Will Smith

[tiggertoo]

I would really love someone to interview some of the people who gave him a standing ovation. Just curious what they were thinking, feeling at the time. It must have been so weird!

[cremetangerine82]

I think too much has been made on about the (not unanimous) standing ovation, let’s put that angle to rest. I think that’s less egregious is than that Will was being comforted as if he was the one that was given The Slap ^TM!

Being able to ramble on in that embarrassing acceptance speech (for five minutes!), didn’t apologize to Chris Rock during it at all, and excuses for his actions (“love makes you do crazy things”). Then, going to the Vanity Fair party literally gettin’ jiggy with it, Oscar in hand, after he assaulted someone on live television with the support of his family and crowd pisses me off. I’m glad I was never a fan of him, because he definitely ended any goodwill (no pun unintended) with his actions last Sunday.

It speaks to how when people do wrong, holding them responsible is not “cancel culture“. However, if you’re wealthy, talented, and beloved enough, nothing will happen to you. Hell, Louis CK won a Grammy on Sunday, so what “cancel culture”? It doesn’t exist, period.

Questlove needs an apology from Will, but I’m not holding my breath waiting for one.

[Ridha]

Apr 5, 2022 10:19:19 GMT -4 tiggertoo said:

I would really love someone to interview some of the people who gave him a standing ovation. Just curious what they were thinking, feeling at the time. It must have been so weird!

I agree. It’s in some ways the most important aspect of that night. Bad behaviour by an individual is neither here nor there. It’s validation of that behaviour by the masses that matters. Hitler had he been ignored was just an psychotic racist. It was others that gave him a platform and cheered him on that created what it created. Or who took the knee and who pointedly stood in more recent times. (Note: by no means am I comparing the Oscar slap to WW2. It is simply an analogy to illustrate the unimportance of individual actions and the real importance lying with how those actions are endorsed/given a pass/glorified/stayed silent over as the case may be).

So let’s not put that angle to rest please. I mean those who want to that’s fine too. But it should be equally ok for others to continue to talk about that aspect.

I hope the celebs are interviewed at some point. And I also hope footage comes out to show who was reacting how.

[ahah]

Here's my opinion on the standing ovation and why it does not matter - As much as some may want to insist they've never done it, just about every human at some point or another has gone along with the crowd to blend and and be polite. It can happen in a number of different forms from laughing at an inappropriate joke to joining in outrage over an issue whether you passionately believe in the subject or not. I'll admit it - I've been in a theater before for what I thought was a "fine" performance not necessarily worthy of a standing ovation, but stood because people around me were and I didn't want to stand out as the lone sitter. I've also stood up as part of the wave in a stadium even though I was not deeply enthused about the team on the field.
I think that at the time Will's name was called, people in the audience were still processing what happened. At home, most of us had to rewind, perhaps multiple times, to take it in. They didn't have that option. Add to that a huge part of the Hollywood game is about blending in and adapting to the popular opinion. It's pretty much a tradition at this point that the Oscar audience stands for the best actress and best actor winners regardless of who they are. So there was A LOT at play in that moment. I don't think it was a case where a standing ovation was a ringing endorsement, and I don't think it's necessary to hold anyone who participated to a standard most of us could not live up to ourselves.

[cremetangerine82]

Wait, are these consequences?

Delays in shooting movies.

Agency considered dropping Will.

That’s not going to happen.

[Ridha]

There’s a clip on RTT that I just saw circulated on Fb, and I’m surprised it hasn’t done the rounds more widely before now. It depicts Will, Jada, Willow, discussing Jada’s 40th birthday party organised by Will. By his own description he had gone all out and when they got back to the room and Jada’s attitude both at the party and in that moment were her usual unimpressed resting bitch face. Will then proceeds to (in present day on this RTT) imitate how he like a puppy panting with his tongue out (he actually did that facial gesture himself) was waiting for “mummy to say good boy well done”.

The saddest part about that video (well not really sad because I think he’s an ass) was that re what Jada apparently unleashed on him about how that party (which included a live performance by Aretha Franklin) was about his ego not her, he totally agrees with in present day. And sure, whenever doing something of course one should do it according to the personality of the recipient not the giver. And that’s something healthy for Will or anyone to acknowledge that the party was more up his street than hers. But for it to be so 100% an epiphany of how “I tooootally get it now, I was so blind and she was so right about all I’d done wrong” rather than even a little bit about how Jada had an unduly negative/hostile reaction, was disturbing af.

So when there’s sentiment about “can we stop blaming Jada/the woman”, I don’t think anyone is absolving Will from taking the assholic/weak/simple-minded decision to bully an easy target for the sake of trying to (as per his own description) being the over-eager puppy hoping for praise from Mommy. But as much as Will’s pathetic motivation is on him, Jada - who has a pretty steamrolling gaslightey personality is an ACTIVE part of that dynamic. I’m not sure one can call it “blaming her” so much as calling out for their power dynamic for what it is.

Another video I thought was interesting was some award Will was presenting to Jada in 2015. He starts the anecdote by saying how he was lying in bed one dawn dreamily staring down at Jada when he got a phone alert from TMZ about how she filed for divorce. Fast forward to end of anecdote, it turned out the conclusion was about how even though he knew how bs the news was it got him thinking for a second what his life and the world would be like without Jada in it.

The whole lead up was so laughably transparent, so blatantly square peg in a round hole irrelevant except to drive home his agenda point how THE STORIES ABOUT OUR MARRIAGE TRUBBLES ARE BS, that it was cringey.

My various takeaways from these 2 vids include; 1. Will is very simple minded (most of what is said about Harry’s intellect on the Harry thread would completely apply to him too), 2. Jada has always had an undertone of patronising contempt for him, presumably marrying him for the power couple status, 3. I cannot get over how many similarities there are not just between Will/Harry but also Jada/Meghan, and the motivations of each behind this marriage.

[peace47]

I don’t think that it’s that shocking that Denzel was extending comfort to Will. Jimmy Kimmel said on Bill Simmons’ podcast that Denzel was also giving Jimmy directions on what to do during the Moonlight/ La La Land debacle at the Oscars years ago (Jimmy was hosting). Denzel may or may not be a notorious prick (depending on the gossip), but he seems to respect the work and the image of the industry, and he was probably conscious of the importance of the image of Will’s win and just trying to salvage that.

[mementomori]

Apr 5, 2022 13:48:22 GMT -4 Ridha said:

Apr 5, 2022 10:19:19 GMT -4 tiggertoo said:

I would really love someone to interview some of the people who gave him a standing ovation. Just curious what they were thinking, feeling at the time. It must have been so weird!

I agree. It’s in some ways the most important aspect of that night. Bad behaviour by an individual is neither here nor there. It’s validation of that behaviour by the masses that matters. Hitler had he been ignored was just an psychotic racist. It was others that gave him a platform and cheered him on that created what it created. Or who took the knee and who pointedly stood in more recent times. (Note: by no means am I comparing the Oscar slap to WW2. It is simply an analogy to illustrate the unimportance of individual actions and the real importance lying with how those actions are endorsed/given a pass/glorified/stayed silent over as the case may be).

So let’s not put that angle to rest please. I mean those who want to that’s fine too. But it should be equally ok for others to continue to talk about that aspect.

I hope the celebs are interviewed at some point. And I also hope footage comes out to show who was reacting how.

[
br]

There is no basis for comparison between the systemic racism of the Nazi regime and the NFL to Will’s act of violence. At this point asking for whom was for/against The Slap is giving lynch mob allusions. It’s getting very gross. He deserves all the professional consequences coming down the pipeline for him. Chris Rock may at some point pursue legal consequences. He’ll deserve those as well.

[cremetangerine82]

Apr 5, 2022 15:36:56 GMT -4 peace47 said:

I don’t think that it’s that shocking that Denzel was extending comfort to Will. Jimmy Kimmel said on Bill Simmons’ podcast that Denzel was also giving Jimmy directions on what to do during the Moonlight/ La La Land debacle at the Oscars years ago (Jimmy was hosting). Denzel may or may not be a notorious prick (depending on the gossip), but he seems to respect the work and the image of the industry, and he was probably conscious of the importance of the image of Will’s win and just trying to salvage that.

Denzel is a notorious prick to me, and that the “Christian advice” and prayer he gave to Will really irritates me. It reeks of the hypocrisy that Christians can think that their bad behavior can be explained on “Satan “or “demands“ instead of actually taking responsibility for their actions. That’s what makes me a little pissed off about that, Denzel was giving Will an out that what he did wasn’t guided by him, but guided by supernatural forces.

I do appreciate Denzel helping out Jimmy Kimmel during the shitshow that was the 2017 Oscars.

[mementomori]

Apr 5, 2022 15:34:47 GMT -4 Ridha said:

There’s a clip on RTT that I just saw circulated on Fb, and I’m surprised it hasn’t done the rounds more widely before now. It depicts Will, Jada, Willow, discussing Jada’s 40th birthday party organised by Will. By his own description he had gone all out and when they got back to the room and Jada’s attitude both at the party and in that moment were her usual unimpressed resting bitch face. Will then proceeds to (in present day on this RTT) imitate how he like a puppy panting with his tongue out (he actually did that facial gesture himself) was waiting for “mummy to say good boy well done”.

The saddest part about that video (well not really sad because I think he’s an ass) was that re what Jada apparently unleashed on him about how that party (which included a live performance by Aretha Franklin) was about his ego not her, he totally agrees with in present day. And sure, whenever doing something of course one should do it according to the personality of the recipient not the giver. And that’s something healthy for Will or anyone to acknowledge that the party was more up his street than hers. But for it to be so 100% an epiphany of how “I tooootally get it now, I was so blind and she was so right about all I’d done wrong” rather than even a little bit about how Jada had an unduly negative/hostile reaction, was disturbing af.

So when there’s sentiment about “can we stop blaming Jada/the woman”, I don’t think anyone is absolving Will from taking the assholic/weak/simple-minded decision to bully an easy target for the sake of trying to (as per his own description) being the over-eager puppy hoping for praise from Mommy. But as much as Will’s pathetic motivation is on him, Jada - who has a pretty steamrolling gaslightey personality is an ACTIVE part of that dynamic. I’m not sure one can call it “blaming her” so much as calling out for their power dynamic for what it is.

Another video I thought was interesting was some award Will was presenting to Jada in 2015. He starts the anecdote by saying how he was lying in bed one dawn dreamily staring down at Jada when he got a phone alert from TMZ about how she filed for divorce. Fast forward to end of anecdote, it turned out the conclusion was about how even though he knew how bs the news was it got him thinking for a second what his life and the world would be like without Jada in it.

The whole lead up was so laughably transparent, so blatantly square peg in a round hole irrelevant except to drive home his agenda point how THE STORIES ABOUT OUR MARRIAGE TRUBBLES ARE BS, that it was cringey.

My various takeaways from these 2 vids include; 1. Will is very simple minded (most of what is said about Harry’s intellect on the Harry thread would completely apply to him too), 2. Jada has always had an undertone of patronising contempt for him, presumably marrying him for the power couple status, 3. I cannot get over how many similarities there are not just between Will/Harry but also Jada/Meghan, and the motivations of each behind this marriage.

Black women, and, since Meghan Markle was mentioned half-black women do not possess black magic wielding vajayjays. We simply don’t. Privileged adult men are entirely responsible for their own actions. That’s it. That’s all.