Memo from the Academy: Just Don’t Do Anything to a Powerful Man.
The Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences has banned Will Smith for a solid decade; barring him from attendance at Oscar ceremonies and related events.
Smith’s offense? He slapped comedian Chris Rock for joking about the appearance of wife Jada Pinkett Smith, a stunning woman who suffers from alopecia — a disease that has robbed her of much of her hair.
I in no way condone Smith’s act of violence against Rock — although I myself felt an intense feeling of rage when I saw the pain in the eyes of a woman who dared to appear in public looking beautifully different than the way that a starlet is supposed to appear. And although Rock asserts that he knew nothing of Pinkett-Smith’s medical condition, one wonders if he would have made a hair loss joke regarding Jack Nicholson, Ed Harris, or other male actors with a noticeable lack of follicles atop their heads. Regardless, he should not have been physically struck for his words. Might have been tempted to trip him as he came offstage before bellowing out, “Ooops!” But that’s just me.
Here who has been treated less harshly by the Oscars: Roman Polanski (convicted of child rape of a young girl, rewarded with an Oscar and a standing ovation at the ceremony despite an eventual ban), Harvey Weinstein (in prison for rape, but not stripped of his multiple Oscar honors — eventually banned from the ceremony), Kevin Spacey (credibly accused of multiple sex crimes against underaged males), Casey Affleck (Oscar winner facing serious accusations against young women), Woody Allen (the subject of a recent, high quality HBO documentary detailing sexual assault allegations against his own, then minor daughter), James Toback (facing multiple sex assault allegations against young women).
Notice any similarities between these men? They’re male. They’re white. They’re rich and powerful. And their offenses, alleged or otherwise, were committed against less powerful persons — most of them women.
Memo to the Academy: Don’t talk to us about healing and peace. You stand accused and culpable of promoting men who have committed unspeakable crimes against those who don’t have a voice.
To hell with you.
