We Are More Than the Worst Thing We’ve Ever Done

Chris Rock and Will Smith will always be creative legends

Identity is important. Who we are matters. Not just on a surface level, but on a deeper level. On a level that lasts more than one night. Bryan Stevenson once said, “Each person is more than the worst thing they’ve ever done.” No one is perfect. Though some of us have a unique ability to inspire others. But what happens when two very inspiring creative giants collide? What happens when someone we look up to spins out in a big way? What does our reaction say about our humanity?

I grew up a privileged white boy in the 1990s in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. My family loved movies. Movies were the one thing that brought us together. My sisters and I always struggled to relate to each other. I was an avid sports fan, and my sisters were never really into sports. Ken Griffey Jr. was my idol.

I remember when Major League Baseball had their steroid scandal, and all I could think about was how sad I would be if I found out Ken Griffey Jr. did steroids. It didn’t matter if anyone else did steroids, because they weren’t the person I looked up to. Ken Griffey Jr. was a big part of the reason I loved baseball and sports in general. Of course Ken Griffey Jr. didn’t do steroids. He was and is still my favorite baseball player of all time.

Does it make sense to compare Major League Baseball’s systemic steroid scandal to a rough night at the Oscars? I think so.

I watched some of the conservative media’s reaction to the Oscars this week, and it was cringeworthy as usual. It is difficult to hear the most anti-change people in our country criticize one of the most woke and progressive institutions in our country. An institution that has committed itself in many ways to self-improvement and accountability. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has been on a journey for a long time to become a leader for the rest of the country. The Academy has inspired and empowered people over and over again for decades.

The Academy is still an honorable institution. In the chaos of an altercation between two creative legends, no one wins and no one can be expected to act perfectly. Though, I think we can all agree, Chris Rock has been solid through this debacle. But not being solid and breaking down sometimes is also part of being human, and Will Smith is still capable of being a leader in this moment.

How many of us have broken down in the past two years of this pandemic? How many fights with family have we had? How many times have we raised our voice in anger? We haven’t messed up the way Will Smith did publicly, but we’ve all messed up. Sometimes in small ways and sometimes in big ways. Sometimes in the privacy of our own home and sometimes in front of friends. But if Hollywood has taught us anything, it is that we can write our own stories. We will fall down, but we can stand back up. We will falter, but there is life after failure. Our lowest moments don’t have to define us.

The Academy has the opportunity of a lifetime to once again inspire and empower people. We have a choice in this moment to react with darkness and sadness and anger and hate or to react with light and joy and humor and love.

It is worth noting that before Chris Rock told the joke he said, “Jada, I love you.”

“I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality…. I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.