Our Viewpoint

In a moment of passion, it's difficult to keep emotions and reactions in check, especially when the topic is personal.

By now, everyone has heard the jab that comedian Chris Rock took at Will Smith's wife, Jada, at the Oscars on Sunday. We watched as Smith's response to the joke was to walk up on stage, slap Rock across the face, and return to his seat warning Rock twice to keep his wife's name out of his (expletive) mouth. The moment was censored on American television, but the full video began circulating on the Internet within moments. Initially, the instance appeared scripted. However, after several rewatchings, Smith's anger can clearly be seen on his face and heard in his voice as he yells at Rock.

Later in the show, Smith won his first Oscar ­­— Best Actor for his role portraying the father of Venus and Serena Williams in "King Richard." During his acceptance speech, Smith apologized (to everyone except Rock) for his actions, and got a standing ovation. Monday morning, however, the buzz about the Oscars was not Smith's first win but his confrontation with Rock. That is the moment audiences will remember from the 2022 Oscars.

Life, it appears, imitates art. Last week after a Paradise sewer board meeting, video emerged on social media of a board member yelling at meeting attendees. As of Monday, the video had close to a thousand views. The confrontation -- not the results of the meeting -- is what will be remembered from that evening.

What we saw at the Oscars were multiple double standards. Are audiences to label jokes about a woman's hair in poor taste but accept jokes about the trans community (a la Dave Chappelle) all in the name of comedy? Would we call for the arrest of an unknown film industry worker who assaulted a celebrity on stage, but write Smith's actions off as proper defense of his wife? Before we can choose sides regarding who's right or who's wrong, we must first straighten out the double standards we hold as a society. Once we fix those, perhaps our most memorable moments will be the correction, not the confrontation.

— Annie Wooden