Will Smith punches Chris Rock

[clearspira]

If it was my decision then he would lose the Oscar for the shit he pulled today. What a disgusting thug. We cannot endorse violence over A JOKE. If this wasn't a man named Will Smith and was just some white collar trash in a bar then there would be no defenders. But because he's The Fresh Prince "doing it for love" it's all different.

I tell you this much: I would have pressed charges. Probably sued. No one is getting away with that on me.

[CmdrKing]

“Will Smith slaps Chris Rock for mocking his wife-“

“I get it and Will’s a decent dude by most counts but it’s not great to perpetuate the idea of violently defending ‘your’ woman it tends to lead to weird possessiveness”

“-‘s medically linked hair loss”

“Oh nevermind slap his shit Will”

[BridgeConsoleMasher]

Also like it's between two people and it's not necessarily a matter of public recourse sort of. Though how Academy responds will be on its own terms of course, and it's understandably jarring to watch.

Funny thing about this is I remember 2016 when Rock mocked Pinkett's protest. It was a pretty measured joke by my account, though the protest not only understandable but also modest.

[Mabus]

At best you could say that one's medical condition is off-limits when it comes to jokes.
On the other hand, people joke about men's balding all the time, regardless if it's natural of medical.
And Rock's joke wasn't even degrading (he didn't use the usual balding jokes most comedians tend to).

Regardless, that's no excuse to hit someone over a dumb joke. Especially, if you watch the unedited version, you can clearly see Smith laughing at the joke but Jada does not, then 7 seconds later Will climbs on the stage and goes to punch Chris. Meaning that he found the joke funny, but Jada probably forced him to do something, something stupid I guess. And I guess when Will defended Jada after cheating on him, his relationship with his wife can best be summed up as: she tells him to jump, he asks "how high?".

[Draco Dracul]

Those were fighting words.

[BridgeConsoleMasher]

At best you could say that one's medical condition is off-limits when it comes to jokes.
On the other hand, people joke about men's balding all the time, regardless if it's natural of medical.
And Rock's joke wasn't even degrading (he didn't use the usual balding jokes most comedians tend to).

It's rather different considering baldness effects a multitude of men more commonly than women.

[Mabus]

At best you could say that one's medical condition is off-limits when it comes to jokes.
On the other hand, people joke about men's balding all the time, regardless if it's natural of medical.
And Rock's joke wasn't even degrading (he didn't use the usual balding jokes most comedians tend to).

It's rather different considering baldness effects a multitude of men more commonly than women.

True, but the joke was very short and Chris immediately changed the topic, so the punch was unnecessary.

Those were fighting words.

Not even close.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fighting_words
Fighting words are very specific and require some form of "breach of peace". If anything, what Will Smith shouted to Chris Rock after he slapped him are fighting words, since there was already a breach of peace when Smith assaulted him.

[hammerofglass]

Those were fighting words.

Not even close.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fighting_words
Fighting words are very specific and require some form of "breach of peace". If anything, what Will Smith shouted to Chris Rock after he slapped him are fighting words, since there was already a breach of peace when Smith assaulted him.

Colloquial usage, which the legal doctrine is named after.
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/fighting--words
A statement bound to start a quarrel or fight. It is often expressed as them's fighting words, as in You say your father's smarter than mine? Them's fighting words. The ungrammatical use of them's for “those are” emphasizes the folksy tone of this colloquialism, first recorded in Ring Lardner's Gullible's Travels (1917).

[Thebestoftherest]

Who else originally misread it as Will Smith punches Chris Brown.

[CmdrKing]

I mean, if “Punched by Will Smith for being a shit” is just something we as a society do now he’s certainly high on the list of deserving it.