Page Text: That Was Unnecessary
by Nathan Hyatt
We are recovering from “The Slap” and getting our heads together and settling down in the comfort zone of our personal opinion on everything from whether or not it was staged to how it should be handled next year at the 2023 Academy Awards Ceremony. The narrative has already begun around an event that will celebrate films that have not hit theaters and are still in production.
A lot of people seem to think this is going to go away or that it should go away. I actually think that Will Smith, Chris Rock and Jada Pinkett Smith along with many, many other people wish that the entire episode had never happened.
Maybe Chris Rock wishes he had chosen to get that name out of his mouth before he paid a big price on a big stage with his personal safety and his dignity after an attack that I am wondering if he kind-of, sort-of saw coming, but didn’t think he could avoid as he stood on stage and seemed poised to receive something he needed to brace for.
The whole thing did look staged. But the follow up does not seem related to something that was staged.
“Authorities” a.k.a. known as Oscar/Hollywood top brass insists they asked Mr. Smith to leave the event, less than an hour before he won an Oscar for his role in a film that I admit I have not gotten around to watching. They also insist that they somehow were refused when they “begged” (quotations mine) Chris Rock to press charges and have Will Smith led out of the Academy Awards in handcuffs.
The whole thing is bizarre.
But it underlines a conversation that we have always avoided having. One that I hope we are beginning to open up about.
Chris Rock is a man.
There has been so much talk and heat and political rhetoric about violence against women and minorities, especially female minorities. There should be. Black women and groups like indigenous women should have their own museums, college funds, documentaries, Political Action Committees and the like. Women’s rights are human rights. Women should not have to “take” jokes or “take” disrespect.
The same goes for trans women and any other protected group including the one I belong to: the differently-abled.
A woman’s husband should be able to stand up for her and for women who are not his wife out of a place of respect and regard. When women are disrespected and abused, men should defend them and say something and do something.
I should be able to defend people who are on the Autism spectrum from the very groups that purport to help them, but rather exploit them and frustrate and anger them.
But not physical assault against someone who poses no immediate danger to anyone, much less the woman in question.
Chris Rock is a man.
This is about violence against men.
The violence against Chris Rock was and is ugly and unnecessary and gratuitous every time I see it and am reminded of it.
It is actually typical Hollywood.
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone used to teach us that being cool mean being a real man who engaged in violence against men, always to impress women and getting beat up in the process.
They have in more recent years taught us to solve our problems with laughter and words used to make points.
They have taken aim at issues with speeches and fun movies instead of taking aim at bad guys with guns. Bad guys who are often not white, but that is a different story for a different day.
Violence against men is just as ugly as any kind of violence.
Against George Floyd it is an unacceptable and preventable tragedy.
Against Chris Rock it is that on a much, much smaller scale.
Both Will Smith and Chris Rock were bullied and abused growing up.
They have both done such an admirable job of setting a great example for moving on and having a rich full life with love, beauty and laughter.
But then came Sunday night at the Oscars.
And it all came crashing down because of something that got said about a woman.
Do not throw women under the bus. Jada deserves Respect.
Yes. Do get that woman’s name out of your mouth.
Stand up, Mr. Smith. Turn this into a roast-gone-off-the-rails. Yell loud enough and drop the F-bomb and create an Oscar moment for the archives and the ages. Say something Hollywood will never forget from the top of your lungs.
We heard you.
We heard you loud and clear.
Use your words, Mr. Smith.
Do not throw hands.
It is said that Will Smith is too big and powerful a figure in Hollywood for this to be the end. It does not have to be the end of Mr. Smith’s career. I am not calling for that. That would not solve anything.
But violence against men does not solve anything any more than violence against women or violence against children.
It does not deliver the “respect” that Jada or any other woman deserves. Actually, now we are not having the conversation we could be having. Jada’s medical condition and different appearance and story of difficulty are an almost-forgotten sidebar.
Chris Rock is now the victim in many people’s eyes.
Jada, Will Smith and Chris Rock have all had their own challenges.
The story has ceased to be about their challenges and work to overcome all those challenges because of a moment when pride and toxic masculinity took center stage both figuratively and literally. It was a joke and reaction and an aftermath at everyone’s expense.
That is a damn shame.
Contact Nathan Hyatt here: ConsAndNons@gmail.com
Thou Shalt Take COVID-19 Seriously: A Progressive Advocate’s POV on the Vaccine Controversy
by Selys Rivera
There she stood on the side of the road with signs galore around her. A (presumably) cisgender white woman protesting the COVID-19 vaccine. I don’t remember what all the signs said as I didn’t get the chance to read them all when I drove by, but there is a specific one that stood out to me.
It said something like this: “Vaccinated don’t go to heaven”
I would’ve done a double take if I didn’t have to keep my eyes on the road.
Now, I’ve been around my fair share of Coronavirus vaccine hesitant people. Some I understand, such as my friend with a serious health condition. She has to weigh the pros and cons of the effects that COVID-19 and the COVID-19 vaccine could have on her body before making her vaccination decision. Then there are the ones whom I don’t really understand, such as my other friend who was more scared of needles than what the Coronavirus could do to her health.
I’ve also heard my fair share of rumors, some of which are entertaining to say the least. Like how the vaccine has a microchip created by Microsoft to track us. I found out about this rumor when a coworker posted a picture of himself on social media getting vaccinated with a caption along the lines of, “I got my vaccine, Bill Gates!” In the picture, he looked at his arm as if speaking to it and I laughed so hard that this turned into an inside joke. Whenever the subject of the vaccine and microchip came up, I’d say, “I don’t mind being tracked since my phone already does that.” Then I’d look at my left shoulder and say, “Right, Bill Gates?”
However, I didn’t laugh when I saw that sign on the street. I also couldn’t even begin to understand the logic. Where in the Bible does it say, “Thou shalt not enter heaven if thou hast a vaccine”? I found it preposterous and downright dangerous.
The amount of misinformation out there is seriously concerning when it comes to the pandemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, also known as the CDC, is attempting to dispel as many rumors as possible. These efforts are evidenced by their COVID-19 vaccine FAQ page, where they address questions of safety, procedures, age limits, aftercare, and more. (If interested, learn more here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/faq.html )
The CDC can only do so much, though, when some people don’t consider it a true source of information. The level of mistrust reminds me of a funny post I read online where someone joked that they didn’t know who to believe about the vaccine, a trained medical professional or some dude from high school biology? As silly as this may be, it’s more than a little scary to see a similar level of misinformation and confusion at the government level.
Take the White House for example. According to Weixel (2020), writer at The Hill, “The White House science office listed ‘ending the COVID-19 pandemic’ as the top accomplishment of President Trump’s first term, even as the U.S. has set records for new daily infections”. You don’t have to do more than turn on the news or do a quick internet search to know that the claim of Trump ending the pandemic is just plain false.
I honestly had to laugh when I saw this story come across my email because otherwise I might’ve cried. It was like living in a reality T.V. show and I didn’t know how else to cope for my own mental sanity.
Let’s take the state of Florida as the next example. According to Orlando Sentinel writer, Lemongello (2021), three of Governor Desantis’ panelists argued for herd immunity. “The most compassionate approach,” they said, “is to allow those who are at minimal risk of death to live their lives normally to build up immunity through natural infection, while better protecting those who are at risk” (Lemongello, 2021). In other words, infect all the low risk people with COVID-19 to build immunity and protect the high risk people. Even though, as one of my coworkers joked, there’s no way to keep all low and high risk people separated from each other unless we quarantine half the country. Even though there’s no perfect science to know with 100% accuracy who may or may not be high risk. Even though you can still die from the Coronavirus even if you’re low risk.
It’s just not realistic.
Here’s what is realistic. The Coronavirus isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, especially not with people disregarding safety protocols like social distancing, masks, and quarantines, in addition to not getting vaccinated.
As someone who is high risk (asthmatic) and who works at a place where the Coronavirus is easily transmittable (a school), I jumped at the chance to get vaccinated. As I’ve told my coworkers, we may not know all the lasting effects of the COVID-19 vaccines, but we already have plenty of data on the lasting effects of the COVID-19 disease. According to the CDC (2021), “Post-COVID conditions are a wide range of new, returning, or ongoing health problems people can experience for four or more weeks after first being infected with the virus that causes COVID-19”.
Some of these lasting effects seem minor, such as “changes in smell or taste” or “sleep problems”, but there are more serious ones as well like “[m]ultiorgan effects [that] can affect many, if not all, body symptoms, including heart, lung, kidney, skin, and brain functions” (CDC, 2021). Personally, I know at least two people with lasting COVID-19 symptoms. One is still experiencing heart palpitations even almost a year after having the disease. The other still had chest and breathing problems months after they no longer had the Coronavirus.
There was absolutely no way I wanted to risk any of these lasting effects. So, I got vaccinated and then got my booster. Yes, I had side effects from both the vaccine and the booster, but neither lasted more than a day to a few days afterward. I continue to wear my mask and/or social distance if I’m around people I know aren’t, or am unsure if they got, vaccinated. And I share my story and point of view if anyone asks.
Basically, here’s my ultimate stance. If you’re able to get vaccinated, you should do it. Not for yourself, but to protect those around you. When the pandemic started, I didn’t take it seriously. I didn’t care about getting sick, but when my best friend said she was worried about getting her elderly father ill, that’s when the light bulb went off for me. I thought about my significant other, my parents, my pet, etc. I knew I needed to act to protect those I cared about.
However, no one should be out on the street trying to convince people that getting vaccinated will keep them from heaven. That’s just plain old spiritual or religious abuse, which can have serious mental health implications. As McKnight (2020), writer for Christianity Today, explains “[s]piritual abuse is a form of emotional and psychological abuse…characterized by a systematic pattern of coercive and controlling behavior in a religious context [which] can have a deeply damaging impact on those who experience it”.
In addition, no one should manipulate others into getting vaccinated or not. That can also cause mental health concerns, as manipulation tends to do. According to GoodTherapy (2019), these effects can become depression, anxiety, difficulty trusting, or unhealthy coping. The COVID-19 pandemic has already been draining enough with all the extra workload, lack of human interaction, and constant changes. Let’s not add to that.
So, since I want to respect everyone’s boundaries and promote stable mental health when it comes to the COVID-19 vaccine controversy, I’ll just end with this. I still feel like it’s one’s duty to society to get vaccinated. But if someone truly does feel morally opposed to being vaccinated, then that person has an obligation to still wear their mask, social distance, and avoid large crowds, especially if they’re not feeling well.
And if you want to put my point of view in a religious context, then I will simply encourage you to reflect on Jesus’ greatest commandments: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God” and “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” (Matthew 22:37-39, ASV). I can’t think of any greater way to do either of these than by taking as many precautions as I can to protect God’s children and creation from the Coronavirus.
If you want to learn more about the work of Selys Rivera, visit her websites: http://selysrivera.com
Follow her on Twitter @SelysRivera
Facebook @selysrivera
Instagram @selysrivera
References
CDC (2021, September 16). Post-COVID conditions. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved February 16, 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/long-term-effects/index.html
GoodTherapy (2021, March 26). Manipulation. GoodTherapy. Retrieved February 16, 2022, from https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychpedia/manipulationLemongello , S. (2021, March 26). Florida health experts dispute DeSantis supporters pushing
COVID immunity through infection. Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved February 15, 2022, from https://www.orlandosentinel.com/politics/os-ne-prem-ne-desantis-herd-immunity-20210325-bzsp4mnst5blddfotmtsp2ma4i-story.html?outputType=amp
McKnight, S. (2020, December 20). What is “spiritual” abuse? A working definition. Christianity
Today. Retrieved February 16, 2022, from https://www.christianitytoday.com/scot-mcknight/2020/december/what-is-spiritual-abuse-working-definition.html
Weixel, N. (2020, October 27). White House science office says Trump ended COVID-19 pandemic as US hits record cases. The Hill. Retrieved February 15, 2022, from https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/523013-white-house-science-office-says-trump-ended-covid-pandemic-as-us-hits
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