The following is a free write. A free write is a way of generating ideas by forcing yourself to write non-stop - whatever pops into your mind - without concern for anything that might make the writing less free: grammar, structure, thesis, review, etc. This is a silly topic. I tried to focus on what’s useful. (It’s barely edited. This is what a freewrite tends to look like; it’s messy, imperfect.)

The Slap Heard ‘round the World

So the slap. Let’s write about it. I kinda don’t want to and do at the same time. It’s too much on the socials, but what’s there isn’t what seems like what’s most important. It’s mostly predictable stuff like media outlets trying to milk this story for as much as its worth: Will Will apologize to Rock, he does; will Rock accept the apology; when will Rock break his silence . . . The incident itself is not particularly difficult for me. You can’t hit people ‘cause they offended you. It’s the law. Most people seem to agree – at least when it comes to non-celebrities – that hitting people for what they say is wrong. Yet many online polls show Americans split, almost right down the middle on who was more wrong. It’s telling of what we think of violence. Most people, I’d assume, who would get slapped by someone for telling a joke, would not like the experience, call it assault, and think that that sort of thing shouldn’t happen. Yet when an A+ celebrity like Will Smith, one of the richest actors in the world, slaps another – btw, smaller – man seemingly in defense of his wife, it seems, to some, laudable. Twitter was filled with people either thanking Will or taking his side (as well as those mocking Smith. Great memes!) It’s funny that Will himself stated in no uncertain terms his disapproval of violence and his embarrassment for his actions on Oscar night. Why the division? I think it’s because some people confuse the fact that, in the moment, to some, it felt like Will was right to feel the way he did. (Turns out, at least according to Rock, that he did not know Jada had been suffering from alopecia.) In turn, when we see someone (often in the movies), who we perceive as having ideal characteristics, someone we admire, say, like a hero, or a megastar like Smith, hit someone else we perceive as not embodying such characteristics – say, a skinny, awkward comedian with NVLD – and especially after such a person (the antagonist) slights the other, we see that as just. To put it plainly, we confuse the feeling with the action; because we feel offended, we feel that the subsequent action is equally justified. It’s what’s so persuasive about revenge. Revenge is a great way to feel justified when being a bad person. Rock’s ticket sales for his comedy events have skyrocketed. People admire Rock for “taking it on the chin,” for being the bigger man. We beat bullies when we take the high road. I’m not saying Smith is a bad guy. He's a Bad Boy. Bad joke. He lost control that night. He thought he was doing the right thing. Many people would make the same mistake. It was the easy thing to do. It was saving face. Do what’s hard. I think we build a better world when we do: A world where you can tell a joke, something beginning with “I love ya, but . . .” and not fear a physical reaction. But, hey, if you don’t like what I have to say, I guess you can just hit me, if that’s what you think is right. I don’t. And I wouldn’t be the one going to jail.