The Slap

I saw it.

My inbox is inundated with punters laughing at and criticizing me, if only I'd watched the Oscars, I would have seen the slap.

But right after it happened I got a text. And then an e-mail with the uncensored Japanese clip. So in fact I was more up to speed than those watching the telecast, their version was censored, I got the full effect.

In other words, today you don't miss anything. And this is hard for oldsters to fathom and others want that badge of honor, of paying their dues, of being there. But that doesn't mean much anymore.

I mean if you want to watch a sporting event... Sure, you can miss out on the action. But anything else? If you really care you can DVR it, but one thing's for sure, if anything happens you'll be able to watch it ad infinitum indefinitely. As for the surprise? It was still surprising when I found out. As for the meaning?

That's another thing people are e-mailing me about, my take. But my take doesn't matter. Nobody's take does.

This is how it works. The Academy does its best to evade responsibility. And pushes into the future any change. I mean coming out days later saying they told Will Smith to leave? Why wasn't that in the initial press release? Makes it hard to believe, seems like a cover-up.

As for Will Smith, he resigned from the Academy, which ain't much of a loss, and there's no reason he can't get back in. He apologized, which is what public figures do when they commit a faux pas.

The public? Has been whipsawed. First reaction was positive, a man defending his wife, we need more testosterone, like Zelensky. And then as the days went by conventional wisdom flipped. Smith was guilty, it was heinous behavior. He must be punished, to set a precedent, so this can never happen again.

Now this isn't Trump signaling his troops by saying there are good people on both sides. This is one actor who lost control. Which begs the question whether anybody can be forgiven today. I mean I wouldn't jump on stage and slap someone, but I don't come from the same background as Smith, and I'm willing to give him a pass.

This is what is wrong with America, the one strike and you're out policy, the gotcha game. You cannot touch the third rail and survive. And it seems like the third rail is always nearby. I'm not saying there shouldn't be consequences, but am I willing to tar Smith's reputation for all time? No. Because I'd like to be forgiven if I cross the line. People freak out and do crazy things.

But now you might be thinking I'm endorsing Smith's behavior, but I'm not. The best analysis of the slap was given by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar:

"Will Smith Did a Bad, Bad Thing - Slapping Chris Rock was also a blow to men, women, the entertainment industry and the Black community.": https://bit.ly/3K555lC

Once again, the sideshow has become the main show. The hoi polloi focus on the micro while those who truly run this country are above the fray, do not pay attention and commit their crimes willy-nilly. The slap sells ads, for papers and TV stations. It gives people something to talk about. It will be remembered, but how about who won? I bet you can't name most of the winners only a week out.

The only person who played the game right here is Chris Rock. You don't respond. Chris is smarter than politicians and seemingly every public figure. If you're in a Twitter war you've already lost the plot. Stay above the fray, let the haters have their way, if you respond you will only look bad, which is exactly what they want. By not pressing charges and moving on Rock represents the twenty first century ideal. If you get caught up in the craziness you can never win.

But here I am responding to readers.

But I really just want to make the point that no one misses anything today. If anything good happens on the Grammy telecast you'll find out immediately and be able to view it just as fast. And you won't have to waste three plus hours to do so.

Time. Even babies are scheduled. There are so many opportunities, so much I want to do. The entertainment industry still acts like scarcity rules, when that hasn't been the case for two decades. You accept that you cannot reach everybody, you superserve your core audience and forget about everybody else. And if you're lucky, you might have a viral moment, but those are rare, you can try to manipulate them but surfers are savvy these days.

And if the Grammys were a business someone would be fired. And if you put in a placeholder you're doomed. This is what happened to Apple, it was going into the toilet, until Steve Jobs came back, revolutionized the software and simplified the product lineup. Then again, Steve Jobs was not only a brilliant businessman, he was more of an artist than anybody taking the stage tonight. Did you see that Scott Galloway quote?

"Hollywood used to be the cultural center of the universe. It's fallen to a close second behind the tech community. The two have a lot in common: Both mix fame and money to create a brazen lack of grace and self-awareness."

That's all you need to know.


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