movies GI Jane

Yes he was defending her. But you're getting a little crazy about not telling jokes to a family of people in the public eye because they are both present.
 
A little CRAZY? How? I simply have a difference of opinion.

That's the problem with the world (in my humble opinion)... Everyone seems to think NOTHING is off limits. I don't agree with you plain and simple and I'm not a little crazy about it either.

Switch the medical problem to something else... What if she had terminal cancer and he'd made the same joke?

Maybe Rock didn't know about the Alopecia... Making jokes about their movies and maybe even their career is one thing but when that joke possibly crosses the line and perceived as personal... Maybe... Just maybe... It's in bad taste. This is after all, The Oscars. Nothing wrong with the concept of err on the side of caution.

He could have told all kinds of jokes about either one of them that had NOTHING to do with her medical problem... LOL.

Right?
 
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Yeah sure but because her husband (also an actor) was present was your BOTH reasoning? (your caps)
 
I said BOTH because I think Rock should have exercised a bit more prudence (as you said) based on her having the medical condition AND because her husband was right there and there was a possibility that a joke like that could be taken personally because of the medical condition.

It's entirely possible Rock didn't know about the medical problem. If so? That's why had it been me? I would have had a discussion in private and not in front of millions on television.

Maybe on another venue? No problem. Tell the joke. Who knows.

I just think that particular joke straddles the fence when it comes to crossing the line.
 
They said it wasn't in the rehearsal which could point to it being an off-the-cuff based on her looks including her wardrobe and perhaps he did not know. But yeah, who knows?
 
I think something is getting lost here, we're talking about civility, politeness, acceptable behavior, and all the attention is focused on the joke. Hitting someone in the face is very clear cut, uncivilized behavior, and there's no nuance to be discussed there. I think the internet has created this thought process where we put a drastically mis calibrated emphasis on words, to the extent that no one is criticizing an act of violence, only dissecting the shades of offense someone might have taken from something intended as humor. Maybe the joke was in bad taste, it depends entirely on whether Rock knew about the medical condition. Even then, hair loss is not the same as brain cancer. What's very clear is that hitting someone is a hateful action. Some of this conversation makes me wonder if people think any verbal offense is a blank check to physically attack someone. Why sift through semantics looking for traces of hate, when you are watching someone physically attack another person?

You know what no one has said here yet? Will Smith shouldn't have punched him.
 
Nate North said:
I think something is getting lost here, we're talking about civility, politeness, acceptable behavior, and all the attention is focused on the joke. Hitting someone in the face is very clear cut, uncivilized behavior, and there's no nuance to be discussed there. I think the internet has created this thought process where we put a drastically mis calibrated emphasis on words, to the extent that no one is criticizing an act of violence, only dissecting the shades of offense someone might have taken from something intended as humor. Maybe the joke was in bad taste, it depends entirely on whether Rock knew about the medical condition. Even then, hair loss is not the same as brain cancer. What's very clear is that hitting someone is a hateful action. Some of this conversation makes me wonder if people think any verbal offense is a blank check to physically attack someone. Why sift through semantics looking for traces of hate, when you are watching someone physically attack another person?

You know what no one has said here yet? Will Smith shouldn't have punched him.
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True... I didn't actually SAY Will Smith shouldn't have slapped him but I did say had it been me... I would have talked to Rock later off camera. In that conversation, I would have made my feelings known and told him I didn't really appreciate the humor.

That's the thing with people... Good, bad, or indifferent... You never know what their response is gonna be. I know guys that would have taken Rock completely apart on camera hence the concept... Err on the side of caution. LOL. I was in a grocery store several years ago. My bike was parked outside in the parking lot. When I came out? I found a guy with a pocket knife trying to pry off my metal tank protector. I yelled at him as I walked toward my bike... He didn't even look up so when I finally reached him? I clocked on the side of the head.

I'm not bragging. I'm not proud of it. Did he deserve it? LOLOLOLOL. Probably not. But at the same time? I didn't even know I was going to do it until I actually did it. Been there... Done that... Got the t-shirt. Got a few of 'em actually.

So I don't judge. All I can say is if you do something like that? Be willing to pay the price.

In this particular case, apparently there was no price. Which once again, makes me hate Hollywood. LOL.
 
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ok, I get that, but some might read into it that we are saying that violence is ok if a verbal comment was bad enough. Sometimes people say offensive things, and maybe I don't want to work with them, or it makes me reconsider their character, etc. But I think these last years the internet has gone too far in terms of saying that harming another person, whether that's physically or destroying a career they worked at for 20 years, etc, is all ok if you don't like one thing they said. If we all want a kinder and more decent world, I think it has to start with the man in the mirror, and not by looking for a green light to attack and destroy in every offhand comment or tasteless joke.
 
Nate North said:
ok, I get that, but some might read into it that we are saying that violence is ok if a verbal comment was bad enough. Sometimes people say offensive things, and maybe I don't want to work with them, or it makes me reconsider their character, etc. But I think these last years the internet has gone too far in terms of saying that harming another person, whether that's physically or destroying a career they worked at for 20 years, etc, is all ok if you don't like one thing they said. If we all want a kinder and more decent world, I think it has to start with the man in the mirror, and not by looking for a green light to attack and destroy in every offhand comment or tasteless joke.
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Agreed. It has to start somewhere but I think that ship has sailed for a lot of people. I've reread all the posts here and in my own humble opinion, none of this comes off as "violence is okay" to me. Simply my opinion however.
 
Unknown Screenwriter said:
True... I didn't actually SAY Will Smith shouldn't have slapped him but I did say had it been me... I would have talked to Rock later off camera. In that conversation, I would have made my feelings known and told him I didn't really appreciate the humor.

That's the thing with people... Good, bad, or indifferent... You never know what their response is gonna be. I know guys that would have taken Rock completely apart on camera hence the concept... Err on the side of caution. LOL. I was in a grocery store several years ago. My bike was parked outside in the parking lot. When I came out? I found a guy with a pocket knife trying to pry off my metal tank protector. I yelled at him as I walked toward my bike... He didn't even look up so when I finally reached him? I clocked on the side of the head.

I'm not bragging. I'm not proud of it. Did he deserve it? LOLOLOLOL. Probably not. But at the same time? I didn't even know I was going to do it until I actually did it. Been there... Done that... Got the t-shirt. Got a few of 'em actually.

So I don't judge. All I can say is if you do something like that? Be willing to pay the price.

In this particular case, apparently there was no price. Which once again, makes me hate Hollywood. LOL.
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Lol, I don't blame you there. If I walked up on someone trying to steal my car, I would definitely punch them, probably more than once.

But you know, thats a physical response to a physical action. I don't attack people for saying things, well, not since I stopped drinking more than a decade ago.

And I applaud your call on discussing it backstage with civility. That's what adults do. I'm mostly suspicious of the whole thing because I think Will Smith is better than this, and it really seemed out of character for him. I just don't think he looses his temper that easily. Celebrities that loose their temper at a low threshold don't last long. These people are surrounded by rude paparazzi every time they try to get a cup of coffee.
 
Unknown Screenwriter said:
Agreed. It has to start somewhere but I think that ship has sailed for a lot of people. I've reread all the posts here and in my own humble opinion, none of this comes off as "violence is okay" to me. Simply my opinion however.
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And you know what? Quite possibly in that kind of venue? This crap that happened on the Oscars would have been fine. Who knows.

I did see Will Smith talk later in a clip... Trying to explain how worked up one in this business can get when they have no privacy and or have to smile all the time et al... Not that that explanation excuses the slap.

It doesn't.

But I can imagine it's gotta be tough to always be ON when you're not at home... LOL. I wouldn't wish that kind of life on anyone yet at the same time? It is what it is and for some in the business... That's the price they have to pay.
 
It's okay to criticize me, I already called @Unknown Screenwriter crazy (but not really). On that point I was trying to say how crazy it will be if comedians now have to scan the audience for spouses to be able to tell a joke, when the room is full of power couples. Can you joke about Hillary if Bill is there? But now I know what he meant, and it was about this joke, and sensitive jokes, and prudence with family present (or not also). So no, not crazy. 😂
 
Again... More reasons I hate Hollywood. They'll take some middle of the road actor's screenplay and greenlight it and pay him or her at least a mid six-figures then turn around and have someone like me beef it up. LOLOLOL.

Double-standards galore in that world...
 
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