The Hit in the Face Seen Around the World

I know I’ve said I wouldn’t be doing a lot of these gossip type of pieces moving forward. However, this is something I have to say something about. I obviously don’t know anyone involved in this situation so everything I have to say is simply my opinion so take from this what you want.

The world of social media seems to be talking about the moment of Will Smith hitting Chris Rock during the Oscars. There have been many moments during different award shows over the years that have taking the world by storm. We’ve had Michael Jackson kissing his then wife Lisa Marie Presley at the VMAs. There was Kanye West interrupting Tayler Swift’s speech during the same award show years later. All kinds of things have happened at different shows that have just sparked the conversations of those watching. However, the Oscars have been the award show where not much has really happened at all. There might be someone falling over, or the occasional F bomb being thrown, but never has anything happened like Will Smith walking onto the stage and hitting Chris Rock in the face.

Now we know what happened. The hit came as the result of a joke made by Rock having to do with Will Smith’s wife losing her hair and referencing G.I. Jane and Will Smith lost it. Will Smith later apologized, but even with that apology, the damage was done, now social media is going nuts over it. I myself can’t believe it happened.

What I want to ask is this. Was Will Smith justified in his actions? Violence isn’t the answer to something like this even if the joke was in bad taste (in my opinion). He is more than allowed to be upset. But to actually walk onto the stage and actually hit the person speaking stage…I can’t defend that. Where this leaves me is concerned about Will Smith’s mental well-being. It makes me wonder if he will come forward to share what he’s going through or what he was thinking when he walked onto that stage. This is still an ongoing story which will more than likely have many people putting in their two cents about this situation. Then again it’s hard to say what will happen.

I definitely think this will change how the Oscars will be conducted moving forward. I wouldn’t be surprised if it will be harder to walk onto the stage from the audience moving forward. Much like the super bowl after Janet Jackson revealed her breast on stage, I think this will in one form or another change how the award show is conducted. Then I again I could be wrong. But personally I don’t think I am, but we’ll have to wait and see. What I do know is that this is going to be the big talking point for a while for those who make a living talking about the current social media gossip.

More than anything, I think this will in one form or another will start a conversation about the stigma of men talking about their mental health. This isn't the first time Will Smith has been talked about when it comes to mental health, or the first time since him being vulnerable has become a meme or a recent topic of conversation. It's hard to say what will happen or what will be said in the upcoming weeks. So far there are already memes going up to poke fun at this situation. I hope this isn't where the conversation will end. I really hope a real conversation will start. Again, only time will tell how everything will pan out.