The Slap, the Cry, and the Ugly
I’m queuing for fried plantains while Tim fills a basket with vegetables at the weekly Maybachufer market. It’s a brisk, sunny March afternoon. This week, the Internet exploded with “The Slap” at the Oscars — Will Smith’s smacking of Chris Rock for a tone-deaf joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s alopecia-related baldness, and Smith’s subsequent teary award acceptance speech.
Incidents like these produce polarizations in societal discourse — typically vapid…
