The Will Smith incident and what should we take away from it.

My only real interest in the comings and goings-on of Hollywood's culture of narcissim these days is in reacting against their most blatant attempts to spread their poisonous values on our culture.

Having seen that the real entertainment typically occurs at the Nancy Pelosi and Barnum Bailey Circus on the floor of the House of Representatives or at the Jen Psaki comedic disinformation revue over in the White House press room, everything else pales in comparison.  The prospect of a roomful of smug, self-important narcissists exchanging trophies and spewing anti-conservative insults, simply no longer intrigues those who work with their hands - or their brains.

Normally I wouldn't comment on a Hollywood awards show of which I (and almost everybody else) didn't watch.  But in the case of the 94th annual Academy Awards (the Oscars) and the ensuing brouhaha between Chris Rock and Will Smith, it's impossible to not give it some attention since it had become the media focus for two or three weeks in late March and early April.   

That in itself should give you pause to wonder about the whole thing.  Given that their ratings over the past decade have been sagging even faster than the preoperative jowls of an aging overweight actor and plunging farther than the neckline of an otherwise irrelevant Hollywood starlet whose career is in decline, the outside possibility still lurked in our minds that it was nothing more than a orchestrated publicity stunt designed to bolster their ever plummeting ratings.  But after testing the winds of public opinion with a wet finger in the air for almost two weeks, the Academy finally issued a punishment late last week. However reluctantly, Smith was banned for 10 years.

Yes, I know its old news now.  For several news cycles, there was a lot of sound and fury about the altercation between Smith and Rock, even knocking genocide in Ukraine out of top billing.  On the one hand, the Academy was coming under increasing pressure to act, but on the other, was bound by the narrow precepts of it's politically correct Hollywood ideals, that made it hesitant to appear critical of a racial minority.

Nonetheless, having said all that, a few words about the incident is probably warranted.

First, however, what of Chris Rock's character?  We are told that even before Smith issued a public apology, to his credit, Mr. Rock adamantly refused to press charges.  This is likely because he realized his complicity in the matter, in that his ribbing of Smith and his wife had intentionally or inadvertently crossed the line of poor taste.

And what of Smith's character?  A little more of a tricky question, since he clearly, publicly, and violently lost control of his temper.  To his credit, however, he apologized fairly quickly and then late last week, he resigned from the Academy of Motion Pictures.

In the light of all the controversy, conflicting stories, response and counter-responses to the incident, let's be very clear.  What Smith did to Chris Rock was wrong.  It was a clear case of criminal battery.

But that isn't the angle I am interested in, because it also serves as an example of our two-tiered justice system. 

To help put it into perspective, imagine if you will, the very different response if a disgruntled white man had charged the stage that night.  The same action would certainly viewed quite differently...    It's doubtful, he would have been granted the deference to do so.  It's not hard to imagine he would have been tackled before he made it halfway to the stage and roughly dragged off to the side and handcuffed.  Or, if he had made it up to the stage and able to punch the black MC, he likely woud have been confronted, marched out of the auditorium, and arrested - only to later be charged with a hate crime.   ...and become the favorite target of the race-baiting hacks at MSNBC for years to come.

Or, what if it was one of 'the help', one of the many little people who serve in the background, the rich and pompous - perhaps a server, cook, or security guard?  Do you think one of those serving tables had rushed the stage and punched the host would have been allowed to remain unhindered, for the remainder of the show and party afterwards?

In either case, the reaction of the media mob and the response of the justice system would no doubt be quite different.  Needless to say, if it was you or I, we certainly would have been marched out in handcuffs and spent the night in jail, possibly held without bail awaiting a trial for assault and battery.

Then again, it probably makes no difference since LA county DA George Gascon doesn't prosecute criminals.