Is A Slap Just A Slap?

 Welll....here's some things to think about....unless you could care less...

Will Smith is a very popular actor.

Will Smith talks about good behavior.

Will Smith is a role model.

And......forgive me for pointing it out in a racially charged climate.

Will Smith is black.

I absolutely believe and am fully aware of white privilege.

I am firmly on board with this concept. As a white person, I don't feel it or understand it as deeply as I should/could but I am very open to it.

I don't know what has happened to Will. I do think that given another moment in time, he would not have responded that way. I don't know what kind of abuse/words/taunting he was exposed to this past week/month/year. I don't know what happened within his family just today.

I think his behavior was absolutely unacceptable. He could have stood up and "Yo Chris. That is not cool. Don't talk about my wife like that!" I would have respected that a lot more. I'm a direct person and I think that would have been acceptable to call it out.

On the other hand, I've made mistakes. I've been emotionally charged for other reasons and said things I wish I had not. I've come across people who need to be slapped (GASP! What?!).....

So I put out there- I give Will Smith grace in this case.

I don't think he should have done it but I don't know the whole story. Doesn't make it ok that he did it. Just offering grace.

Chris Rock- I think he handled it well. I'm glad he isn't pressing charges. I hope that he rethinks his words.

I hope the two men talk it out. There should be apologies on both sides. I hope in the end they can support each other's positions.

Views are not exclusive of each other. These can all be true:

-Will Smith's physical actions were unacceptable.

-Will Smith's use of profanity was not acceptable.

-Will Smith wants to be a vessel of love.

-Chris Rock makes jokes.

-Chris Rock's joke was intended as harmless.

-The repercussions of "normalizing" this behavior reminds me of how people normalized Trump's behavior.

Me? I don't want us as a society, as Americans to normalize Will Smith's behavior. But I want Will Smith to be the one to stand up and say that. I want to see him publicly apologize to Chris Rock and take responsibility for his actions. His actions should not be celebrated but they should be addressed and we should be better for it. All of us.

He has a real opportunity to show love here. Love, humbleness, etc.

I hope he does. I do.

I wonder if anyone else wonders about the black man slapping a black man. I think thank God it wasn't a black man slapping a white man or vice a versa. I can't help but think the repercussions of that would be ugly.

In the end, these two men have a chance to do some public apologizing and role modeling.

It could be very powerful. Let's see what kind of men they really are....

What do you think?