Will Smith and the function of a slap – what it means for comedy and comedians
If you teach a Monday morning class on comedy writing, like I do at Georgetown University, then Sunday night’s assault and battery on comedian Chris Rock at the Oscars provides some really ace material for “class discussion.” It’s like teaching a course on “Space Exploration” the day after Neil Armstrong bopped astride the surface of the moon. Actually, it’s more like teaching a course on “Nuclear Weaponry” the day after someone lobbed a missile into your campus. Which is my way of saying that Will Smith’s open-hand slap (about which more anon) is really bad for comedy and comedians. Then again, what’s bad for comedy and comedians, and most likely the country as a whole, isn’t necessarily uninteresting or without educational value. Let’s start with the generational divide that the incident brings to the fore. I was disheartened, but not surprised, to learn that every single one of my 15 freshman students – bright, thoughtful, people – felt that Mr. Rock’s joke should never have even been pronounced. They concurred that the quip about “G. …
