Celebrity Slaps... (response)

    

    The phenomenon of pop culture has led society to hold celebrities on a pedestal; one that is completely unnecessary.  At the end of the day, celebrities are people too.  Thus, celebrities should be treated as such.  Setting the standard for celebrities to such a high degree can do more harm than good.  For example, pushing an actor to speak up about a social issue in the hopes of "spreading awareness" can make them feel pressured to do so.  So, they do speak up about the event but do so in an uneducated way.  All of their followers will then take their word and spread the misinformation like wildfire.  Especially if this word is spread through social media, it is easier than ever to share, believe, and react to infographics with unreliable information and no sources.  

    The Will Smith vs. Chris Rock Oscar situation is another reason why holding high expectations on celebrities is unfair.   Though I believe the slap was inappropriate and out of character for Will Smith, it is clear that the action was out of impulse.  To deem it calculated would not make sense, considering the consequences of his career.   From the clips that I have seen, it seemed that Chris Rock handled the situation extremely professionally.  He took it well, continued on with his script, and did not insinuate the issue any further.  Jada Pinkett-Smith also reacted in a reasonable matter, as she had every right to be annoyed with his joke poking fun at her alopecia.  But in the grand scheme of things, there is a "Well, what did you expect?" element about the whole thing.  For years, presenters of the Oscars were known to playfully ridicule fellow actors and actresses in the audience, and Chris Rock's lineup of jokes was no different. 

    If this unfortunate series of events were to happen to a set of celebrities I admire, I think I would lose a bit of respect for them, but give them the benefit of the doubt.  It is much easier to humanize celebrities who you are more familiar with, which is why I would be more willing to defend their actions.  Another celebrity who I admire and has behaved "badly" in the public eye is Britney Spears.  Her spiral of mania was heavily induced by drug use and pressure, so I think that it was excusable.  Nonetheless, at the time of this "peak", she was constantly berated by paparazzi, newscasters, and the general public.  Now that her abusive past has been revealed, thankfully many more people have begun to sympathize with her.

    I definitely think that celebrities should be held accountable for their wrongdoings.  Since they are held to such a pedestal, it should be required.  Regarding Will Smith and Chris Rock, I think that both of them would need to apologize to 'ease' the public.  Smith's consequence of being banned from the academy for 10 years is a good form of accountability, as it shows that assault is not acceptable.  But on the other hand, it seems contradictory that many figures who are notorious for abuse still attend the Oscars.  

    This event will be an iconic event in pop culture and in all three of their careers.  As time passes, the slap will wade through the ripples of the fast-moving social media culture, but it will definitely be remembered for every Oscars event in the future.  There have always been feats of destruction and conflict between other pop stars and actors/actresses, but the ability to share (or make up) news with the click of a few buttons has stripped away the mysteriousness that has surrounded the Hollywood Elite in previous decades.