Let It Go?
By Jim Bauer
@porwest (91088)
United States
March 10, 2023 9:53am CST
Mr. Will Smith, it was you who opened yourself up to ridicule and criticism, and now, to be the butt of Chris Rock's jokes in the latest release of a Netflix comedy special by Rock that is done on the basis of the infamous slap...
And also makes numerous other jokes about Will Smith and his family.
"Let it go," Smith has said, although sources say he has not even seen the special and is only basing his thoughts on what he has heard other's say is in it.
I feel no sympathy for Smith, nor his wife frankly. They have both physcially and verbally made themselves "up for grabs," and I actually applaud Rock for making something out of what Smith clearly wants to go away.
That's not how it works in the real world. What's Rock supposed to do? Be the "bigger man?" Get the heck out. I think Rock is doing right by highlighting his own misfortune, being slapped in the face for all to see and being ultimately humiliated for simply doing his job.
Was the joke he told about Will's wife out of place? Nah. Many people have issues and can make light of them, and many do.
I said it then, and I say it now, that the slap had nothing to do with the joke. It underscored something else going on in Will's life that he is being challenged to deal with and that is bothering him.
Will Smith only wants Rock to let it go because he is fully aware, and maybe even a bit shocked, that his career has been severely damaged by the slap. He wants it go away. But if Rock doesn't keep it out there, the one that walks away looking like the fool is Rock.
12 people like this
9 responses
@RebeccasFarm (89873)
• Arvada, Colorado
10 Mar 23
Somehow I think it was rigged.
2 people like this
@RebeccasFarm (89873)
• Arvada, Colorado
11 Mar 23
@moffittjc It was very strange for sure Jeff..lots of questions as you say.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121604)
• Gainesville, Florida
11 Mar 23
@RebeccasFarm I used to love Will Smith as a person and as an actor. But these days he just doesn’t leave a good impression with me.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121604)
• Gainesville, Florida
11 Mar 23
I still kind of question the whole thing too. I've watched the video of the slap over and over, and it looks to me like it is a fake or staged slap. Or, if it was real, Will Smith doesn't look like he's trying to inflict any damage or pain on Rock.
If you watch the moment Rock told the joke about Jada, the cameras immediately panned to Will Smith, and he was laughing at the joke. So obviously he thought it was funny too. So what made him suddenly change his mind and supposedly get upset? The whole thing just didn't seem right.
I think Smith has some sort of bigger issues going on in his life, and probably needs to get a few things worked out. He never even really apologized to Rock for what he did. At least not a sincere apology.
1 person likes this
@sulynsi (2671)
• Canada
10 Mar 23
This makes me think of Proverbs 17:9 :
'He who covers and forgives an offense seeks love, But he who repeats or gossips about a matter separates intimate friends.'(Amplified Bible)
and Matthew 7:12 'whatever you want men to do to you, you must also do to them...'
Mr. Smith may well be 'reaping what he sowed' as respects his outburst, done in the heat of the moment.
But one must question the motivations of someone, who after having the opportunity for a year, to think about consequences of both his own initial comments, and subsequent events, dredges the whole mess up again.
2 people like this
@porwest (91088)
• United States
10 Mar 23
At the same time, I don't think Will Smith ever really internalized, nor was very sincerely apologetic for what he did after the fact, and that in part, could be what is fueling Rock to continue to react to the situation.
A lack of an apology is akin to a non-apology, and an insincere apology is also akin to both of those things.
Actions have consequences, and in this day and age it seems too many actions in certain circles go without them. I find it a bit refreshing to see that these "holier than thou" personalities are not without complete consequence all the time.
Beyond that, had any one of us made a similar action on that day anywhere else, we would have been hauled off in handcuffs on an assault charge. Rock did not need to press charges for that to happen since the action was plain to see and undeniable.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121604)
• Gainesville, Florida
11 Mar 23
The. way I look at it, Chris Rock is a comedian, and comedians use situations like the Will Smith slap to feed their comedy routine. So of course he's going to talk about it. He's going to milk it for as many laughs as he can get.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121604)
• Gainesville, Florida
16 Mar 23
@porwest I’ve always liked Chris Rock. Years ago when I was in college and he was still an up and coming comedian, he did a show at the University of Florida. After his show, he went out on the town and ended up at the bar I was bartending at. He was such a cool guy and totally down to earth.
1 person likes this
@porwest (91088)
• United States
20 Mar 23
@moffittjc I have never been a HUGE fan of him. But he is funny in his own way. Cool you got to meet him though.
1 person likes this
@Fleura (30404)
• United Kingdom
10 Mar 23
I think Will Smith asked for it. I mean if you slap a comedian in public, s/he is obviously going to milk that for comedy value right? Just the same as with any other event really. Pretty much anything that happens to a comedian is providing material for them, that's why they are comedians, they can have a laugh about anything!
2 people like this
@porwest (91088)
• United States
10 Mar 23
I think so too. Regardless of the joke or the nature of the joke, Smith just went the wrong direction entirely. Besides the fact that it has always been a very well known fact that comedians have certain "license" to tell certain jokes.
Heck, comedians like Don Rickles and Jackie Mason literally made careers out of it.
As for comedy in and of itself, the whole medium is about making fun of things, and that includes people. It has always been this way and will always continue to be this way.
I think part of this issue is that Jada has a superiority complex, and Will has bought into that. But interestingly enough, both of their lives are far, far from perfect and far, far from what normal people do and how they live, so OF COURSE they are going to be fodder for jokes because they are in the public eye and their lives are commentary worthy.
1 person likes this
@NJChicaa (119649)
• United States
10 Mar 23
I stayed up last weekend to watch the Netflix special. I turned it off, though, when Chris Rock started making jokes about abortion so ultimately I didn't see his bit at the end about the Oscars encounter.
I think Rock's joke about Jada looking like GI Jane was out of line but also so was Smith's response. At this point I think the whole thing is boring and it is a shame that talk about this year's ceremony is being overshadowed by what happened last year.
2 people like this
@porwest (91088)
• United States
16 Mar 23
I don't think the joke was out of line at all. Especially when you consider how many jokes are EXTREMELY off base but yet are admired depending on who hears the joke and what their thoughts are about the person being targeted.
Jokes are supposed to sometimes be in your face and a bit off color. And sometimes comedians make very good careers out of insulting people. Jackie Mason comes to mind. So does Don Rickles.
What Jada suffers from is not so much alopecia. She suffers from a superiority complex and a desire to be a victim and have her victim status be important. "Look at me, I am suffering," she wants to say. At the same time she will stand and talk about "privilege" from her balcony at her 15,000 square foot house in the hills.
Get over yourself, lady. You ain't all that special and your affliciton is nothing compared to what others are suffering.
As for Will, I think where his anger stems from is that Jada does not respect him. She has cheated on him and continues to do so. They have no loving relationship, instead an open marriage. I am not sure she is even worth him potentially damaging his career over.
His real revelation should be, I just went to the carpet and put my butt on the line for an ungrateful you know what.
@porwest (91088)
• United States
13 Mar 23
Part of the problem with a guy like Will Smith and MANY people in Hollywood and in the music industry is that they have become a bit spoiled. They get this money and status, and suddenly regular rules, they feel, don't apply to them.
I mean, even for a guy like Smith who's career may be damaged a bit by the action, what is the real consequence? He is still a millionaire many times over. Even if he never got to work again, which of course won't happen, he's not in the same position with the same consequence as someone who just has a regular job and regular career who does not have the same cushion to fall back on.
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (218927)
• Walnut Creek, California
10 Mar 23
To me it's all "celebrity drama," and I kind of avoid following that stuff. Tat said, I love this video and watch it over and over.
Your browser isn’t supported anymore. Update it to get the best YouTube experience and our latest features. Learn moreRemind me later
@lovebuglena (44549)
• Staten Island, New York
10 Mar 23
But if Chris Rock wouldn’t have said what he said about his wife then Will wouldn’t have slapped him? Or do you think it still would’ve happened regardless?
Was Will banned from the Oscars and cannot even be nominated or am I wrong?
And about that ruining his career... he’s gotten awards for his role in Emancipation. So seems he is doing well on that front.
1 person likes this
