{"id":8207,"date":"2022-04-08T21:56:16","date_gmt":"2022-04-08T21:56:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordpress.lvc.edu\/wordpress\/lavie\/?p=8207"},"modified":"2022-04-08T21:56:16","modified_gmt":"2022-04-08T21:56:16","slug":"in-defense-of-will-smith","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.lvc.edu\/lavie\/2022\/04\/08\/in-defense-of-will-smith\/","title":{"rendered":"In defense of Will Smith"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By Branden Matassa \u201822, OTG editor<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ll be straight. I love Will Smith. His energy on screen. The physicality he brings. His ability to make you laugh. Simply put, he\u2019s just cool. Although, Smith isn\u2019t narrowed by his beloved performances in action comedies like Bad Boys and Men in Black. Often some of my favorite Will Smith performances are serious, like in The Pursuit of Happiness, Concussion, and most recently King Richard. He really is one of Hollywood\u2019s most versatile actors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, I guess it\u2019s time to cut to the chase. Was Will Smith wrong for his actions at the 2022 Oscars? Yes, without a doubt. Violence, no matter the circumstance, is usually never the answer. As a disclaimer, this article is not a justification of violence, nor will it suggest that Smith should face no consequences. What I want to push back against is the attacks on Smith\u2019s entire reputation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although Will Smith is unlikely to see many long-term forms of cancellation, some of his projects like his upcoming Netflix movie and the next Bad Boys are being delayed. I just have a difficult time understanding the point of companies distancing themselves from Smith if they are only going to return their support in a few years. Personally, I don\u2019t think his actions are serious enough to warrant complete cancelation, so maybe he shouldn\u2019t see any consequences. It\u2019s a hard question to answer because nothing like this has really ever happened, at least at the Oscars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Smith technically did commit misdemeanor assault, a slap doesn\u2019t carry the same weight as a punch, headbutt, or kick. The likelihood of a slap causing any severe damage is low. Let\u2019s say Will Smith instead punched Chris Rock, that kind of action is far deadlier. If he wanted to actually hurt Rock, he wouldn\u2019t have slapped him. This was an act of disrespect in direct response to an act of disrespect against his wife.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Actors in Hollywood have done far more damning things than slapping. Mel Gibson was caught on video going on a rant filled with racial slurs and anti-Semitic remarks. But where is he now? He\u2019s filming and starring in Lethal Weapon 6 in a couple of years and recently appeared in 2017\u2019s Daddy\u2019s Home 2. So, if he\u2019s not canceled, let’s slow down any cancelling of Will Smith. If cancel culture is going to have any place in Hollywood, let’s leave it for the real perpetrators like Harvey Weinstein or Kevin Spacey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s also important to consider past history. Before this incident, Will Smith\u2019s character has been seemingly decent. From what I have read and heard on podcasts from actors and producers who\u2019ve worked with Smith, he is a genuinely nice guy. The slap would have meant more if Smith had a history of violence, but he doesn\u2019t. It\u2019s hard to say what was going through his mind. The emotions and pressure of the night, with it being Smith\u2019s best chance at his first Oscar, likely got the best of him. In no way does this condone his actions, but context is relevant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Am I going to continue supporting Will Smith? Yes, and I\u2019m not ashamed of that. One mistake shouldn\u2019t define a person, especially when it\u2019s relatively insignificant and doesn\u2019t reflect past character. If someone is going to boycott Will Smith, that\u2019s their decision, but I think it\u2019s a gross overreaction.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Branden Matassa \u201822, OTG editor I\u2019ll be straight. I love Will Smith. His energy on screen. The physicality he brings. His ability to make you laugh. Simply put, he\u2019s just cool. Although, Smith isn\u2019t […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":8112,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-8207","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-campus-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.lvc.edu\/lavie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8207","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.lvc.edu\/lavie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.lvc.edu\/lavie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.lvc.edu\/lavie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.lvc.edu\/lavie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8207"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.lvc.edu\/lavie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8207\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.lvc.edu\/lavie\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.lvc.edu\/lavie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8207"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.lvc.edu\/lavie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8207"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.lvc.edu\/lavie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8207"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}