HARTFORD, Conn — The infamous slap heard and seen worldwide has social media buzzing as a comedic skit by Chris Rock turned into an assault by Will Smith on Sunday evening at the 2022 Academy Awards.
The incident instantly went viral.
Licensed Psychologist Dr. Kweku Ramel Smith said this could have been avoided, but there is a harsh reality.
"Nobody understands what's going to set a person off, and when you start to think of all the other things that have accumulated in a person's life, sometimes one thing can be the straw that breaks the camel's back," explained Dr. Smith.
Unfortunately, Dr. Smith said Rock's words were the final straw for Smith, as Rock referred to Jada Pinkett Smith's short hair as being in "G.I. Jane 2," which quickly resulted in Will Smith taking the stage and slapping Rock.
"It was a physical response to a verbal response," said Dr. Smith.
"So when we talk about Malcolm X saying that Black women are the most unprotected woman on this earth, Will Smith did what a lot of men would've done. He responded physically because most men are not in touch with their emotions, and the one emotion that we do know is anger and that anger usually comes out in verbal or physical response, and Will Smith displayed both of them."
While some argued it was an overreaction, others said his response was justified. Dr. Smith emphasized violence is never the answer; however, he said all too often, people forget words hold power triggering emotional trauma.
"We've become accustomed to rationalizing dysfunctional behavior specifically with verbal abuse," said Dr. Smith.
Although the joke was about Jada Pickett Smith's short hairstyle, it struck a chord for the Smith family as she has been open about her journey with alopecia.
"Hair loss is always a parameter of something mentally, emotionally or physically that the person is dealing with, and that's why you should never be in a laughing matter," explained Donyelle McBride of McBride Hair Restoration.
McBride is an International Certified Clinical Trichologist and Board Certified Holistic Health Practitioner. She has studied scalps for more than three decades and has worked with nearly 10,000 clients dealing with hair loss. She said in many cases it could be cured; however, for people with hair loss, it takes a long time to get to the acceptance stage.
"In Jada's case in a lot of my client's cases they shave their heads," said McBride. And when you get to that point of acceptance, that long journey that can take years, the last thing you want is for someone to come along and reset it make a joke about it."
McBride and Dr. Smith stressed that it is never okay to make a joke about it when it comes to those dealing with medical conditions, such as alopecia. But both emphasized that violence is not the answer.
Raquel Harrington is the race and culture reporter at FOX61 News. She can be reached at rharrington@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
---
Have a story idea or something on your mind you want to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at newstips@fox61.com
---
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET FOX61 NEWS
Download the FOX61 News APP
iTunes: Click here to download
Google Play: Click here to download
Stream Live on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching FOX61.
Steam Live on FIRE TV: Search ‘FOX61’ and click ‘Get’ to download.
