The Academy Awards, Will Smith and "The Slap:" beyond accountability
“The Academy does not condone violence of any form,” tweeted the Academy on Monday, March 28. In reality, it does, and it has for decades. Chris Rock’s joke at the Oscars was in poor taste, and Will Smith might not have been justified in punching him: these two statements are not mutually exclusive, and the way the events were discussed has spurred greater discussions about celebrity culture, particularly how people will bend over backward to defend actual abusers.
When scrolling through Twitter on the night of the Oscars, I was baffled by many of the reactions people had toward the punch heard around the world. Fans and entertainers alike acted as though Will Smith is a deeply violent person, and some were calling for his Academy Award to be revoked. Now, I want to emphasize that punching someone at arguably the biggest awards show in the world is not a good idea, but it would be ridiculous to act as though it were the worst thing to ever happen at the Oscars.
During the 1973 Oscars, Sacheen Littlefeather, an Indigenous rights activist, gave a passionate speech on behalf of Marlon Brando, who had just been awarded the Academy Award for best actor. Her speech was met by boos from the audience, and actors such as John Wayne and Clint Eastwood publicly ridiculed her. In fact, Wayne attempted to storm the stage and attack Littlefeather, but he was unsuccessful.
More recently, the Academy Awards have furthered the platform of many entertainers with documented histories of hate crimes and sexual violence, including but certainly not limited to Mark Wahlberg, Roman Polanski, Woody Allen, Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey. Wahlberg has committed violent hate crimes against people of color, yet he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in 2007. Polanski, Allen, Weinstein and Spacey have committed heinous acts of sexual violence, yet they still have their Academy Awards, and Polanski even garnered one while on the run from the law for his crimes. Because of the #MeToo Movement over the past few years, many of their wrongdoings have been brought to light, albeit without any further punishment.
The Academy Awards are not without their issues, but they still are the most prestigious awards show in Hollywood. Many people received well-deserved recognition that night, such as Samuel L. Jackson for his contributions to film and charity. However, the buzz around Will Smith and Chris Rock drowned out much of the attention Jackson and his other award-winning peers received.
Will Smith should have known better than to smack someone on live television. However, Chris Rock was also out of line for his deeply offensive joke toward Jada Pinkett Smith, who has publicly discussed living with alopecia, and he deserves the criticism he has received. If the Academy Awards want to truly take a stand against violence, as they half-heartedly claim to on social media, it should stop honoring racists and abusers. If fans care about accountability, they should stop bending over backward to defend problematic entertainers.
