Oscars at intersection of global cultural crisis
ON SUNDAY, MARCH 27, 2022, fifty years of neoliberalism walked onstage at the Oscars and smacked comedian Chris Rock in the face. It was the slap that was heard around the world, easily displacing headlines including the war in Ukraine. Pundits immediately set out extemporizing on who was in the wrong, Rock or his assailant, Will Smith, the underlying culture of misogyny and bullying, the limits to free speech, who should apologize to who, and speculating on the psychological roots of Smith’s actions. The noisy details It was Smith defending his wife, Jada Pinket Smith, and her sensitivity to both hair loss and perceived verbal abuse, that led to the assault on Rock. So, at the hub of this media swirl is Pinket Smith, host of the Facebook Watch show Red Table Talk, with her daughter Willow and mother, Adrienne Banfield-Norris as co-hosts. Photo source REUTERS/Brian Snyder Ironically, Smith’s protectiveness about his wife’s condition may well have stemmed from the fact that their ...
