. But if you are a small guy with no gun, use some common sense. Oh and one more thing, leave your wife at home.
Is it right? Maybe not. But hey, this is the street. And they have their own rules. When in Rome....
Besides, when you get back home, to your safe neighborhood, in your safe, law-abiding community, you can get back to your normal self. You can hit that new restaurant that just opened, maybe take in a movie, visit the wine bar on Main Street. Or hey, maybe a comedy club. And you don't have to worry about the rules of the street.
Right?
Well no. In America in 2022, the rules of the street are now just the rules.
I did not care enough to write about this incident until I noticed who was getting all the support. And it was not Chris Rock. So it's not only that Will Smith is a thug who lives by the rules of the street, it is that most Americans are on his side.
And don't think I'm letting women off the hook here. There is no doubt that Smith was egged on by his wife. She felt aggrieved by a comedian, so she sent her man to defend her honor. Violently. She loved it; of course she did. I have witnessed this dynamic myself, and it is becoming more common. Can there be any doubt that America is in cultural regression?
I heard Jesse Watters on Fox News ask: What if instead of Will Smith, it had been, say for instance, Mel Gibson? Would Americans be equally supportive of a white man attacking a black man over a harmless joke? Where is the real privilege?
And yes, it was harmless. Perhaps ill-chosen, but certainly not malicious. The fact that Will and Jada Pinkett Smith did not recognize this immediately, and their graceless response, speaks volumes about their character. And the character of all of their supporters.
Graceless? Let's call it what it is: Trashy. I can think of no other word for it.
No one doubts how beautiful she is. Certainly not Chris Rock. One possible graceful response? Jada should have stood up and taken a bow. Given the fact that most people in that room seemed to know that she has alopecia, she would have received a standing ovation. Look, it's simple baldness, not cancer; but never-mind that. Instead she showed us her all too common ugly side. Her genuine side.
Sadly, this whole episode is a vivid reflection of America in 2022.
I have said it before and I will say it again: These are not my people.