Had Will slapped The Rock?

Will Smith vs The Rock

If Chris Rock was "The Rock" (Dwayne Johnson) what would have Will Smith done?  Probably taken the joke and moved on.  We can bet that Will Smith would have not assaulted Dwayne Johnson the same way that he assaulted Chris Rock.  Will Smith would have known that Dwayne Johnson (The Rock) could slap him back hard.

TakeSlap at TakeSlap.com is a blog inspired on Will Smith's historically infamous assault on Chris Rock.  We put words together to try to make sense of different things and trends in modern day life. 

Violence

For good or bad, violence is an inextricable part of the human condition.  After all, we are are all animals programmed to survive.  We are smart primates, but primates nonetheless.  And primates can be very violent when triggered.  Male primates are more violent than females generally speaking. It's based on evolution and social conditioning.

There is plenty of violence around.  Take for example the massive slap that Putin's Russian army is giving the Ukraine.  Russia's martial assault on Ukraine makes Will Smith's assault on Chris Rock extremely benign and gently innocent in comparison.  Of course, there is no reasonable comparison between a brutally deadly all out military war and a Hollywood face slap.  Nonetheless, there are some parallels for analytical comparison.   

We are all monkeys

As we began noting, had Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson being the one making the ill-fated joke of comparing alopecia patient Jada Smith to a G.I. Jane, it is very doubtful that Will Smith would have walked up the stage to attempt to slap Dwayne.  Will would have known better.  A monkey knows what tree to climb as the saying goes.  

Of course, we are not calling Will Smith a monkey--we do not want to be slapped on the face.  However, at TakeSlap we do not shy away from revealing that all of us humans are essentially sophisticated monkeys.  A chimp is an old blackberry; a human is a new iphone.  More of the same, yet more advanced.

Primates seize opportunity

What sort of advance had Will Smith made against Dwayne The Rock Johnson?  Probably none.  What sort of attack had Putin made against a nuclear powered Ukraine?  Probably none.  Neither Putin nor Will are dumb or crazy enough as to invite a heavier punch back.  

For sure, and to be clear, Will Smith assaulted Chris Rock for different reasons that Putin attacked Ukraine.  However, both were attacks of cognitive opportunity.  Both Putin and Will assaulted their victims because they knew could. Both of them showed bad judgment and poor decision-making, for sure.  But their mistakes were based on a perceived sense of superiority and unmatched might.  

Why is Putin invading Ukraine?  Hint: greed

It is easy to know why Putin is attacking Ukraine.  Greed.  Ukraine is the most valuable war chest prize in today's world. Ukraine is the second largest country in Europe. Ukraine owns about 1/3 of the world's fertile land. Ukraine has a huge economic potential. If Putin could annex the whole Ukraine as easily as he annexed Crimea, it would be the greatest legacy of the modern tzar. Drunk in greed, Putin imagines that he will make Russia great again.  Instead, he is ruining it.  His loyal followers join him in the blind spirit of greed.  Putin is the communist mafia messiah, and they expect him to deliver.

Why did Will slap Chris? Hint: fear

We can speculate why Will Smith assaulted Chris Brown.  Will was afraid of Jada's wrath.  Jada did not appreciate the joke about G.I. Jane, or Will candidly laughing about it.  She rolled her eyes in obvious disgust.  Her reaction triggered an unexpected emotional response in Will that turned on the fight or flight switch in his brain.  

In milliseconds, Will realized that he was in trouble with the wife again.  Things could escalate badly at home again. Will would have to go through all that marital pain again.  It was all Chris's fault then.  How did he dare to "disrespect" him just like that in front of all of Hollywood and in camera for the world and history?  At that point, Will's primate male ego was hurt.  How come Chris Rock dared to turn his family into a joke?  The lizard part of Will's brain took over.  The primate tilted into violence.    The rest is history and remorse.  

What happened to poor Will Smith happens all the time, and can happen to anyone. Temperance is a virtue.  We only miss it when we lose control.  What do you think?  How do you keep control of yourself? Any lessons learned?  Any advice to share?   

--TakeSlap