The trouble with comedy is that most jokes are used to insult someone or something. Comedy has also been used to make awareness of a social ill and/or problem and how it needs to be corrected. But comedy has also been used to insult people intentionally or not. There are times when comedy does cross lines it should not cross, but if it is crossed unintentionally then it needs to be known by the comedian and/or the writers. Granted I don’t expect Steven Colbert or his writers anytime soon lightening up on conservatives anytime soon, but as we saw at this years Oscars…we have seen when Hollywood picks on its own, and we saw how Chris Rock got the “Everybody Hates Chris” treatment when Will Smith was taking a stand for his wife.
I have to say that both Will Smith and Chris Rock were wrong. Smith for smacking Rock, and Rock for the “G.I. Jane” joke. Sure, it could be argued that Rock meant well, and that he was trying to be encouraging to Jada, but if we are honest…the G.I. Jane movie that Rock was referring to was the 1998 movie starring Demi Moore and not the 1951 musical film starring Jean Porter. The movie was truly a bad movie that was hated by critics and audiences alike and Moore was rewarded with Worst Actress from the Razzies that very year. Based on what I have described about the Demi Moore G.I. Jane movie, and how many of us realized that the movie was not so great if not great at all; a joke about being cast in a sequel based on that bad film while dealing with something that is likely painful for the person is like twisted the knife in that person and Chris Rock was indeed twisting the knife with Jada…regardless if he knew it or not.
Now here is how Will Smith should have handled it…if he needed to interrupt Chris Rock and do it on live TV and not wait until they can go behind closed doors to talk or over or worse duke it out. What Will should have done is when he got up on stage, he should have pulled a Kayne West and say; “Excuse me Chris, but my wife does not find your G.I. Jane joke all that funny, and don’t you realize she has alopecia? I don’t think you would find it funny if you were going through that Chris.” Should Chris realize this and correct himself…good now you can get off the stage now. Now if Chris decides to go back to the board and “Press his Luck” then Will can and should give Chris Rock a Whammy or two…right or wrong. Other than keeping his cool and staying professional, Chris Rock should have thought twice about a joke that Jada does not find funny.
No, I don’t think Will Smith should be striped of his Oscar, he strongly believes he was standing up for his wife…even if their relationship is an open marriage. When it comes to the entertainment business, sexual morals have always gone out the window. I will say this to Will regarding this, I am glad your stood up for your wife and family on something. Still, I would encourage you and Jada to reconsider how you handle your marriage, you might want rethink your Open Marriage and considering making it a closed marriage. You can view me as some kind of Bible Thumper or Booker but please hear me out my dear brother. If you found Chris Rock’s joke to be insulting to your wife, don’t you think some other guy sleeping with your Jada to be just as bad? Would you allow just any guy to sleep with her? I am sure there are women you want nothing to do with. So maybe in the future; don’t you think that this pie in sky as maybe people like you who address a God that I have great respect for was right about the concept of the marriage institution. If Jada does not like this, then your wife really does not love you and she is using you as she is using them. Man, I am hearing Sam Kinison in my head right now.
Now I understand that a lot of conservatives are standing with Chris Rock on this. We want not only want freedom of speech, but we want to be happy, and good comedy regardless of what it comes from makes us happy. Not to mention we want to mock and scorn those who want to be sour pusses regardless of their cause and/or whatever. Again, certain comedy is intended to insult certain people or groups. Now if we did to Chris Rock what Will Smith did…we would likely be in trouble…maybe not with Rock himself but the venue owner (ranging from the stadiums, to smaller auditoriums, to the comedy club in the case) who could ban us form ever coming again and then some. Still, Rock could have shown just a little sympathy with Jada regarding her issues with alopecia.
Hopefully, this ordeal with Will Smith and Chris Rock will cause us all on planet Earth to reevaluated ourselves as human beings and how we treat each other.
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