Will Smith punches Chris Rock

[Frustration]

This is physical assault, and while it's possible for certain kinds of verbal assault to be considered adequate provocation, I think it's unlikely a court of law would consider Rock's joke to qualify. Especially since Smith took enough time for the act to be considered in cold blood.

Rock was arguably in poor taste, but there is no excusing Smith's behavior.

[clearspira]

What gets me the most about this, is that for all of his protestations of ''doing it for the love of his wife'', Jada spend the whole of last year publicly cheating on him and demeaning him on social media.

I think that part of this was over-compensation. He has spent a year having the whole internet challenge his masculinity and he broke. Men with all of their facilities working do not go from laughing to marching up to a stage to commit violence in the span of ten seconds. As others have noted, that is a long walk, more than enough time to snap yourself back. And he didn't even calm down when he got back to his seat either.

Toxic masculinity at its finest. He wanted to prove himself a man. As a devoted husband to a wife that is boning other men.

All the more amusing by the fact that many of the Hollywood-elite supposedly went on to give him an ovation at the after-party despite them normally being the first to crusade against such macho garbage. This hypocrisy is one of many reasons why Hollywood is nowhere near as popular as it used to be which is why award shows in general have been falling year-on-year. We wouldn't be talking about this one if it wasn't for the thuggery.

[CharlesPhipps]

Chris Rock and Will Smith both come from a time when physical altercations were more than proper ways of settling things between two men. It's a very different time now but I'm 40 and fights after school were perfectly normal when I was in high school.

It's good we're moving beyond that but understanding is important to.

[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.

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

Well yeah mostly anything coming out of this "wasn't necessary." I think we're all square on that.

[Fuzzy Necromancer]

What a disgusting thug.

Maybe watch the racially charged language?

Anyway, at least somebody finally managed to make the Oscars relevant again.

[clearspira]

What a disgusting thug.

Maybe watch the racially charged language?

Anyway, at least somebody finally managed to make the Oscars relevant again.

Maybe someone's skin colour in your world stops someone from being called a thug, but in mine, I will call him for what he is.

Will Smith is a disgusting thug because he's a disgusting thug not because he has different ancestors to mine.

[Fuzzy Necromancer]

I'm saying the word "thug" has some racist connotations but keeping digging that hole I guess?

[hammerofglass]

I honestly won't be surprised if we find out later that it was a staged publicity stunt. The Academy has been struggling with cultural irrelevance for a while.

[Madner Kami]

The videos I saw, I feel Smith's mouth was laughing while he smacked Rock and while turning around, only regaining composure while walking back. Besides, I'd expect Rock's reaction to be more confuzzled and more physical, if smacked with force by someone the stature of Smith. Staged as fuck.

[clearspira]

I'm saying the word "thug" has some racist connotations but keeping digging that hole I guess?

In America perhaps. The only hole to be found is with your culture which is full of weird shit that is apparantly racist but a Brit wouldnt blink twice at. I've heard US lefties try to make out that it is racist to suggest that black people eat watermelon or chicken ffs.