I didn’t watch the Oscars, but I heard about Will Smith assaulting Chris Rock on Twitter that night, and I headed to YouTube to watch the clip, moments after it happened.
I heard from someone who watched it live that it took seven minutes to get on Twitter.
At first, I was eager to find the video, mostly out of curiosity and also because it was hard to believe it had happened. Once I saw the video, I felt sick to my stomach. It wasn’t Hollywood, it was assault. And how could I find entertainment in that?
As with everything in life, nothing is simple. This story is multi-faceted, and reviews are mixed.
I’ve heard people say that Rock’s joke was inappropriate and that people who are attending events to be honoured should not have to be subjected to public insults.
I’ve heard people say it’s honourable for a man to stand up and defend his wife.
And I’ve heard that violence should never be the answer.
The story has also been muddled with the celebrity status of the people involved. As the saying goes, “never meet your heroes,” and this story is a good display of that.
I watched Smith’s recent movie King Richard a couple of months ago and loved it. I also read his book. Regardless of whether I like Smith’s work, this goes far beyond his craft.
The stance that I take in this situation is that violence is never the answer. There is a never a noble time to attack someone. It doesn’t matter who you are, what you do for a living or how many people know your name.
In our society, we need to call this out as violence, and we need to get on the same page. People who assault others need to face the consequences, regardless of who they are.
A significant number of people have commented that the Academy should have removed Smith from the theatre, and I agree. I know it would have left an awkward empty spot when they called his name as winner of best actor, but that wouldn’t be the Academy’s fault — it would have been Smith’s.
He created the situation, and if he was ejected from the show, that would be on him and him alone.
There is a lesson we can take away from this Hollywood story, and that is that our workplaces, organizations and community groups should have policies for violence and assault. We need to be familiar with these policies and be prepared to enforce them, regardless of the individuals involved.
I am a positive person and like to see the good in everyone. I’ve reviewed policies that sometimes seem a bit much. I’ve thought to myself: “That will never happen.”
If I worked for the Academy and had been asked to write a policy for an assault on stage, I know I would have thought it was a bit ridiculous. I would have rolled my eyes drafting a policy explaining what do to if a high-profile celebrity, who was earmarked to win a top award, assaulted someone on stage.
Let’s be real and note that if it wasn’t a celebrity and someone else jumped on stage and hit a presenter, they would have been asked to leave.
This story is a reminder that sometimes unexpected things do happen and if no one knows how to handle it, nothing will get done.
The Academy should have displayed better leadership in this situation and not allowed Smith to stay for the duration of the show, to accept an award on stage and to receive a standing ovation.
I encourage readers to look at policies in your workplace, organizations, and community groups. Ensure they address violence, and if an unfortunate situation arises, that there are consequences, regardless of who the individual is.
Violence is never OK, and when people see an individual assault someone and be celebrated by their peers less than an hour later in front of 15 million people, we are bound to have others pushing limits and boundaries.
