Yes, it is important to keep in context, and that is exactly my point. Smith has been in the industry for close on 40 years. In all that time, he has never assaulted anyone. So, yes, it was momentary. And there was provocation. And, no, that is not the same thing as hitting your wife. That’s a straw man argument.
Yes, I’m aware that he didn’t apologize to Chris Rock. I’m also aware that he has probably done what he did as a result of damage control. I’m not naïve.
I think several things.
1. While the event took place publicly, the action is between Rock and Smith, and as such, it is nobody’s business, but theirs.
2. Because it was public, an apology is owed to the public, and Smith gave that, whether it was damage control or not.
3. The fact that he received the kind of applause he did, indicated that, at some level at least, there was a silent agreement that he was not completely out of line in his response to Chris Rock.
4. I don’t decry what Rock did because he did what numerous others have done. I think that what Smith did was a response that has been a long time coming – that sooner or later someone would have done that. The fact that so many have said that if someone had insulted their wife publicly, they would have done worse. My earlier point that the academy applause was loud and clear supports that. Even if there is a lot of ‘virtue signalling’ now, after the fact, at the time, people supported Smith.
5. I’m sorry you were upset about my comment that Smith had a momentary lapse, and I didn’t care about. As you know, I have other priorities. I repeat that the hullabaloo about this seems to me to be extraordinary. People are focusing on something very small – one man’s sin when there are vastly more serious things. Smith’s sin is nothing close to Putin’s, yet the degree of self-righteousness and judgement is crazy. I simply couldn’t care less if one man hit another man because the one man insulted and hurt his wife. If you think less of me because of that, I’m sorry. I’ve been exposed to too much violence, far worse than that, and I’ve lived in a country and a continent where raping babies is something that happens on a daily basis. One begins to see degrees of violence. In one of my stories, I explain how my stepmother hit me hard enough to break my nose. Smith did very little damage. I think the action was more about offending middle class values than anything else. I accept I may be wrong on that one.
6. How do you know what the outcome would have been if Rock didn’t press charges? There is no guarantee that there wouldn’t have been extenuating circumstances. What would have happened if Smith provided evidence of a previous history. Perhaps, Rock didn’t press charges for very valid reasons. I don’t believe for one moment it was graciousness, kindness, and forgiveness on Rock’s part.
7. I’m sorry if you think that my opinion on this means you don’t want to be friends anymore. I accept people’s decisions if they no longer read me and to withdraw their respect. It’s always a sad parting for me. However, I’ve had a lifetime of watching truly violent and evil people, and I know the difference between someone who is habitually violent and someone who lost it.
