The implications of The Slap
What does it mean off the Academy stage?
It’s been all of five days, so I’m pretty sure anyone with an Internet connection knows what went down at The Oscars on Sunday night.
TL;DR: Comedian Chris Rock is on stage to announce the winner for best documentary. Of course he has to throw in some standup, and one of those jokes lands on actress Jada Pinkett Smith. With the implication that Pinkett Smith would be in a G. I. Jane 2 movie due to her shaved hairstyle, Pinkett Smith rolls her eyes, her mouth open, looking none too happy. We can almost hear her say, “Ugh, can you believe this asshole?” At first, actor and husband Will Smith chuckles at the joke, but once he notices his wife’s reaction, he bounds onto the stage and “just smack[s] the shit out of” Chris Rock. With one sweeping motion and a couple “Leave my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth”s later, Chris Rock moves the show along, seemingly unfazed, and Will Smith minutes later receives the Oscar for Best Actor for the film King Richard.
Okay, let’s unpack that. What’s done is done. I am not going into whether or not Chris Rock or Will Smith were wrong. Look at Twitter for that. What does matter is the fallout that lands in the laps of those not even involved in the situation. What is important to note is whether or not Chris Rock knew about Jada Pinkett Smith’s autoimmune disorder, alopecia, which causes a person to lose their hair. That much has not been explicitly said at the time of this publication. This one moment affirms negative notions and opens up questions of which answers span a spectrum wider than Yankee Stadium.
- In a room where the majority of the people are white, two top-tier famous black comedians get into a physical altercation, perpetuating the angry black man stereotype.
- How far can comedy go before it becomes more harmful than funny? How does this incident affect comedians?
- What does insulting a black woman’s lack of hair insinuate about her identity?
- How does this affect those with alopecia or other medical conditions that cause hair loss or other physical changes?
- How can we learn from this, or shall we say, other people’s mistakes?
Black People Are Violent
That’s not a new stereotype. How many fake statistics have there been about black-on-black violence and skewed stats about violence being in mostly urban, low-income, black and Hispanic communities? As an Asian-American, I have seen more brutal depictions of black-on-Asian (and white-on-Asian) violence since COVID-19 began than ever before, so much so that I ensure I have multiple defenses before leaving the apartment. But that does not change the fact that black babies aren’t born with guns, and their blackness does not make them violent. But it sure seemed like Will Smith lost his cool and assaulted Chris Rock out of anger. Though Rock did not return the swing, the damage was already done.
“Look at the two black dudes throwing down.” The white people watched.
The Oscars are known for being pompous and a celebration of white achievement, like Timothée Chalamet’s outfit at this year’s ceremony.
For 94 years, the Oscars have praised white artists over people of color, so much so that it’s still ironically funny when Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty announced the all-white cast of La La Land as winners for Best Picture when really the award was supposed to be given to the all-black cast of Moonlight. Oops, someone got fired.
Many in the industry and movie lovers have fought for more representation within and from the Academy. So in 2021, the Academy “invited 395 new members, of which 46% were women and 39% were people of colour,” according to Emma Dibdin and Rosie Fletcher of Digital Spy. Therefore, “33% of the Academy’s overall members identify as women and 19% are from under-represented ethnic/racial communities” (Dibdin & Fletcher). So, yay? Maybe 17% are non-binary or gender nonconforming! And maybe the other BIPOC are late! All 30%+ of them… you know how it goes.
There’s a little more representation on the board now. The Academy still has a lot of work to do regarding its own board and the movies up for nomination, but that’s where The Slap allows the Academy to take a step back. In a room full of mostly white celebrities, Will Smith — a hero and role model for so many people of color, from Men in Black to that one time he was a rapper to The Fresh Prince to the father in The Pursuit of Happiness to the great Netflix docuseries Amend and finally to his memoir Will — stood up from his seat, casually walked over to Chris Rock who had the floor, and open-palm smacked Rock who barely flinched at all. In that moment, the fight for representation and proving that we can be Oscar-worthy too and we can live in this America while making it our own, it flinched.
This scene perpetuates the stereotype of black-on-black violence, that there is something inherently frightening about black men. This is not to say that black people cannot show anger, disgust, or lose their cool. But it is to say that a man so accomplished in the industry for decades proved the ignorant, racist trope of the Angry Black Man to be “true” without repercussions, as of publication. People will point to this scene and say, “See, even someone like Will Smith resolves issues with violence.” With so much violence and police brutality ravaging typically lower income black communities, there is no need for two men in suits to throw down in the middle of a televised award ceremony.
Will Smith attempted to walk it back with a tearful apology to the Academy and his fellow nominees but noticeably not Chris Rock. Though Smith would later apologize to Rock via Instagram, there is not as much audience as the Oscars at that moment. He was right there, with the same crowd who witnessed everything, with Rock somewhere in the building; he had the opportunity to end it right there and extend his apologies to the man he assaulted. Show the parts of humanity that bigoted people don’t see in black men. Apologize, say his joke was off-color, give his love to Jada, and move on.
Will Smith is and has been for longer than I’ve been alive a black man breaking barriers, being a successful entertainer, and posing as a family man. He showed the world that black people belong in this industry and belong in this country. On Sunday, he broke a barrier he was never meant to break: an image of black excellence.
Comedy Is Funny Until It’s Not, But Who Deems It So?
I spend my mornings watching late night shows from the night before. Stephen Colbert, The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, and Seth Meyers. I love to laugh. I find it to be healing in the way of distraction or making fun of the reality no one ever saw coming. But what is off limits? Are there limits? Every comedian is different and handles their standup or shows with a different pair of gloves, but gloves nonetheless.
For example, Seth Meyers sometimes has a segment in which show writer Amber Ruffin, an out black lesbian woman, shares headlines that Seth himself doesn’t feel comfortable talking about. Of course, this is done with grace and humor, and it is notable that they even have that segment because those headlines are not usually pertinent to the current news cycle. Yes, it’s a bit. But it’s a bit that visually and audibly displays another person, who identifies completely differently from the host, talking about the news related to blackness and queer culture, which Meyers is clearly not a part. The fact that this segment exists highlights the fact that he cannot present the news fully and accurately and with the lens certain stories need. Sometimes it’s better if someone else tells it.
Back to The Slap. Or before it. A big, big question: Did Chris Rock know about Jada’s alopecia? If he did, well, that’s pretty distasteful for reasons that will be discussed later. If he didn’t, that’s on him to learn why Pinkett Smith reacted the way she did and why his joke was not funny. Comedy stops being comedy when the person you’re targeting in jest is not laughing and actually looks pretty damn upset. Will Smith chuckled a bit until he saw his wife’s reaction, and that is when he got up. It stopped being comedy at that point because no one was laughing. Was it a set up? Was this planned? Oh shit, maybe not.
Why It Matters if Chris Rock Knew about Jada Pinkett Smith’s Alopecia
Some say Pinkett Smith should’ve shaken it off because it’s just a joke, but we need to note the root of Rock’s joke. Was it just her appearance or her alopecia? Either way, his joke is rooted in the fact that Pinkett Smith has alopecia, an autoimmune disorder in which “the immune system attacks hair follicles and causes hair loss,” as noted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The main symptom is sporadic hair loss, as in patches, on the head and face. According to the NIH, anyone can suddenly develop alopecia.
Claretta Bellamy of NBC reported that Pinkett Smith revealed her condition in an Instagram video showing the patches of hair missing back in 2018. Mabel Peralta, “who is Afro Latina, said that growing up, hair was a primary focus in her Dominican culture. When she began losing her hair, she said she felt like less of a woman and struggled to cope” (Bellamy). This is an example of someone who was diagnosed with alopecia and then had difficulties relating to her culture, in which hair is important to one’s value and participation. Peralta said that she felt less feminine, another way in which she struggles to identify with her culture and American society.
On a similar but different note, during the pandemic, Trevor Noah of The Daily Show grew out his afro for the first time in a long time. In an interview, he says, “For so long I also adopted the idea without even realizing it of what professional hair looks like… When are you gonna go back to business hair?” Trevor Noah on The Daily Show. Then he said he may cut his hair when he is back in the studio or he may not, but he can do his job regardless of what he wears or his hairstyle. Here, he battles the American ideal of clean cut professionalism clad with a suit and tie. While he has this choice, he is choosing to represent himself culturally and individually but still successfully.
No one knows how Pinkett Smith feels about her alopecia since opening up in 2018. Only she knows if Chris Rock’s joke was offensive, a low blow, a silly comment, etc. It looks like offensive won out because she was not having it.
That is the face of someone not laughing, which means the joke didn’t land and it’s no longer comedy because someone’s identity being shaken by a sudden development of an autoimmune disorder is really not all that funny. Maybe humor is not Pinkett Smith’s way of dealing with it. And that’s okay.
Black culture also values hair. Black women and men may spend hours getting their hair just right. Sometimes it’s a whole day affair! Throughout history, black men and women were attacked physically and verbally for their hair. Black hair is different from European hair, which must mean that black people are lesser. That has been the narrative until the past few decades of black people and black celebrities owning their hair and looking beautiful doing it. Black people value their hair, which is normal. You know who else values hair? America.
In a society that gives value to people based on looks and having ties to a culture that also puts value on certain physical aspects like hair, Jada Pinkett Smith was suddenly challenged to face these superficial and cultural ideals. Losing hair in patches must have been horrifying. I would cry and never come out of my room if that happened to me. Pinkett Smith chose to shave her head to not have those patches. This is the only style she could have. Shaved or patches.
I shaved my head once, out of pure anger and self-hatred because my boyfriend at the time was looking at more Instagram models than I could name jellybean flavors. I was so angry that I took my shaver and watched the rest of my hair fall all over the sink, the floor, the toilet. My hair has always meant the world to me. In sixth grade, my hair went past my ass. My hair framed my face, it was my signature look, I could do different things with it, and it comforted me at night. I gave all of that up in anger to the point that I felt overwhelming regret and disgust, but I have the ability to grow my hair out. I have choices. I still identify with my Chinese culture and American culture. All these examples are to show that people put a lot of effort into their hair and cherish it. When it’s stripped from you, you still have to live with the consequences.
Jada Pinkett Smith has a personal struggle of coming to terms with her condition and how she fits into black culture, American culture, and celebrity culture. She has eyes on her at all times when she is in the midst of processing. This is not purely superficial. This is cultural and personal and a road Pinkett Smith has to walk on her own, and she really doesn’t need someone on international television slamming jokes about her appearance that she cannot change. This is who she is and what she looks like. Not only did Chris Rock dunk on her autoimmune disorder but also her reidentification into black culture, which Rock is a part of, and the society in which we live in America.
What more is this goes beyond three celebrities and their beef with each other. What about the people with conditions that alter their appearance? What about the young people with these conditions and how they get through the day and walk out in public with a physical distortion of their appearance due to illness, chronic or otherwise? The implication that making fun of a bald woman with alopecia shows other women and young girls, who are forced to shave their heads due to alopecia, cancer, or illness, that it is okay to be publicly shamed for something they cannot change. It instills the stereotype of the long-haired female that they cannot achieve naturally, thus, again, coming back to mis-identity. May we stop and wonder how damaging Chris Rock’s joke was to people not even in the room. Not only do they struggle with their health, but now it is deemed okay to be made a joke.
The Moment in which We All Learn Something
The wave has not subsided at the time of this publication. People still await Chris Rock’s response to the incident beyond “processing it,” which he certainly has the right to do. Dealing with this incident privately is the best thing to do. Tweeting a stream of random cyber slaps would not look too good on his end. He has a good PR person; that person needs a raise.
In the meantime, Will Smith has posted an apology to Chris Rock and the Academy via Instagram. However, the Academy is still awaiting deliberation about what to do in terms of consequences for Smith’s actions. According to Clayton Davis of Variety, Smith is given “15 days notice of a vote regarding his violations and sanctions, and has the opportunity to provide a written response. The next board meeting is scheduled for April 18, when the Academy may take disciplinary action.” It’s like celebrity court! Everyone’s a multimillionaire, he’s probably going to get a slap on the wrist, and maybe pay some money to a charity or two. No harm done. Everyone still walks out winning. I mean, Smith is still the dude from Men in Black, The Pursuit of Happiness, Amend, and seriously that one really weird rapper phase.
Right now, it’s Hollywood versus Comedians, Entertainers versus Feelings, Performers versus Social Etiquette, and Emotions versus Emotions. Let’s check in with ourselves. How do we feel about The Slap now? Maybe your opinion hasn’t changed. But has it shifted at least a little bit from Team Rock versus Team Smith to “What does this mean to and for other people: black, disabled, those battling health issues, etc?”
If so, I’ve done my job. My job is not to change your mind about who is right and who is wrong and who are the losers in this situation. My job is to show the broader impact The Slap has, what other conversations are taking place, and whom we should really be thinking about.
Check in with your friends who may be affected and remind them what they bring to your life as the whole human beings they are. Reestablish boundaries. Comedian Hasan Minhaj spoke of his viral interview with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that he always asks “what’s off the table.” That shows respect to the person, a responsibility to the audience, and writing within those boundaries can still be hella funny.
Now does it matter whether or not Chris Rock knew about Jada Pinkett Smith’s alopecia? Guess it depends on whether or not you want to guess his intent for making the joke. Should Will Smith have been escorted out of the Oscars? Depends on where that action plays in the grand scheme of things. What else could Smith have done to defend his wife that would also be effective? I’m not quite sure because words drown and become distorted in social media. Did The Slap have a ripple affect within our society? Yeah. Like Chris Rock, we’re still processing.
