“The Greatest Night In The History Of Television”

Biggest night for Hollywood, the Oscars. Did you watch the drama unfold between Will Smith and Chris Rock?

Some students watched it live while others, saw it after the fact from various sources.

“I watched it after,” said sophomore Kendall Holland.

According to an article by AP News, “[Will] Smith left millions of witnesses stunned Sunday when he marched onto the stage of the Dolby Theatre and smacked Chris Rock in the face after the comedian made a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.”

The initial reaction and opinions about the actions of Will Smith varied from student to student.

“I found it to be inappropriate and could have been handled after the show,” said sophomore Allison Shapinko. Other reactions were a bit different, and some students were disappointed.

“My initial reaction was shocked as Will Smith was a childhood hero to me. Even though I know he is very protective over Jada, I never expected him to become physically violent with someone in order to protect her,” said sophomore Emmy Arellano.

Whether or not Smith should be reprimanded is another debate that is surfacing among viewers.

According to an article by NBC News, the Academy came out with a statement condemning Smith’s actions on the night of the awards.

Though the Academy said that they do not agree with Smith’s reaction, some students wish they saw action to represent these words.

“Yes, [he should be reprimanded] because he should have handled it after the event and not during. If he could not handle the joke, he should have taken it upon himself to be the bigger person and confront him after,” said freshman Santina Chiazzese.

Others felt that there could have been many ways to reprimand him for what he did during the Oscars.

“I do believe Will Smith should have at least been reprimanded by at least being asked to leave the Oscars event,” said Arellano.

Some felt that there was reasoning behind the lack of immediate repercussions.

“Will Smith should have been removed from the Oscars if this was a real event. The fact that that did not happen and then minutes later received his award is at least to me further proof this is all premeditated,” said Holland.

A few students believe that there is no need for consequences.

“I think the fight is between Chris and Will and no one else. So, if he [Chris] does not want him [Will] to be in trouble, then he shouldn’t be,” said Shapinko.

From another standpoint, some students believe that the events that took place had a deeper meaning behind them.

“I believe this is an example of Macho behavior to mark his [Will Smith] ‘territory’ aka his wife,” said Arellano. “I do find this as an example of the ‘picture perfect’ woman due to the fact we are raised to believe that celebrities are perfect and flawless, and Jada showed that she is human just like us with imperfections and insecurities.”

Similarly, Holland said, “Definitely [a form of macho behavior], if his wife went up there to defend herself the reaction would have been much different.”

Regardless of the reason behind Smith’s actions, many students find the biggest debate being whether or not it was real.

“Part of me thinks it was some sort of stunt,” says Chiazzese.

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