Will Smith

[ratscabies]

Apr 1, 2022 20:37:56 GMT -4 cremetangerine82 said:

Also, the G. I. Jane II joke was SO MILD compared to other jokes made during the Oscars (or on this board about celebrities’ appearances!), and it didn’t warrant physical assault.

Not for nothing (and I saw it in the theater; it wasn’t great), but G. I. Jane was kind of a badass….

[cremetangerine82]

Apr 1, 2022 20:53:25 GMT -4 ratscabies said:

Apr 1, 2022 20:37:56 GMT -4 cremetangerine82 said:

Also, the G. I. Jane II joke was SO MILD compared to other jokes made during the Oscars (or on this board about celebrities’ appearances!), and it didn’t warrant physical assault.

Not for nothing (and I saw it in the theater; it wasn’t great), but G. I. Jane was kind of a badass….

The 1997 movie was about Demi Moore’s character trying to be the first female Navy SEAL, so it’s feasible that it didn’t seem like a slight, but a complement!


ETA: One of the reasons why you shouldn’t have your ceremony before the Oscars? The Razzie Redeemer Award this year went to Will Smith for his performance in King Richard. Yikes!

[ikmccall]

He resigned from the academy.

[Ridha]

His newest apology seems like it has finally dawned on him which way the public opinion was blowing. Left to himself and his own reflection/discussion with his toxic echo chamber family at home, I have no doubt he’d still be the guy who was jumping up to give ott alpha male hugs to the winners of the very next category, self righteously gaslighting through his speech, the sneaky attempt to STILL put the blame back on Chris Rock in his next day apology, and dancing to his own songs.

Honestly I want to see an apology not for “violence” but for GASLIGHTING. I hate it I really do. I see too much of it in this world and it’s the biggest mindfuck. The slap was a moment of madness, those are forgiveable.

The gaslighting speech where he sobbed over the “abuse” he has to smile through is what he needs to apologise for.

Taking Richard Williams down with him by waving him around as a fellow ‘loving protective crazy man’ reference point is what he needs to apologise for.

Very pointedly apologising to the power players but not Rock himself in the speech and his initial martyred pity me take is what he needs to bring up and apologise for.

Lying in his next day apology by claiming the “joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear” is what he needs to apologise for; and that 1 sentence does in fact contain 2 lies. Even if one thinks the first is irrelevant (I personally think it is relevant if the alopecia is not a medical condition but caused by Jada’s own short sighted actions, similar to how no one’s plastic surgery has been off comedic limits) there is also a demonstrable lie that he could very much “bear” the joke himself, as evidenced by his laughing. What he could not “bear”, if he wants to be emotionally honest and not disingenuous about it, was the prospect of Jada’s glower being turned on him later that night once home if he didn’t “do something” to her mind. What he could not “bear” was being the butt of open marriage jokes and so after enough build up of those with people he couldn’t hit, like Rebel Wilson or Regina Hall, he took it out on Chris, an easier target, for something a million time MORE bearable not less. I mean 80% of the commentators (except genuine idiots like Tiffany Haddish who seems to have her own issues craving a “protective husband”) have picked up that this was the reason and Chris was Will’s scapegoat for anger over the cuckold image and desperation to please his Lady Macbeth, realise and state that this was the true dynamics.

Before being allowed to walk away after hiding behind PR phrases of “inexcusable violence” for a slap, He needs to acknowledge and apologise for his and his family’s whole take on this, but mostly for his gaslighting and trying to give his disingenuous emotionally dishonest spin in so many different ways. That will be waaaay harder, more embarrassing to o the narrative he wants to have over this, and so he’ll never do it. But that’s the only type of apology that should be respected, not this bs.

Anyone else totally think that they are a mirror image of Meghan Markle and Harry? I think both Will and Harry are fairly low intellect, who don’t have genuine reference points for how they feel so look to absorb their opinions from their manipulative and (relatively. Relatively only!) more intelligent, and way more forceful personality wives. Both guys then fucked up their public image while trying to eagerly earn the approval of both women in being manly protective men. Both guys then proceeded to gaslight to the hilt to suit the narrative they wanted to see.

Eta: as to the opinions calling out Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s article and others for their emphasis on respectability politics and seeing Will as representative of black people, well, did Will himself not go with that take? In his Moses speech where he wanted to be a “river for his people” did he (and for that matter Halle Berry when she won), or the success of Black Panther, not consider it a victory for their community? Which they are, but it goes both ways.

If it’s ok to be happy about positive representation, why is it not ok and ‘respectability politics’ to be unhappy about negative representation?

[MrsOldManBalls]

Apr 1, 2022 18:36:24 GMT -4 famvir said:

What if Wanda had made the Jada joke? It’s certainly could have happened. What if Will Smith had bitch slapped Wanda Sykes?

Will Smith wouldn’t have survived an altercation, physical or verbal, with Wanda.

[americanchai]

I'm not sure how I feel about him resigning. I had hoped the endless commentary had just about died down and then this happens, putting the spotlight back on it. I felt like, "Didn't this happen last week?" The Trump-ification of our news cycle from crisis to crisis has hardened me to breaking news.

I feel like 10-15 years from now, Jaden or Willow will be standing on that stage "avenging" their father somehow (when he wasn't the person "wronged"). Just the vibes I get from the whole family. I guess I'm objecting to him making people pity him. Everything else is between him, Jada, Chris Rock and the Academy.

[mementomori]

Apr 2, 2022 1:34:32 GMT -4 Ridha said:

His newest apology seems like it has finally dawned on him which way the public opinion was blowing. Left to himself and his own reflection/discussion with his toxic echo chamber family at home, I have no doubt he’d still be the guy who was jumping up to give ott alpha male hugs to the winners of the very next category, self righteously gaslighting through his speech, the sneaky attempt to STILL put the blame back on Chris Rock in his next day apology, and dancing to his own songs.

Honestly I want to see an apology not for “violence” but for GASLIGHTING. I hate it I really do. I see too much of it in this world and it’s the biggest mindfuck. The slap was a moment of madness, those are forgiveable.

The gaslighting speech where he sobbed over the “abuse” he has to smile through is what he needs to apologise for.

Taking Richard Williams down with him by waving him around as a fellow ‘loving protective crazy man’ reference point is what he needs to apologise for.

Very pointedly apologising to the power players but not Rock himself in the speech and his initial martyred pity me take is what he needs to bring up and apologise for.

Lying in his next day apology by claiming the “joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear” is what he needs to apologise for; and that 1 sentence does in fact contain 2 lies. Even if one thinks the first is irrelevant (I personally think it is relevant if the alopecia is not a medical condition but caused by Jada’s own short sighted actions, similar to how no one’s plastic surgery has been off comedic limits) there is also a demonstrable lie that he could very much “bear” the joke himself, as evidenced by his laughing. What he could not “bear”, if he wants to be emotionally honest and not disingenuous about it, was the prospect of Jada’s glower being turned on him later that night once home if he didn’t “do something” to her mind. What he could not “bear” was being the butt of open marriage jokes and so after enough build up of those with people he couldn’t hit, like Rebel Wilson or Regina Hall, he took it out on Chris, an easier target, for something a million time MORE bearable not less. I mean 80% of the commentators (except genuine idiots like Tiffany Haddish who seems to have her own issues craving a “protective husband”) have picked up that this was the reason and Chris was Will’s scapegoat for anger over the cuckold image and desperation to please his Lady Macbeth, realise and state that this was the true dynamics.

Before being allowed to walk away after hiding behind PR phrases of “inexcusable violence” for a slap, He needs to acknowledge and apologise for his and his family’s whole take on this, but mostly for his gaslighting and trying to give his disingenuous emotionally dishonest spin in so many different ways. That will be waaaay harder, more embarrassing to o the narrative he wants to have over this, and so he’ll never do it. But that’s the only type of apology that should be respected, not this bs.

Anyone else totally think that they are a mirror image of Meghan Markle and Harry? I think both Will and Harry are fairly low intellect, who don’t have genuine reference points for how they feel so look to absorb their opinions from their manipulative and (relatively. Relatively only!) more intelligent, and way more forceful personality wives. Both guys then fucked up their public image while trying to eagerly earn the approval of both women in being manly protective men. Both guys then proceeded to gaslight to the hilt to suit the narrative they wanted to see.

Eta: as to the opinions calling out Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s article and others for their emphasis on respectability politics and seeing Will as representative of black people, well, did Will himself not go with that take? In his Moses speech where he wanted to be a “river for his people” did he (and for that matter Halle Berry when she won), or the success of Black Panther, not consider it a victory for their community? Which they are, but it goes both ways.

If it’s ok to be happy about positive representation, why is it not ok and ‘respectability politics’ to be unhappy about negative representation?

We’re not doing respectability politics in 2022. It has and always will be a tool of racism. Period. There was NO negative representation of black people on the Oscar Stage, just negative representation of The Smith family. And to your point of them being parallels to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Will has never been a dumb motherfucker like Harry. He’s been a calculating goof for most of his career. His image is just unraveling. I think he’s more like our couch-jumping friend Tom Cruise.

[famvir]

Apr 2, 2022 9:00:50 GMT -4 mementomori said:

Apr 2, 2022 1:34:32 GMT -4 Ridha said:

His newest apology seems like it has finally dawned on him which way the public opinion was blowing. Left to himself and his own reflection/discussion with his toxic echo chamber family at home, I have no doubt he’d still be the guy who was jumping up to give ott alpha male hugs to the winners of the very next category, self righteously gaslighting through his speech, the sneaky attempt to STILL put the blame back on Chris Rock in his next day apology, and dancing to his own songs.

Honestly I want to see an apology not for “violence” but for GASLIGHTING. I hate it I really do. I see too much of it in this world and it’s the biggest mindfuck. The slap was a moment of madness, those are forgiveable.

The gaslighting speech where he sobbed over the “abuse” he has to smile through is what he needs to apologise for.

Taking Richard Williams down with him by waving him around as a fellow ‘loving protective crazy man’ reference point is what he needs to apologise for.

Very pointedly apologising to the power players but not Rock himself in the speech and his initial martyred pity me take is what he needs to bring up and apologise for.

Lying in his next day apology by claiming the “joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear” is what he needs to apologise for; and that 1 sentence does in fact contain 2 lies. Even if one thinks the first is irrelevant (I personally think it is relevant if the alopecia is not a medical condition but caused by Jada’s own short sighted actions, similar to how no one’s plastic surgery has been off comedic limits) there is also a demonstrable lie that he could very much “bear” the joke himself, as evidenced by his laughing. What he could not “bear”, if he wants to be emotionally honest and not disingenuous about it, was the prospect of Jada’s glower being turned on him later that night once home if he didn’t “do something” to her mind. What he could not “bear” was being the butt of open marriage jokes and so after enough build up of those with people he couldn’t hit, like Rebel Wilson or Regina Hall, he took it out on Chris, an easier target, for something a million time MORE bearable not less. I mean 80% of the commentators (except genuine idiots like Tiffany Haddish who seems to have her own issues craving a “protective husband”) have picked up that this was the reason and Chris was Will’s scapegoat for anger over the cuckold image and desperation to please his Lady Macbeth, realise and state that this was the true dynamics.

Before being allowed to walk away after hiding behind PR phrases of “inexcusable violence” for a slap, He needs to acknowledge and apologise for his and his family’s whole take on this, but mostly for his gaslighting and trying to give his disingenuous emotionally dishonest spin in so many different ways. That will be waaaay harder, more embarrassing to o the narrative he wants to have over this, and so he’ll never do it. But that’s the only type of apology that should be respected, not this bs.

Anyone else totally think that they are a mirror image of Meghan Markle and Harry? I think both Will and Harry are fairly low intellect, who don’t have genuine reference points for how they feel so look to absorb their opinions from their manipulative and (relatively. Relatively only!) more intelligent, and way more forceful personality wives. Both guys then fucked up their public image while trying to eagerly earn the approval of both women in being manly protective men. Both guys then proceeded to gaslight to the hilt to suit the narrative they wanted to see.

Eta: as to the opinions calling out Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s article and others for their emphasis on respectability politics and seeing Will as representative of black people, well, did Will himself not go with that take? In his Moses speech where he wanted to be a “river for his people” did he (and for that matter Halle Berry when she won), or the success of Black Panther, not consider it a victory for their community? Which they are, but it goes both ways.

If it’s ok to be happy about positive representation, why is it not ok and ‘respectability politics’ to be unhappy about negative representation?

We’re not doing respectability politics in 2022. It has and always will be a tool of racism. Period. There was NO negative representation of black people on the Oscar Stage, just negative representation of The Smith family. And to your point of them being parallels to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Will has never been a dumb motherfucker like Harry. He’s been a calculating goof for most of his career. His image is just unraveling. I think he’s more like our couch-jumping friend Tom Cruise.

I’d change “calculating goof for most of his career” to calculating ass…

[ahah]

Apr 1, 2022 19:26:15 GMT -4 jmc said:

I don't believe anything the Academy and Will Packer has to say about the situation. "Oh, we asked Will to leave." "Oh, the cops rushed to Chris and offered to arrest Will." It's all face saving BS from the people who are looking like the biggest losers in this whole fiasco.

I think that what we're seeing is a lot of instances where something is said that is factually true, but then people who were there make assumptions from what was said, add to the story, and then the people involved have to correct the assumptions. It's like a big game of telephone gone wrong.
For example, someone who is a member of the Academy, perhaps Denzel, may have told Will it may be a good idea to leave, and he said he wasn't going to do that, he was going to stay to see if he won. From that story, someone describes it as "Will was ASKED to leave", and from that, people react without outrage that he dared to refuse an order from the people putting on the ceremony. The overreaction then leads to a correction because what people are getting hot and bothered about is not what actually happened.

[prisma]

Yesterday I listened to the first Marc Maron podcast that was recorded post-slap. I was interested to hear his take on it since he, like Chris, is a working stand-up comedian. He had a lot to say that I appreciated but one nugget that stuck with me is he called it the most spectacular act of self-sabotage that he had ever witnessed. Which is true. Will has spent decades building this nice-guy image, which had finally culminated in an Oscar, and now it's pretty obvious to everyone how much a veneer that is for a wounded egomaniac who temporarily lost his mind while the world was watching.

I heard that Jada said that they were going to address this on a Red Table Talk and I don't think I would be interested in listening to that. I think that would be a carefully engineered PR exercise.

One other thing that Marc Maron said that was interesting in light of people like Kathy Griffin who have said this makes it more dangerous for comedians. Marc said not true, it's always been dangerous. He said that he, like Chris, is someone who likes to poke and poke and if that's who you are, you have to accept the possibility that someone won't respond well to it. Marc's been tackled on stage before. He seemed irritated that after the incident that everyone sought to soothe Will and who knows what happened to Chris, who was the one who was assaulted.