One of the biggest events that has been trending for a while now is the Grammy awards which was held recently. Asides from every other thing that happened, the Slap from Will Smith to his colleague, Chris Rock, continues to be in the news. Even though Will Smith sent in his apology already, he still continues to face the consequences of his action, and this is why I have written this piece to bring out lessons learnt from the unfortunate incident.
Here are the lessons:
1. Have maximum control of your emotions:
The truth is that everyone has different reactions to different things, and the way an individual reacts to a particular thing is usually a build up of factors that shape their lives. Mastery over emotions is one of the greatest strengths anybody can have. When you learn to control how you react to words and actions, you discover a different level of self control that can’t be taken away from you. Personally, Will Smith could have avoid all these issues if he had better control of his feelings. Maybe he just wanted to make his wife feel loved, honoured and protected. To think that he even laughed at the said joke before the slap. Learn control.
After the incident, Chris was asked if he wanted to get Will Smith arrested. Even though he could, he refused. Rock refused to let his emotions make him take actions against Will. Not everyone can have this kind of mastery which would have cost Will 6 months in prison or $100,000.
2. Some Jokes are too expensive:
In as much as a joke is a joke and shouldn’t be taken seriously, it is inappropriate for anyone to make a joke out of another persons pain and insecurities. It is wrong in every sense, especially when it is a situation that they have little or no control over. Alopecia is not something that happens with human control. It is an autoimmune disorder that causes the hair to fall off on its own. For women who find joy in hair styling, watching their own hair fall and they having no other option but to go bald, it is a struggle. Jade Smith must have been in a terrible state mentally, and making a joke about that is insensitive. Jokes should have boundaries.
This incident has made me feel sorry for men who are bald. For some reason, we see it as normal when it has to do with men, but for women it seems to be a really big deal. Sorry dear bald men, I can only imagine how you feel about having to realize that you cannot grow your hair even if you want to, and having to deal with what people say about it without realising that you’re human too.
3. Nobody is bigger than consequences :
After the incident, Will Smith tendered an apology to Chris Rock as well as the organisers of the show. But however, the deed had been done. Due to the shame and regret after the event, Will Smith resigned from the academy, the Oscars banned him for 10 years. Nobody is truly above the law.
4. Criticism is part of life:
Since the event, different social media warriors have come online to show support for both men. Some applauded him for honouring and standing up for his wife, while some criticised his lack of self-control which could have resulted in a lot of problems if Chris has retaliated out of impulse. Some people applauded Chris for his display of Character in public and not reacting terribly, others criticised him for his insensitive joke and the way it was said. Some even blamed Jada for taking the joke too personally and being responsible for Will’s reactions.
5. When you’re wrong, apologize:
In as much as his intentions might have been just the defend his wife’s honour in public, Will made a mistake. Something that shouldn’t be associated with his person and lifetime achievements. Instead of constantly trying to justify his actions, he made sure he apologized to Chris as well as the organisers of the show. When he learnt of the decision of the academy to ban him for 10years, he humbly accepted openly.
What other lesson did you learn from the incident?
