Will Smith slapped Chris Rock live on TV and it’s news. How far have we come from perspective and reality when a slap is anything but proof of the effeminacy of “men” in entertainment? Granted they “play” tough guys in movies and they’re entertaining, even likable. But by and large, the actors of today are as far from reality as one can get and still function.
In contrast, I remember growing up is rural North Dakota (and that is doubly rural) in the 1950s. My father and his friends had returned from fighting in World War II. They knew what it was like to kill or be killed, to win or to be conquered. They sure didn’t slap some guy that offended them. Right or wrong, it was a bit more violent – and the insult stopped. For the most part, everyone lived with respect for everyone else. If this is toxic masculinity, then bring it on. Pray we have these toxic males next time someone comes to conquer us.
Conversely, nobody used gratuitous insults to evoke a laugh. And men didn’t slap other men. Chris Rock, Will Smith, the entire Academy, and everyone who watched, missed the point. This is pure fantasyland. Their actions, their words, and their entire lives are irrelevant.
We don’t need to obsess on the ridiculousness of an effeminate slap. Or the vast distance the nation has come from reality. Let’s remember that the DNA that overcame the most powerful armies in the world, since our founding, is still with us. Let’s bring more balance into the equation. Let individuals make their own choices. This requires mutual respect, especially for those different from you. The self-disciplined person is respected.
If we continue down this fractured course we will lose our United States. A nation divided is easily conquered. Rather than fear the aggressors in other nations, we should focus on bringing balance and tolerance into our own lives and thereby heal the chasm between us. There are those with whom we can never reconcile, like the toxic Left and those determined to kill us. But the rest of us share a love of our land. We unite in a common cause to protect our children’s future.
It is said that a man is wise who plants seed for a tree, knowing he will never see it in full bloom. For he knows that what he does here and now will help future generations.
Responses
A part of me strongly agrees with Jay Davidson’s view about the effeminate nature of today’s male actors in general. I despise the flowery attitudes and the condescension that Hollywood has imposed on men. That’s my toxic masculinity speaking for which I am unapologetic.
Another part of me disagrees that Will Smith should have used a knuckle punch for a reaction over stupid rudeness.
It is a wise person who only uses the level of force that is equal to or only slightly above the threat as a counter attack. What Will Smith did was a physical attack which exceeded the threat, to the extent that a verbal slight can be called a threat. This was not a kill-or-be-killed situation. Nor was it a win-or-be-conquered scenario. It was a words-I-don’t-like-are-violent-and-must-be-met-with-violence fit of disproportionate rage. It was a violent assault over an immature insult.
Will Smith’s son wrote the tweet, “And That’s How We Do It”. It seems that Smith isn’t a very good role model for his son if that’s the family attitude surrounding this incident. It’s still an assault that should not be celebrated. Jay Davidson must think that there wasn’t enough violence on the stage about which we can be inspired, and that it should’ve been more brutal. And he believes that a slap is a response fitting of only females.
Mr. Davidson may not have ever been trained in martial arts, or if he has he has not been introduced to the concept of a devastating slap from a man who knows how to deliver one. There are several reasonable purposes as to why a well-placed slap unleashed with the proper technique can be effectively shocking, as well as prudent.
It doesn’t seem that Chris Rock is the sort of person who would have a lot of experience in fist fighting, and would be accustomed to how it feels to receive a punch with a closed fist. But for those who are, the unexpected stinging and burning feeling of a strong slap is foreign to them, and can be advantageous for the person delivering the slap.
In the eyes of the law, a slap would likely be considered much less violent than a knuckle punch. There is a higher likelihood of doing physical damage to someone with a knuckle punch, as well as it being more possible that one would do damage to their own hand by using a closed fist.
No, Mr. Davidson, Will smith should not have gotten physically violent at all over a disgusting insult. He especially should not have been even more ruthless than he was. Our society is already drenched in intolerance and gratuitous violence already. Escalating a response over an insensitive joke to an overblown attack would have been another example of that.