(ThyBlackMan.com) Jokes are done in poor taste all the time and most people are big enough to laugh them off, non-violently confront the “jokester” afterwards or just big enough to let it go. But not in Will Smith’s case. After all that African Americans have endured and still endure at the hands of oppressive colonizers, why do we have to display ignorance, violence and animosity towards each other? Are we reduced to ” you talked about my mama” on the playground?
I said it once before. The modern-day heroes and role models of the black community are talk show hosts (Oprah), womanizers (Cosby), glorified strippers who shame the black woman (Megan the Trick, Nikki Mirage etc), people who bounce a ball and comedians. Young people want to be like them and emulate them. So what does that say about Will Smith’s actions as an example to young people? It says if you don’t like what somebody says, just hit them. Wrong message, whether it was a soft slap or a hard punch, wrong message.
The crazy thing about all of this is that Will Smith knew who to hit and be able to get away with it, staged or not. He would not have done that to Lawrence Fishbourne, Samuel Jackson, Denzel Washington, Dr. Dre or even 50 cent. Why not? Because Will Smith, who is not hard, would have gotten his A** kicked right on national television. So now punking somebody out to verify that we act just like America wants to believe we are, Hmmm, why is this a good thing? All Will Smith’s actions do is perpetuate a stereotype. Violence is not funny and should not be used to grandstand either. And just when we started to forget about mentally ill Dumbye (Kanye) West, here comes Will Smith with a new move.
Let me remind you that Denzel never won the big one until he acted like they want to believe we are in Training Day. Halle Berry, who received her big honor the same year Denzel did, also did not get it until she was in Monster’s Ball where she stooped so low that she could not reach up to the bottom. Those actions are looked at, laughed at and rewarded by Caucasian America when black people act as expected. They tried their best to make former President Obama act like a nigger but they couldn’t. And he knew the game they were playing. But Obama also knew he had to be an example to millions of young people who looked like him. Maybe Will Smith should take a page from Obama’s playbook of maturity and positive examples.
So now I have to ask how many black people are busy gossiping about the buzz and missing the point yet again. If Black Lives Matter, black people must constantly reaffirm that by how we treat each other, especially in public, especially if you are popular and in the spotlight. So thanks Will Smith, jokes or not, for setting back the black community with your ignorance. The same Will Smith who has a dysfunctional family, a wife who sleeps around and a son who neither knows what he is nor what gender he wants. Great job Will. Maybe you Will Smith are the parent who just don’t understand”.
Staff Writer; Trevo Craw