Back Story…
To be fair to Will and Jada, I have to give you the back story.
First, there may have been issues between these good friends (Chris vs. Will and Jada) going back to 2016. Jada and other African American actors were boycotting the awards because of a lack of African American nominees. Jada sent a beautiful video explaining why she wasn’t attending the awards and gave a beautiful message to Chris (because he was going to be hosting).:
“Hi. Today is Martin Luther King’s birthday. And I can’t help but ask the question, is it time that people of color recognize how much power and influence that we have amassed? That we no longer need to ask to be invited anywhere. I ask the question, have we come to a new time and place where we recognize that we can no longer beg for the love, acknowledgement, or respect of any group? That maybe it’s time that, if we love and respect and acknowledge ourselves in the way in which we are asking others to do, that that is the place of true power. I’m simply asking a question. Here’s what I believe. The Academy has the right to acknowledge whomever they choose. To invite whomever they choose. And now I think that it’s our responsibility now to make the change. Maybe it is time that we pull back our resources and we put them back into our communities, into our programs. And we make programs for ourselves that acknowledge us in ways that we see fit. That are just as good as the so-called mainstream ones. I don’t know. But here’s what I do know. Begging for acknowledgment and even asking diminishes dignity. And diminishes power. And we are a dignified people. We are powerful. And let’s not forget it. So let’s let the academy do them. With all grace and love. And let’s do us differently. I got nothing but love. Hey Chris! I will not be at the academy awards. And I won’t be watching it. But I can’t think of a better man to do the job at hand this year than you, my friend. Good luck. And to the rest of you, nothing but love always.
That was beautiful. What did Chris say at the awards show concerning Jada’s boycott? He replied with the following:
“Jada said she’s not coming. Protesting. I’m like , ‘Isn’t she on a t.v. show? Jada’s going to boycott the Oscars. Jada boycotting the Oscars is like me boycotting Rihanna’s panties. I wasn’t invited…I understand you’re mad. Jada’s mad. Her man, Will, was not nominated for ‘Concussion’. I get it…It’s not fair that Will was this good and didn’t get nominated. You’re right. It’s also not fair that Will was paid twenty million for ‘Wild Wild West’ okay!“
She was approached later and asked to comment about Chris’ comment. She replied:
“Hey look, it comes with the territory. We gotta keep it moving. We got a lot of stuff we gotta handle. A lot of stuff going on in our world right now. We gotta keep it moving.”
To me, that’s when they fell out. She recognized him as a friend (in which they have been for decades), but he gave her a low blow. And even though the Smiths didn’t respond, I believe this may have been brewing for six years. More on this later.
Why Do Black Women Tend To Cut Their Hair Close or Bald?
Jada Pinkett-Smith
Second, apparently, the reason Jada shaved her head bald is because she’s suffering from Alopecia. Apparently, she came forward about it recently online. I’m a fan of Will and Jada Smith. But I was not made aware that she was suffering from Alopecia. Why did I personally think she shaved her hair and went bald? Well, being a black man and living amongst black women my entire life and exclusively marrying and dating them (and just talking to them as friends), my sisters tend to shave their heads for several reasons:
Sanaa Lathan
- She’s recently come out of a long-term relationship, and he probably loved her long hair…so it’s a F-you to him, and it’s symbolic of starting anew! Sometimes, they cut it short or sometimes they cut it bald.
- They are going through chemotherapy in an attempt to fight cancer. (Many races of women do this also.)
- They are fashion divas and just want to do something shocking and new!
- Apparently Alopecia
- They are tired of waiting to grow their perm out in an attempt to go natural. So they cut it all off. (Several of my female colleagues have done this, and women in Hollywood in that last several years have done this.)
As I said earlier, I wasn’t made aware of her alopecia. And I really don’t think Chris Rock was aware.
Tiffany Haddish
The Aftermath…
I’m on my third day writing this article, one week after this has happened, the following has happened:
1)Chris Rock declined to press charges against Mr. Smith for assaulting him. The police department said, whenever he’s ready, he can press charges (because the evidence is there on video).
2) The Academy wrote a statement the next day:
“The Academy condemns the actions of Mr. Smith at last night’s show. We have officially started a formal review around the incident and will explore further action and consequences in accordance with our Bylaws, standards of Conduct and California law.”
3) By Monday afternoon, he finally apologized to Chris Rock online saying:
“Violence in all its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear, and I reacted emotionally.
I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line, and I was wrong. I am embarrassed, and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.”
4)Chris Rock’s ticket prices have gone up by over 100%.
5)(Resigned)
On April 1, 2022, Will Smith resigned from the academy. He wrote the following letter:
“I deprived other nominees and winners of their opportunity to celebrate and be celebrated for their extraordinary work. I am heartbroken. I want to put the focus back on those who deserve attention for their achievements and allow the Academy to get back to the incredible work it does to support creativity and artistry in film. So, I am resigning from membership in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and will accept any further consequences the Board deems appropriate.”
The president of this organization accepted his resignation. What does his resignation mean? It means that he is no longer able to vote on Oscar nominations as a member of the academy. He also said they are still moving towards their disciplinary proceedings against Mr. Smith for violating the Academy’s Standards of Conduct.
6)Netflix has placed Will Smith’s next project, named Fast and Loose, which they were ready to film, on the back burner.
7)Sony has paused Bad Boy 4 production after the incident.
8) Apple Plus has now postponed Emancipation.
9) Jada plans to bring Will Smith to the Red Table to discuss it.
10) More to come…
Why Did He Slap Him and not Punch Him?
Jocko willink
Someone online asked, why did Will Smith slap Chris Rock and not punch him? I’m going to give two reasons. First, I’m going to give Joko Willink’s (A former Navy Seal) reason a man would slap another man in a military setting. Then I’m going to give you the urban and street reason a man would slap another man and its meaning. And Will Smith was never in the military, and he’s a black man…so I’m sure my reason is what he was attempting to articulate with the slap.
(Jocko explains the meaning of slapping a man in a military setting)
On Jocko’s recent podcast (on YouTube), he addressed the Will Smith vs. Chris Rock incident. He stated:
“Will Smith slapped Chris Rock…My first reaction…I thought to myself, this is what happens. You talk smack…if you talk smack, you get slapped. That’s what happens. I didn’t think anything about it. I chuckled.
When you’re in a military Seal Platoon, occasionally someone’s going to get smacked. When you’re on a construction site, occasionally someone’s going to get smacked…when you’re in your house with your brother, someone’s going to get smacked. It occasionally happens, and things escalate.
(In a military setting) “…Or someone’s going to get slapped up for running their suck (mouth)…a slap isn’t like a crazy thing. A slap doesn’t really damage. A slap doesn’t really leave damage. It’s more humiliating than anything else. It’s a humiliating thing. It’s a statement. Not to knock someone out. If I’m going to fight you, I’m not going to slap you. I’m going to punch you in the fucking face.
Now don’t get me wrong, if someone slaps you, you’re kind of authorized to retaliate…but whoever slapped you gave you a warning that you were out of line. They’re giving you an option to assess your behavior and stand down.
I’ve slapped people before and had them stand down. So they might be right. If you’re getting slapped by someone, and you go ‘Oh damn, I didn’t realize Jocko was so sensitive about this thing, and I went too far.’ And I assessed it and realized I crossed the line. Now if you punched me, it’s on. You leave me no choice.
…If you slapped someone, you really checked someone. You need to be ready to fight. Because it’s acceptable that, if you get slapped, you’re fighting. But there is a difference between a closed fist punch and a slap to the face.
Now did Chris Rock deserve to get slapped? In my opinion, no. He’s a comedian, bro. He’s roasting people. That’s what he does for a living by the way. He going to roast. Anyone that comes to that thing (Academy Award) is a viable option to get roasted. It’s always like that… (Jocko Willink evaluates celebrities slapping each other .[Will Smith and Chris Rock])
(My explanation of a slap)
In the Urban Community and in the Streets, when you slap another male, you are communicating one primary thing:
“He’s a bitch that sits when he pisses.”
In essence, he is doing something so unmanly that he’s not even worthy of being hit with a closed fist. I don’t condone the hitting of women, but if a man would ever strike a woman, 98% of the time, he’d slap her because it’s disrespectful to himself and to her to punch her.
What are the several circumstances that most men would smack someone? Here are several:
- A son that has gotten sassy (mouthy) with you or your wife. Slapping him is giving him a hard reset that he is still a boy in your house. And you’re warning him that, if he continues, then you’ll deal with him as a man (if he’s a teenager)…and he doesn’t really want those problems.
- A teenage son that challenges your authority in your house.
- Your adult son has gotten disrespectful with you or your wife…or his mother.
- A young adult male or a male that manifests the feminine attribute of being mouthy and sassy. And since he’s acting like a bitch, then you’ll treat him like a bitch.
- Your daughter gets sassy, mouthy, or disrespectful with you or your wife..
- A stud/dom (the masculine acting lesbian) that physically aggresses upon you like a man. Most men I know wouldn’t even hit her with a closed fist because she’s not a man! He’d just keep slapping her until she submits or starts crying. Because she’s not a man…meaning she’s not worthy of hitting with a closed fist.
- Someone that’s smaller than you that has crossed a line…you think he’s a bitch and not man enough to hit.
Recently, in the last twelve months, I’ve wanted to slap two adult males. One was older than me but under my leadership. The only reason I have not physically disciplined him yet is because of my position. He’s sassy. But because I am in management, I must deal with him professionally and discipline him through the proper paperwork for all his outbursts until he terminates himself. But God willing, eventually, I will give him the reset that he needs.
And the other one is a younger adult male who wasn’t raised by a father. So he has some bitchmade ways about himself. He’s aware of it but has a hard time understanding that many of his attributes are feminine. And this is because he was raised around a bunch of women, and his mother spoiled him because of the circumstances of his birth. Because of our positions, I didn’t give him the reset that he needed. But later, I explained to him what I desired to do, and he got the message. When I was younger, because I wasn’t really raised under male headship, when I left home and came around men, I had a sassy mouth, and I should have received a couple of “hard resets” But the stern discipline I later received corrected me before I was open hand slapped! And I would have deserved it.
So I believe that Will Smith believed he was giving Chris a warning…a hard reset. But was he? As Jocko said…no.
To be continued…
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