The Two Americas Debating Will Smith and Chris Rock

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I was on an overnight flight from Los Angeles to New York City during the Academy Awards, so at first I didn’t see the Will Smith–Chris Rock fiasco that sent America into a complete tizzy. But when I was finally able to turn on my cellphone, I had 653 text messages.

Six hundred and fifty-three.

By now, you’ve probably seen multiple videos and angles of Smith slapping Rock. Right before the comedian presented the Oscar for Best Documentary, Rock joked offhand that he was looking forward to seeing Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith,. Rock was referring to Jada’s bald head. The problem with the joke is that , an autoimmune disorder that commonly results in significant hair loss. When the cameras panned to her, her expression showed that she was not at all pleased with Rock’s barb. Moments later, Smith walked onstage and smacked Rock in the face.