A resounding slap indeed. A punch heard all round the world. One that revealed not a broken jaw or black eye, but showed ever so clearly, that you can take a man off the streets, but you can’t take the streets out of the man. Will Smith revealed himself: An ugly revelation!
As a youngster, when his grandmother found a notebook of his lyrics, which he described as containing “all his little curse words”, she wrote him a note on a page in the book, which read, “Dear Willard, truly intelligent people do not have to use words like this to express themselves.
Please show the world that you’re as smart as we think you are”. Smith said this influenced his decision not to use profanity in his music. But his decision didn’t change how he was deep inside. And that is very important. When the Father of our Nation, introduced non-violence to the world, he spent a long, long time working on himself. It was because he worked on himself, he was able to take any insult thrown at him, and keep his mind focused on the idea of ‘turning the other cheek’.
What an opportunity lost for Will. He, the six footer that he is, could have taken those giant strides to the front of the hall, stood by Chris Rock, and then using powerful, impactful words, told Chris and the rest of the world how needed it was to have compassion on someone’s illness and not make a joke about it.
The world would have loved him for it, realizing, the Will they knew in reel life was even bigger in real life. But he blew it.
He blew it, because his mask was off and he showed his true colours.
In our country, we have many Will Smith’s. Many politicians who speak gently and convincingly to the poor, and thereby get votes, then use the same tongue to slander and cut down men and women who worship differently. You can’t unite and also divide, because though you may have some cheering for you, the world will consider you a hypocrite. After this Oscar incident, let us as a country start becoming proud again of a simple man with simple tastes, who had simplicity both in his heart and outward appearance, using those same simple methods to win a victory over the overdressed Englishman!
Tell America, what our Gandhiji would have done, and even as they put their heads down in shame, will them not to say, ‘Then why have you started honouring his assassin?”
Because it’s time we emulate and glorify the one man who stands tall in the world arena, one who would have got his point across with his arms around Chris Rock’s shoulder and not a fist at his face..!
