Jackson State students react to Chris Rock’s

Trinity Jones Staff Writer

Comedian Chris Rock, a 2022 Oscar Award show presenter made history as the first person assaulted live on stage of the Academy Awards. Known for his controversial standup comedy specials, before listing the nominees, Rock cracked jokes on multiple nominated actors and actresses within the show’s crowd.

Rock’s joke toward Jada PinkettSmith, saying he couldn’t wait for “G.I Jane 2” to come out, referencing her buzzcut hairstyle, began a series of unfortunate events.

Pinkett-Smith, who is a victim of a hair-loss condition called Alopecia which causes hair loss, showed her disproval of the comment.

Her husband, well known multifaceted actor Will Smith, initially laughed at the joke, but after noticing his wife’s reaction, decided to strike back, literally, when he walked on stage and back-handed the comedian before returning to his seat to repeatedly say, “keep my wife’s name out your f*cking mouth.”

On March 4, almost a year later, Netflix released a special, “Selective Outrage” featuring Rock and fans finally got to hear how the comedian felt about the incident.

“You all know what happened to me, getting smacked by Suge Smith— it still hurts,” Rock said comparing Smith to Suge Knight, the convicted felon and former CEO of Death Row Records. “I got ‘Summertime’ ringing in my ears, but I’m not a victim, baby—I took that hit like Pacquiao,” he said during the stand-up.

Rock went on to say, “I have rooted for Will Smith my whole life— now I watch “Emancipation” just to see him get whooped,” referring to the enslaved male role Smith played in the movie.

Donovan Morton, a junior biology/pre-med major from Canton, Miss., felt the slave comment was offensive.

“I think it’s past insensitive—that’s crazy,” said Morton.

Tionda Yarbrough, a junior business administration major from Beloit, Wis., was also offended by the comment.

“I get you got slapped and I get you were embarrassed, but comparing that to watching a movie about a slave getting beat is weird,” Yarbrough says. “You could have said anything else.”

Mark Henderson, founder of MADDRAMA Performance Troupe and faculty member within the Speech and Theatre department on the campus felt otherwise.

“I can’t say that I felt like it was insensitive in the context,” Henderson said. “Anything about slavery and glorifying it or putting it in that light is kind of awkward for us as AfricanAmericans.” called him a ‘rat’ who wouldn’t be tolerated in their ‘hood’.

Henderson believes the comment could be considered a form of projecting that same hurt onto Will Smith as opposed to that of the character.

Morton feels that Rock caused the events on Oscar night is now victimizing himself.

The extent of his injuries is not yet known, and it’s unclear whether any of the men involved have been apprehended.

While kicking and punching him, one could be heard yelling to another: ‘Take a picture, take a picture - I am going to be famous now.’

It’s unclear what prompted the attack but Tekashi is not short of enemies; in 2018, he was labeled a ‘snitch’ after testifying for prosecutors against the likes of the Bloods gang and Cardi B.

The views expressed in this trending topics column are those of the writer(s) and in no way represent the views of The Blue & White Flash.

Netflix special

“Seeing that he was the reason that he got slapped, I think he’s trying to become a victim even though he says he’s not one. He was the reason why this all went down, if the joke was never made [then] nothing would’ve ever happened,” said Morton.

Henderson believes Rock’s way of responding was all about the benjamins. “It was his choice—[Rock] decided which avenue he wanted to use to respond and deciding to wait to use it through this avenue probably gave him a whole lot of money,” Henderson said.

Henderson added, “We can’t tell a person how they should respond or when they should respond or what they should respond to.”

According to IndieWire, “Selective Outrage” Reached Netflix’s Top 10 in U.S. with just a day of viewing.

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Limited time offer - get $50 off on any new account. Use code GIFT50. For more information, call 1-844-954-4517 Week of chair of the Department of Journalism and Media Studies at Jackson State University since 2015. She served as professor of Communications and chair of the Department of Communications at Belhaven University from 1998 until 2015….

Acting President Hayes-Anthony addressed some of the student concerns in a press conference held on March 6 in the Student Center Ballrooms at JSU.

“I’m an alum of this institution.

I love it. I’ve walked these halls and received two degrees from Jackson State and then went on to take the Ph.D. in organizational and broadcast law from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale; but I’m indeed grateful to have the opportunity that’s been entrusted to me through IHL to really transition the process at Jackson State,” said Hayes-Anthony.

Hayes-Anthony also stated her first focus would be the students at JSU.

“I’m committed to upholding the Jackson State University mission to serve our student body. The first people on my list for service will be students. That’s why I’m here and I will be carrying those traditions forward,” she said.

She added, “Together with the faculty and staff, we are willing and continue to execute the JSU Elevate Strategic Plan, which is focused on student success, academic excellence, increase research excellence and enhancing the JSU brand.

Hayes-Anthony stated that the goal of her administration would be to move the university forward with integrity, transparency and accountability.

“We recognize that trust is earned and I intend to earn your trust,” she said. She assured those concerned about the high turnover rate in the president’s office that she would be there as long as she was needed.

“I’m homegrown. I’m not going anywhere. This is not something for me as a resume builder. I love this university, and I think it shows,” HayesAnthony stated.

The Blue & White Flash campus newspaper will continue to update this story online at https://sites.jsums.edu/ jsuflash/

Other members ofThe Blue &White Flash staff also contributed to this article.

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