Summary

The author expresses disapproval of Will Smith's slap at the Oscars, arguing that it was an embarrassing act of violence that should not be excused by the argument of protecting Black women or by not caring about white perspectives.

Abstract

Initially, the author sympathized with the view that Will Smith's actions were in defense of Black women. However, upon observing the social media discourse, the author's opinion shifted, recognizing that the use of violence was inappropriate and that the argument for protecting Black women was being selectively applied. The author emphasizes that violence is universally wrong, regardless of the perpetrator's race, and criticizes the trend of using respectability politics to justify poor behavior within the Black community. The article underscores that the slap was an embarrassment to all, not just white people, and advocates for a standard of human decency rather than mirroring negative behaviors often associated with whiteness.

Opinions

The author initially agreed with those who saw Will Smith's slap as an act of protecting Black women but later found this view problematic and selective.
Violence, as demonstrated by Will Smith, is inherently wrong and should be condemned, not excused by race or the guise of protection.
The author believes that the incident should be viewed independently of race and that respectability politics is an ineffective argument in this context.
There is a concern that some within the Black community are using the incident to justify poor behavior, which the author finds to be a regressive stance.
The author suggests that true equality is not about the right to behave badly but about upholding human decency across all communities.
The article criticizes the notion that one should not care about the opinions of white people, arguing that the embarrassment of the incident transcends racial boundaries.
The author proposes that rather than using race as a shield for inappropriate actions, individuals should strive to act with dignity and respect in all situations.

I Don’t Care What White People Think, Will Smith Was Embarrassing

Why do our minds revolve around white people?

My opinion on this infamous Will Smith slap at the Oscars has changed a lot after seeing the aftermath unfold via social media.

I was on the side of the people who said this was an act of “protecting black women.” Now I see that over half of these people saying that Will was protecting black women are the same people who say it was perfectly fine what he did.

And they’re using that whole “protect black women” argument for certain black women only.

Some black people online are championing this as if it does anything to solve the problems black women have now.

Here’s the thing.

Violence is wrong no matter who does it (white, black, Asian, Hispanic).

I wish more black people understood this, but no.

Instead of viewing this situation as an isolated incident that has nothing to do with color, they go to the ol’ respectability politics argument.

“Respectability politics won’t save us! White people already view us as savages anyway! Will Smith slapping Chris Rock fine. Stop worrying about what white people think!”

This is a highly problematic road we’re traveling down if this is the argument we use after a black person does something obviously wrong.

Being violent, especially in that setting, is wrong.

It’s not because I care about what white people think.

It’s because it was embarrassing and uncalled for — no matter who is watching. I’d say the same thing about anybody else.

It looks embarrassing to everyone who looks at it, not just white people.

If Will was so hellbent on beating the shit out of Chris Rock, he should’ve waited until Chris got off stage and met him outside or something. Then you could get a real beatdown instead of a slap and a walk-off.

We need to stop using respectability politics as an excuse to act like lunatics.

Just because white people act like lunatics doesn’t mean we should follow suit. That’s not real equality to me. That’s asking for the right to be a dick like white people.

Sure, if someone’s a dick to you then be a dick back.

But we can’t act as if we can be a dick whenever we want, especially when it wasn’t warranted in the first place.

Yes, respectability politics doesn’t work for us. But that doesn’t mean we just throw all human decency out the window.

It looks embarrassing to every color, not just white people.

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