THANK GOD CHRIS ROCK IS BLACK

Last Sunday at the Oscars, the actor Will Smith physically assaulted the comedian Chris Rock after Rock told a joke about his wife's haircut. Mind you, Will Smith was initially laughing along with the rest of the crowd. However, his demeanor quickly shifted within seconds of hearing the joke. 

He strode onto the stage, slapped Rock with an open palm, and then proceeded to shout profanities at Rock. Needless to say, this was quite a shocking sight.

There have been many takes on this violent act in the media and on social media, and I will not review them all here. I am just grateful for one thing - that Rock is black. Why, you ask? Imagine if Rock had been white. We would be talking about how a black man got away with highway robbery for hitting a white man and how the reverse would not have been true in liberal Hollywood. Instead, because Rock - like Smith - is black, we can focus on the brutality of Smith's act and put his race aside. 

I do not know what the most appropriate punishment for Smith is, and I have no interest in "cancelling" him. I do condemn his violent action and hope that people around the world come to see it the same way - as something inexcusable and an assault on free speech and decency.