After Will Smith got physical with Chris Rock at the Oscars, members of the notorious “squad” praised the assault.
Smith slapped Chris Rock after he made a joke about Smith’s, Jada Pinkett Smith’s wife being bald. Rock compared the woman to G.I. Jane. Support for Smith’s actions came quickly from Congress… but almost as quick as it came, it left. The congressmen and women who had tweeted out support promptly deleted their tweets.
Ayanna Pressley, a Congresswoman who has alopecia tweeted, “#Alopecia nation stand up! Thank you #WillSmith Shout out to all the husbands who defend their wives living with alopecia in the face of daily ignorance & insults.”
Certainly insulting someone for having a disease that causes baldness is rude and insensitive… But it’s no reason to hit another person, and it certainly is not a reason for lawmakers to defend Smith.
The problem arises when a federal lawmaker encourages civilians to break the law in violent ways, undermining the legal system. Granted, Smith did not seriously injure Rock, but it was certainly an assault and a very public one.
Representative Jamaal Bowman called this incident, a teachable moment. He says that the hair of black women is nothing to be joked about.
The American broadcasts actually cut the audio after Smith Smacked Chris Rock, but several foreign outlets kept rolling. Chris Rock exclaimed to the audience “Will Smith just smacked the shit out of me!”
“Keep my wife’s name out your fucking mouth,” Smith shot back.