Will Smith

Wow, you honestly think the color of someone's skin determines their capacity for violence?

No, I don't.

I look at that which occurs person-by-person, not race by race.

Still, I am amazed that an actor receiving an award would assault the presenter in front of a huge TV audience.

I am also troubled that he still received his award and was allowed to make a long speech.

Did the same type of thing happen years ago when there were only white people involved?

Are assaults more prevalent among black people than white people?

When black people claim that the police are picking on them, might it be that a greater percentage of black people commit assaults than the percentage of white people who commit assaults?

You're turning what is simply a human episode into a race one. What if it was Charlie Chan smacking Bruce Lee in the face. Would this now be an Asian aggression issue?

Bad form/manners on the part of Will Smith for sure, but does take away his earned award for acting?

Some people are saying this was his best acting in years given that he initially laughed at the joke, then got angry when he saw his wife's eyeroll, prompting the over-the-top reaction.

This is not what I deem to be a racial incident. If it had been Ricky Gervais saying that, who knows what would have happened? Think Will would have slugged him? Pulled a gun on him? Why are you assigning more to this than an angry husband?

I'm not.

I'm just asking questions, trying to understand the ever-changing world around me.

Yes, she does.

Check out her other threads, especially ones where black men have been released after wrongful convictions.

Yes, white actors have notorious violent events in their pasts as well. I don't remember anyone asking if the color of their skin was a contributor. That is why your post is rubbing people the wrong way. When a white actor does something crazy, no one asks if it is because of his color. When Mel Gibson and Johnny Depp are accused of domestic violence, no one asks if it is a function of their race. When Winona Ryder gets busted for shoplifting, no one asking if this is a white actor problem. You're bringing race into something that is not racial.

Perhaps, my dear, you should become familiar with the crime statistics as they relate to race. You might find that facts overthrow your naivete.

And, yes, this response will be duly demoted. Facts are less powerful than political persuasions. - David Lyga

Instead of basing your conclusions on something as superficial as skin coloring you might want to look at the range of factors which are common among all perpetrators of assault – primarily poverty, substance abuse, and mental illness. Institutionalized racism against black people is an all-too-common social ill among elements of white European countries and the white European diaspora. You may want to consider how four hundred years of discrimination in the USA might have negatively affected your earning potential, your use of intoxicants, and your mental health. It's amazing that the rate of crime in the black community isn't higher.

Many issues have been raised. I will question one.

Who makes decisions for the Oscar organization?

Why did that person decide to permit a man who had just committed an assault, to receive a nationally televised high-profile award and to make a long speech?

Because the assailant was black. That, alone, guarantees propriety. Remember, gollum, Hollywood is ultra liberal and no black person will ever be convicted of anything within that realm, forevermore.

gollum, it shall be a 'race to the bottom' with regard to who can rack up more demotions, you or I. Just remember, it matters not whether you make sense. All you have to do to be considered an infidel here is to dare say anything that is decidedly politically incorrect. That is all, forevermore. - David Lyga

You often post about how you believe that black people are more predisposed to criminality.

You're incredibly verbose and try to dress your racism up in as much flowery language and grandiose terminology as possible yet you still come across as incredibly racist and bitter.

No, not 'predisposed'. That is inaccurate and infers a genetic deformity for the black race.

But I do look at statistics and see that liberals will usually mitigate the statistical imperative by talking about mental illness, poverty, and other liberal catch calls. There are countless people in this country who are impoverished and do not need to revert to crime in order to get what they want. And many, many of these good, albeit poor, people are black. I see them each and every day working at grocery stores, drug stores, and other low paying venues. Usually, I am treated with full respect, even more than I might generically deserve.

But the crime statistics are apparent and available for all to view. Many black police officers will state, openly, that the crime problem is largely (albeit, not exclusively) a black one.

No, izzy, you cannot 'push' the truth, even if it means that you will be able to shoot one more salvo directed at David Lyga. I have a bullet-proof mentality - David Lyga

I said you were incredibly verbose.

I do thank you for your presumptive compliment. - David Lyga

I haven't presumed anything, your verbosity and racism are determined by observation.

And I haven't said anything remotely complimentary; you might want to look up the meaning of some of those ostentatious words you're so fond of using.

I think you were not alone in being amazed by that action, especially by someone who is not normally seen as a violent or uncontrolled person. I was shocked, as was his victim, and the whole audience. That was completely unexpected.

What was the Academy supposed to do once that had happened - rescind his award, not allow him to talk? Basically punish him for his bad behaviour? Is that their role?

I would assume this is the first time this has happened in this venue so likely they don't have policies and protocols in place.

It was a one-off incident, don't you think?

Didn't Kanye just get banned from the grammys? Well I guess it would make the whole thing even more messy if they threw him out.

There is no "black race", and even if there were, European slave owners themselves injected a sufficient amount of their own genetics to account for 20% of African American DNA. If you are denying that a "genetic deformity" (which could be due to European genetics) accounts for the crime statistics, that leaves the cultural environment as the probable cause of mental illness, substance abuse, and poverty – just as with every other ethnic group.