I feel that context matters as well. In a manzai, we understand that the slap is not done out of anger, it was humor, it was part of a script. When Will Smith slap Chris Rock, that was done out of anger.
very interesting points Shogo! I was just watching K-On today and thinking about how often the girls slap or hit each other and it's always funny, even though of course in real life hitting your friends that much would not be nice haha. I will say although I don't condone the violence, the outrage other Americans are having over his actions is disproportionate. I really feel like a lot of people are just agreeing with the most harsh attitudes towards Will out of wanting to look "more right" or morally superior. I think 1 slap is something many many many people have done and while it is not ideal it's nothing worth cancelling such a great actor for, especially as he even apologized for his actions. Plus, I understand having an extreme reaction when you feel like you need to protect your family.
Most foreigners are so blinded by their love for Will Smith's work they will excuse Smith's actions. Chris Rock's joke wasn't even taking a jab at Jada Smith's condition. Will was laughing his ass off before he got a death stare from Jada and then he suddenly got angry and went up to Chris to slap him. All this shows is that Jada 100% controls their relationship.
from what i know, many people don't really care too much about the incident, which has now become a widespread meme and renewed some interest in the long-forgotten oscars award show. but i could be wrong.
It’s not the fact that Will Smith slapped someone insofar as the fact that he lost too much control over himself. If someone of high status showed a lack of discipline over inJapan, would he not be shunned?
There’s also a recent movement in the US that are cancelling blatantly racist jokes as well, like that time when Jimmy Carr made fun of the killing of Romani people during the Holocaust.
This is why no allowance should be given to things like violence, the second you say that violence is ok when someone is "correct" the second you create a slippery slope since "correct" can be subjective, and before you know it people are beating up comedians they don't like because Will Smith did it.
Free speech issues aside, which alone are chilling and terrifying, Will did himself a disservice by charging the stage and slapping Chris. He showed himself as a weak man with no moral fiber at all for resorting to violence for a minor insult. What he did was exactly the reverse who what should have been done in this subject. Will should have taken the joke and handled the distress privately or teased Chris back as a tit for tat. Uncle Phil would not be proud, at all.
Since this video was posted, Will Smith recently (about two weeks ago, as of my post) posted a more formal apology for his actions on his own YT channel. I thought I’d mention that before continuing. It isn’t so much as “racist” jokes are accepted in the U.S. Those kinds of jokes were never “accepted” per se. They’ve just not been openly challenged as unacceptable until “today” (modern day). Biggest example is of “blackface” and “yellow face” actors and comedians in the early 1900’s, when that type of comedy - making fun of Black and Asian people by others - was a “thing” accepted by white people. In more recent times, it’s other comedians making fun of people they consider ‘out’ of the perceived norm, and the “out” individual or group varies by the comedian themselves. Right now, there’s a shift in consciousness (at least in the U.S.) where this type of “punching down” humor is falling out of favor. It’s one thing if the performer in question is using self-deprecation - making fun of themselves - as part of their comedy routine. It’s a different matter when a performer’s “comedy” is perceived to give “permission” to the audience to harass or bully the target of the “comedy.” One of the many reasons the “20% or so” of people who approved of Will Smith’s actions (even though he now regrets them) is that it was perceived as him no longer tolerating Chris Rock harassing his wife in his comedic routines. (Allegedly, Chris Rock had made fun of Jada Pinckett Smith several times over the years.) But in a broader sense, especially for some Black women, Will’s actions that night felt like a vindication. Someone defended a Black woman’s honor - not just his wife, but a Black woman in general. (Black women not being protected at all is another of MANY social issues in the U.S. and most of the world - too long a subject to elaborate here.) Will Smith himself knows he fell far short of his normal control that night, so even he doesn’t excuse his behavior. However, not everyone thinks what he did was entirely wrong. The issue was, he did it on a live broadcast. And how some of the public reacted to this incident is also indicative of the many deeper social issues the U.S. has to deal with. Summary: “racism” in comedy isn’t “accepted,” just tolerated. A shift in consciousness is beginning to happen where that type of comedy is no longer tolerated. And it’s about time!
Shogo-kun, I am against Chris Rock, (the MC), insulting Will Smith's wife publicly. That man had no right to insult her. She was not there for that purpose. 🇺🇸🤝🇯🇵
I feel that context matters as well. In a manzai, we understand that the slap is not done out of anger, it was humor, it was part of a script. When Will Smith slap Chris Rock, that was done out of anger.
very interesting points Shogo! I was just watching K-On today and thinking about how often the girls slap or hit each other and it's always funny, even though of course in real life hitting your friends that much would not be nice haha.
I will say although I don't condone the violence, the outrage other Americans are having over his actions is disproportionate. I really feel like a lot of people are just agreeing with the most harsh attitudes towards Will out of wanting to look "more right" or morally superior. I think 1 slap is something many many many people have done and while it is not ideal it's nothing worth cancelling such a great actor for, especially as he even apologized for his actions. Plus, I understand having an extreme reaction when you feel like you need to protect your family.
Most foreigners are so blinded by their love for Will Smith's work they will excuse Smith's actions. Chris Rock's joke wasn't even taking a jab at Jada Smith's condition. Will was laughing his ass off before he got a death stare from Jada and then he suddenly got angry and went up to Chris to slap him. All this shows is that Jada 100% controls their relationship.
I care not for Will nor Chris tbh. Celebrities should just stop existing. Modern day court jesters.
💯
from what i know, many people don't really care too much about the incident, which has now become a widespread meme and renewed some interest in the long-forgotten oscars award show. but i could be wrong.
It’s not the fact that Will Smith slapped someone insofar as the fact that he lost too much control over himself. If someone of high status showed a lack of discipline over inJapan, would he not be shunned?
There’s also a recent movement in the US that are cancelling blatantly racist jokes as well, like that time when Jimmy Carr made fun of the killing of Romani people during the Holocaust.
This is why no allowance should be given to things like violence, the second you say that violence is ok when someone is "correct" the second you create a slippery slope since "correct" can be subjective, and before you know it people are beating up comedians they don't like because Will Smith did it.
Free speech issues aside, which alone are chilling and terrifying, Will did himself a disservice by charging the stage and slapping Chris.
He showed himself as a weak man with no moral fiber at all for resorting to violence for a minor insult. What he did was exactly the reverse who what should have been done in this subject. Will should have taken the joke and handled the distress privately or teased Chris back as a tit for tat.
Uncle Phil would not be proud, at all.
Since this video was posted, Will Smith recently (about two weeks ago, as of my post) posted a more formal apology for his actions on his own YT channel. I thought I’d mention that before continuing.
It isn’t so much as “racist” jokes are accepted in the U.S. Those kinds of jokes were never “accepted” per se. They’ve just not been openly challenged as unacceptable until “today” (modern day). Biggest example is of “blackface” and “yellow face” actors and comedians in the early 1900’s, when that type of comedy - making fun of Black and Asian people by others - was a “thing” accepted by white people. In more recent times, it’s other comedians making fun of people they consider ‘out’ of the perceived norm, and the “out” individual or group varies by the comedian themselves.
Right now, there’s a shift in consciousness (at least in the U.S.) where this type of “punching down” humor is falling out of favor. It’s one thing if the performer in question is using self-deprecation - making fun of themselves - as part of their comedy routine. It’s a different matter when a performer’s “comedy” is perceived to give “permission” to the audience to harass or bully the target of the “comedy.”
One of the many reasons the “20% or so” of people who approved of Will Smith’s actions (even though he now regrets them) is that it was perceived as him no longer tolerating Chris Rock harassing his wife in his comedic routines. (Allegedly, Chris Rock had made fun of Jada Pinckett Smith several times over the years.) But in a broader sense, especially for some Black women, Will’s actions that night felt like a vindication. Someone defended a Black woman’s honor - not just his wife, but a Black woman in general. (Black women not being protected at all is another of MANY social issues in the U.S. and most of the world - too long a subject to elaborate here.)
Will Smith himself knows he fell far short of his normal control that night, so even he doesn’t excuse his behavior. However, not everyone thinks what he did was entirely wrong. The issue was, he did it on a live broadcast. And how some of the public reacted to this incident is also indicative of the many deeper social issues the U.S. has to deal with.
Summary: “racism” in comedy isn’t “accepted,” just tolerated. A shift in consciousness is beginning to happen where that type of comedy is no longer tolerated. And it’s about time!
Damn. I use Shinai for Kendo training. I didn’t know they were used for… that
By the way Shogo can you do a collab with @abroad in Japan ?
There's one thing I dispute about this video, Shogo. The hand in the thumbnail... There's no way thats Will Smith's hand. Way too small.
Shogo-kun, I am against Chris Rock, (the MC), insulting Will Smith's wife publicly. That man had no right to insult her. She was not there for that purpose. 🇺🇸🤝🇯🇵
Will had no right to slap him for a JOKE people need to not be so serious and take a joke will should have been stripped of his award as punishment.
Why is this in my recommendations? Probably 1 million views in a week and this'll very likely become a meme
If I walked around Tokyo slapping people whenever someone slightly annoyed me, I don't think people would be so understanding
I think the keyword here is “slightly annoy”, maybe Japanese people don’t see it that way
Just ask those people if they were still happy about that happened if Will Smith broke his jaw with a slap, would be this acceptable?