Red Mosquito

BurtReynolds wrote:I don't know if it was fake, but people like Will Smith would absolutely trade a dumb award that no one will remember for being talked about by the entire country. This is a business.

Burt gets it.

“Print what you want to about me in the newspaper, just make sure you spell my name correctly.”

PS - Definitely fake.

I disagree. Rock’s reaction afterwards was too genuine.

You’ve made the mistake of thinking I actually watched it. I didn’t.

Did I?

“You” in the collective sense.

Touché.

Saw a meme of Jada with a buncha hotdogs ‘shopped into her mouth. Decided it was too spicy for RM.

no one slaps Ricky Gervais because he's white

If Chris Rock was attacked (at least partly) because he is a black man, that only makes what Will Smith did worse.

no, because the reason I'm handing Will some empathy is that he's *also* a Black man

my take would be entirely different if Rock's slapper had been white

I didn't say "the reason Rock was attacked is that he's Black"

I said the reason Gervais has never been hit for similar comedian bullshit is that he's white, so 1) he's generally afforded more respect by the elite and the general public, and 2) the consequences of hitting him would be worse (especially for a Black man)

So let's say Will Smith was not involved at all. Chris Rock made a similar joke about Troy Kotsur's wife as what happened at the Oscars (equally offensive, about an illness she has), and Troy Kotsur did 100% exactly what Will Smith did. Then you would condemn him.

Ms Harmless wrote:I didn't say "the reason Rock was attacked is that he's Black"

I said the reason Gervais has never been hit for similar comedian bullshit is that he's white, so 1) he's generally afforded more respect by the elite and the general public, and 2) the consequences of hitting him would be worse (especially for a Black man)

If Smith wouldn't have hit Gervais because he is white, that means Rock was partially attacked because he is black.

there are degrees

I think the joke deserved a slap, but that situation would be more complicated than if Kotsur slapped Ricky Gervais for the joke (in which case I would be cheering it on with an undivided conscience)

a big part of what happened here, and why the situation is unique, is that both men were Black

Anders wrote:

Ms Harmless wrote:I didn't say "the reason Rock was attacked is that he's Black"

I said the reason Gervais has never been hit for similar comedian bullshit is that he's white, so 1) he's generally afforded more respect by the elite and the general public, and 2) the consequences of hitting him would be worse (especially for a Black man)

If Smith wouldn't have hit Gervais because he is white, that means Rock was partially attacked because he is black.

they're not the same thing at all

Black men don't decide to hit each other because the other is Black

but they *do* decide not to hit white men because it's not worth it, the consequences are too severe

the fact that consequences are lessened again because everyone at the Oscars is rich, doesn't significantly change the racial dynamic