LogFAQs > #963824319

darkphoenix181 posted...

This goes beyond just ourselves. If it is someone we like, we tend to also apply this fundamental error.

example:

1.We like Will Smith. He clearly acted like a fucking idiotic jackass.
BUT! It is not his fault. The poor man is going through soooo much. We need to understand him and feel sorry for his situation.

We have attributed the excuse to factors outside of his control like we do for ourselves when we do stupid shit.

2.We don't like Chris Rock. How dare he. He should have known better. How can he be so insensitive?
Interesting isn't it that we have NO IDEA what is going on in Chris' life, yet everything that he has done is now instantly because of his own decisions. Why did he make the joke? What environmental factors lead to this? Does he have bad things going on in his life? Did he actually rehearse the joke or in a moment of low sleep it just popped into this head? etc

But if you don't like him, you don't care. You attribute it to his character flaws

I'm seeing many varied stances, even on this board and one of the most common one (which I agree with) is that we can understand why Smith got upset but being upset does not condone violence.

As for Rock, he was a comedian animating the Oscars. Making fun of various celebs is to be expected. Did the joke go too far? There is no such thing as an universal standard for that. All we can say is, clearly, Smith felt it did.