A Kick In The Teeth! Podcast E21: On The Slap Heard Round The World and Black Protection Being Seen As A Threat (Patreon)

When Black people defend themselves, it’s always seen as this totally animalistic/unnecessary act of aggression, while the catalyst for the incident is almost always completely glossed over. There is always an insistence that we turn the other cheek or ‘be the bigger person,’ even when faced with anti-Blackness and violence perpetuated against us. And that is really borne out of the deeply embedded anti-Blackness in our collective consciousness and society imo, along with the notion that the Negro must always turned a blind eye to microaggressions and racist abuse - EVEN FROM OTHER BLACK PEOPLE because Chris Rock was wayyyyy off code and below the belt with his so-called ‘joke’ about a Black woman’s hair (one might even say he was shucking and jiving for white approval on that stage) - in order to be seen as human aka ‘respectable’ to the dominant white power structure. Will defended his wife against an anti-Black, misogynoiristic ‘joke’ and anyone defending Black children or Black women is always seen as a threat.

I also generally hate the ‘violence is never the answer’ schtick because people resort to violence all the time, especially to defend their family members (there is literally currently a war in Ukraine with the status quo supporting Ukraine’s right to defend itself violently), yet only when BLACK people defend themselves from aggression with violence does it become an issue; especially as the protection of Black women and children has historically always been seen as threatening to the status quo and society at large. It is amazing to see takes on Will’s actions, violence, and the idea of ‘toxic masculinity’ that totally sidestep the racial element of how the dominant white power structure has always negatively viewed the protection of Black families, children, women and girls, and how historically the inability of Black American citizens to protect our Black families has been used as a tool to dominate us for centuries. White men, and especially wealthy white men, have always been given carte blanche to defend themselves and their families, and encouraged to use violence, especially against the ‘hyper masculine’ and violent Black male, the ‘hyper sexual’ Black woman, and the ‘super predator’ Black child. White women have always been viewed as the pinnacle of being worthy of violent protection. It’s really ridiculous and a complete false equivalence to see people compare Will's justifiable actions to abusive white male rage, or to pretend this is just another instance of ‘another rich man behaving badly’ or, even worse, ‘another Black person behaving violently’ without acknowledging the racial, historical, and familial dynamics at play.

But even people in the ‘violence isn’t the answer’ camp should be able to see that Chris Rock was 100% in the wrong making a cruel and tasteless joke about somebody’s medical condition. That’s not funny, and all this ‘comedians should be able to say whatever they want without consequences’ shit is for the birds tbh. With so much conversation about 'mental health' and wellness nowadays, it is somehow still seen as totally acceptable to pick on and bully people for memes and  'comedy,' especially their medical conditions and appearances. Which is foul asf.

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My Related Videos:

PSA - You Don't Have To Let Microaggressions Go: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6qgyO69H3c

PSA - Fuck Your Respectability Politics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMFfzaJkMwE

Too Big To Fail - On Lena Dunham and white Feminism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsz0hoM2XZI

On 'white Male Rage:' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PaeaYfMtNg

Car Video - I'm Still Over Awards Shows: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8H4WLgePkY

Car Video - I Still Don’t Like Awards, Even Pulitzers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hd9eMm_LT78

So, About #OscarsSoWhite: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLlC8GW-p_8

So, About Last Night's Oscars: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhJmDAJqizE

So, About The 88th Academy Awards Nominations... #OscarsStillSoWhite: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6KEsZwc89s

Let's Talk About The Oscars: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_feWsSENug4

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Links:

FROM WHITE GUY BLINKING TO ARTHUR’S FIST - HOW MEMES BECAME POLITICAL: https://www.nylon.com/articles/respect-the-meme-politics-arthur-fist

https://mobile.twitter.com/sophiabush/status/1508284843574108173

https://mobile.twitter.com/filmgyus/status/1239057449794940928

The Will Smith & Chris Rock Slap Situation Is Not About You: https://www.teenvogue.com/story/will-smith-chris-rock-slap-situation-is-not-about-you

White outrage about Will Smith’s slap is rooted in anti-Blackness. It’s inequality in plain sight: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/mar/29/white-outrage-about-will-smiths-slap-is-rooted-in-anti-blackness-its-inequality-in-plain-sight

Judd Apatow sparks backlash over comment about Will Smith hitting Chris Rock at the Oscars: https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/judd-apatow-will-smith-chris-rock-oscars-b2045431.html

Will Smith Slaps Chris Rock In The Face On Oscars Stage After Jab At Wife Jada Pinkett’s Appearance: https://deadline.com/2022/03/will-smith-slaps-chris-rock-in-the-face-on-oscars-stage-1234988514/

Will Smith Wins Best Actor - Full Speech and Apology: https://www.vulture.com/2022/03/will-smith-wins-best-actor-read-full-speech-transcript.html