issue thirty
of course sometimes shit go down / when it's a billion dollars at the Dolby Theatre
All I wanted to do is make my silly little jokes about Chris Rock getting his shit rocked (get it, get it) but of fucking course everyone had to do that god damn MOST. Truly the internet is the best and worst thing to ever happen to us.
So ICYMI, Chris Rock made a gross and lowball joke regarding Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head at the Oscars for which Will Smith walked onto the Oscar’s stage, slapped Rock, went back to his seat and twice yelled “keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth”. And reader, I screamed. In the moments afterwards, I didn’t know if this was an awkward, forced bit, if this was real, what the fuck was happening. Going onto the stage and slapping a presenter? Feels uh, a bit risky. Don’t think any publicist would suggest that but hey, talk shit get hit. Which, for the record, is very much a mantra this newsletter lives by. I think it’s good to note that earlier in the evening, Regina Hall made a joke referencing the Smith’s open marriage which honestly, could have hit some nerves as well.
Approximately 10 minutes later, Smith goes on to win the Academy Award for Best Actor and gives … a speech. From my seat on the couch, it was a little awkward and uncomfortable. Kinda like when you just see someone get slapped and no one addresses it and then the slapee goes on to win his FIRST EVER OSCAR – you can feel the tension in the room, people are joyous for Smith but still processing, hell Smith himself is still processing. It’s definitely A Moment. Which is a little amusing because the Oscars are always so desperately trying to manufacture Moments and look what they got organically!
And I was ready to have a little chuckle! It was bananas! I wanted to share my other Oscars thoughts! But no. Y’all had to get fucking racist and lose your minds on Al Gore’s internet and give me a migraine so now we’re here.
First and foremost, I feel the need to remind you all that words mean things. Comparing Will Smith’s behaviour tonight to historical Hollywood abuses is atrocious frankly. The handwringing over a slap by both the public and the Academy is ridiculous. In 2003, Roman Polanski, who could not return to the United States lest he be arrested for child abuse, received a standing ovation following his Best Director win for The Pianist. Harvey Weinstein has 81 Oscars. John Wayne had to be restrained by six security men to keep him from physically attacking Sacheen Littlefeather, who was also booed by the audience as she rejected an Oscar on behalf of Marlon Brando. Michael Moore was quite literally booed off the stage for suggesting the war in Iraq was a sham. Are we really calling this “Oscar’s ugliest moment” Mia? Are we really trying to compare this random act to centuries of systematic abuse? Are we? Qwhite interesting.
Because that’s the thing, isn’t it? Basically, all the intense backlash I saw was from white people. People arguing that this was abuse and a sign of deeper anger issues and that Smith is dangerous and that he should be escorted out and that he should be arrested and and and. That we should immediately alert the authorities to this Black man acting “inappropriately”.
And before anyone fucking starts, maybe this wasn’t the time and the place. But come the fuck ON. The reason there is this intense and heated and vile reaction to Smith’s actions is because he is a Black man. He is being treated as a violent criminal because he is a Black man. He is being labelled an abuser and dangerous because he is a Black man. A lot of people seem very upset at Smith for his actions but aren’t condemning Rock for his joke? If someone made a comment about my wife’s appearance due to a chronic illness? Hold me the fuck back. It’s gross. It’s uncalled for. The are other things to joke about. Dare I again say, say shit get hit.
Everything within our society can and should be viewed through a racial lens. If you’re a white person and Some Type of Way about this, you need to sit with that and interrogate it. You need to recognize the internalized racism that all white people have. Why is it acceptable to you for a Black woman to be the butt of a joke and why is it unacceptable to you that a Black man rightfully defend his wife? Sit with that a minute.
Phew. Alright. Now that I've said that, can we please enjoy the absurdity of everything that occurred? Chris and Will have their thing, Questlove wins the Oscar for Best Documentary, we go to commercial. We’re all screaming. We come back from commercial and SEAN DIDDY COMBS comes out to introduce the montage for the GODFATHER?? I love live TV. I love celebrities. I love that Beyonce was there.
If Beyonce had a nickel for every time she saw someone get their shit handed to them for disrespecting someone’s wife, she’d have two nickels. Which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice.
What I’m Listening To:
Maintenance Phase: The Wellness to QAnon Pipeline
You're Wrong About: Losing Relatives to Fox News
Articles:
Love, Peace, and Taco Grease: How I Left My Abusive Husband and Found Guy Fieri
The Dark Side Of TikTok Self-Help Content
Very Online: How Gullibility Became Our New Normal
Screenshots Tell the Real Stories About Who We Are
Internet Shit:
Till next time!
xoxo, Liz