Lawyer/Author/Professor Catherine Pugh discusses Will Smith, Chris Rock, and the slap at the Oscars from an insightful perspective.
Catherine Pugh: The proper take on the Oscars’ slap
I met Catherine Pugh on Twitter when she probed a response I had where I disagreed with a friend about the slap at the Oscars. Of course, I am talking about the noise that began immediately after Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on the Oscars’ stage during the broadcast.
My good friend (and a writer everyone should follow on MEDIUM) Arturo Dominguez tweeted the following.
I replied with the following message.
Dr. Catherine Pugh, sort of, took exception to my statement.
Instead of answering her, I decided to invite her to the show after reading the following Twitter thread. She took the reactions to a different level that I think was appropriate.
Dr. Pugh sent the following note that I found prescient and wanted to explore in a deeper manner on Politics Done Right.
This issue – two tracks of American accountability – has legs. I encounter it often. We disparagingly call this kind of exchange a bunch of “whataboutisms,” and I get that. But there is a genuine fear here that needs more time in the light.
Black Americana can be diligent about not providing cover for bad black behavior. But when moral Americana fails to push back at over tolerating bad non-Black behavior, accountability cants too far the wrong way. The net effect is that White America gets justice’s tolerance, while Black America gets justice’s teeth. That’s a hard no.
Unfortunately, that’s largely how American justice works, but it doesn’t have to. We all should be beating the crap of the equalizing drum – that is, we will neither tolerate nor accommodate two tracks of justice.
We’re relatively new at instant public race-based intercourse, so our mechanics are clunky. Will slapped Chris, what, a week ago? and already we’re deep in the abuse and -ism weeds, yet giving it our all to breathe shallowly. Nuance and relevance are hard in a 240-character attention span era. By the time this topic hits a tweet, it sounds like whining or giving Smith a pass or being hostile to Whites when it’s none of that. It’s a fight for the American id.
Shit’s gotta start somewhere. Might as well be here.
Listen to the entire interview. It won’t disappoint.