Will Smith cannot assault people in the name of love

At the 94th Academy Awards on Monday, shortly after Chris Rock made a joke about Smith's wife Jada Pinkett Smith, he went upstage and slapped Rock in front of the live audience. The moment left people bewildered. To some VnExpress readers, violence is simply never the answer.

"No matter the reason, beating people should be a no-no (except for self-defense). But this happened on a stage with live broadcast for millions of people around the world. Even in the name of love, and the fact that the joke might have been insensitive, Will Smith cannot respond to it with his fists. I am disappointed to see such uncivilized behaviors.

I also hated and was opposed to Chris Rock’s joke. But if he wanted to say something about it, Will Smith could have totally responded with words, something like ‘Will you just shut up? Don’t you feel ashamed to make fun of another person’s appearance?’ If he did that, things might have gone differently and people would have sympathized with him. If my husband beat someone on stage to defend me, I would feel more embarrassed than proud."
Sunflower220320

"It's weird to see people condoning Will Smith's action. The majority of viewers condemn the slap for a reason. There are different ways to react to a joke, but beating another person is assault. It’s that simple. Not to mention the fact that that joke was told in a ceremony for the entire world to see, where monologues have always been part of the event.

I didn't think Chris Rock's joke was good. But monologues can be so much more controversial than that and they don't spare anyone, not even the president of the United States. Joking without context is something a lot of Vietnamese do, and I'm not okay with that. But for someone who's been in showbiz for many years like Will Smith, he should know that, yet he still reacted with violence anyway. That's why what he did should be condemned."
Doc to Hao Hao

"There's a difference between a civilized and an uncivilized person. When someone hits me with their car and breaks my leg, instead of suing that person, I assault them in return, that would become an entirely different story. If everyone uses violence to solve every day's problem, there would only be chaos. I see that most viewers condemn Will Smith's actions. Someone could totally sue him for assault."
Doc

"Violence isn't the answer to any problem. I don't agree with Chris Rock's insensitive joke, and I vehemently condemn Will Smith's act of assault. Smith could have chosen to react differently, and let the world laugh in Rock's face instead. But no, he chose to assault another person on the night he won an Oscar. And the consequence is that no one remembers anything about the awards, only the slap.

People can condone and praise violence if they want to, but for me, violence isn't the answer."
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