Last Poster #7

[granfire]

HOA meetings are SOOOOO boring.

be happy
When they are not boring you have trouble

 

[granfire]

All this talk of slapping popped this into my noggin

there is an answer for all of life's problems.....

 

[Dirty Dog]

There's a video making the rounds of Will Smith on the Arsenio Hall show making jokes about the band leaders baldness. The internet never forgets.

I think part of the problem is that Jada Pinket Smith is bald not by choice, but because of a medical condition. And let's face it. A bald man is far more socially acceptable than a bald woman.
But in no way was Will Smith justified in assaulting Rock. And excusing it by comparing himself to Richard Williams is ridiculous.

 

[Oily Dragon]

I think part of the problem is that Jada Pinket Smith is bald not by choice, but because of a medical condition. And let's face it. A bald man is far more socially acceptable than a bald woman.
But in no way was Will Smith justified in assaulting Rock. And excusing it by comparing himself to Richard Williams is ridiculous.

Well that part is obvious, Will is trying to find his inner Richard Williams, and both are very flawed men. Talk about living through your kids, have you seen his? Their eyes tell another part of his and her story. She whips her hair back and forth...he's an grounded astronaut.

Flawed men do have a habit of making the world go round, don't they. I saw "The Batman" finally tonight, and my adrenal glands would not shut off for almost 4 hours. that's the runtime, plus an hour. Robert Pattinson nailed it.

We're all a little Batman, Will Smith is now like the Darkseid of the Oscars.

Remember that drunken superhero movie he made? I never saw it, but I think it's bespoken to Mr. Smith, who has done a lot of great work.

And that slap was dead on balls accurate. Just like this jacket.

 

[Dirty Dog]

And that slap was dead on balls accurate.

I dunno if I agree with that... Admittedly, he did a good job of not telegraphing. But his body mechanics and power generation were trash.

 

[_Simon_]

No, but John Cena sure as heck would. And he'd deliver it with impeccable comic timing, too.

John Cena > Dwayne Johnson

Awwww big call! BIG call!

(I love John, he's brilliant on the microphone and just world-class delivery in insulting people!)

 

[Steve]

I think part of the problem is that Jada Pinket Smith is bald not by choice, but because of a medical condition. And let's face it. A bald man is far more socially acceptable than a bald woman.

I'm bald by choice?

Regarding it being more socially acceptable, that is true now. Not true 15 years ago, and almost unheard of in the 90s and early 2000s. Back then, about the only people who were bald were neo-nazi skinheads. When I was in the USAF, a buddy had alopecia and his bald head was considered "out of uniform". He literally carried around a piece of paper and had to keep it ready to show whenever he was challenged by an NCO or officer who didn't like his look (which was pretty much all of them).

Point is, female baldness is less common and less socially acceptable now, but it doesn't have to be.

But in no way was Will Smith justified in assaulting Rock. And excusing it by comparing himself to Richard Williams is ridiculous.

yeah, totally agree.

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

Not in California...

Why not Californi?

 

[Xue Sheng]

Exciting news...after over a week with a stomach bug I actually had a large bowl of Chicken soup.....and...in a few hours I will know if that was a good...or bad thing

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

I dunno if I agree with that... Admittedly, he did a good job of not telegraphing. But his body mechanics and power generation were trash.

Weak sauce, not even a single tear. I’m 100% in agreement that slap was zero power. To me it looked short, like only fingers not palm.

 

[granfire]

Point is, female baldness is less common and less socially acceptable now, but it doesn't have to be.

you don't know how prevalent it is because women have worn wigs for centuries.
But Black Hair is doubly loaded. Black women face so many challenges regarding their hair, it is not even funny. So aside from the fact it was tasteless to mention it, regarding her condition, it is doubly troubling coming from a black man who arguably knows how important hair is for black women.
leaving smith out.

 

[Steve]

you don't know how prevalent it is because women have worn wigs for centuries.

I don't?

But Black Hair is doubly loaded. Black women face so many challenges regarding their hair, it is not even funny. So aside from the fact it was tasteless to mention it, regarding her condition, it is doubly troubling coming from a black man who arguably knows how important hair is for black women.
leaving smith out.

I agree with all of that, and can understand why. How you look is a big part of one's self image. And for black women, there is an additional layer of trying to conform to societal standards for how people should look. Men, myself included, who lose their hair, often struggle with confidence/esteem issues, and it's really hard when you take the hat off or just shave completely.

Thing is, after a while, you start to recognize the person in the mirror, and feel less self conscious. Takes time, but like people who are bigger, taller, shorter, heavier, have birthmarks, have red hair, or anything else that invites jokes, comments, or funny looks, hopefully you can get to a point where you accept what you look like and move on.

My real problem with all of this is that it has nothing to do with Jada's self esteem, her alopecia, or really, her at all. The conversation has been about how we react to someone who looks different. It's been about toxic masculinity, whether Smith was "right" or "justified" in smacking Rock. And it has been about whether Rock was wrong or right to make a joke.

But let's not kid ourselves. This is not about Jada, or Jada's genetic misfortune. When it happened, two dudes were counseling Will Smith. I didn't see anyone checking in with Jada. Since then, I have seen not one person ask about Jada, discuss normalizing and celebrating how amazing she looked, or questioning why we as a society hold people to unrealistic physical standards.

 

[Oily Dragon]

I dunno if I agree with that... Admittedly, he did a good job of not telegraphing. But his body mechanics and power generation were trash.

I don't think he was trying to hurt anyone. That was raw emotion to make an impression.

And I heard it land, it made a big one. The memes have not stopped since.

 

[Oily Dragon]

Why not Californi?

In Cali, it's a disturbing the peace charge to challenge someone else to fight, or engage in one.

Smith could have caught a battery charge, or disturbing the peace already, he lucked out.

By standing his ground, Rock avoided both.

 

[Dirty Dog]

I'm bald by choice?

I have no idea. Did I say anything about you? I don't think I did.

Point is, female baldness is less common and less socially acceptable now, but it doesn't have to be.

Glad you agree.

 

[Steve]

I have no idea. Did I say anything about you? I don't think I did.

You said that part of the problem for her because she’s not bald by choice. Who is? Not too many men or women choose to be bald.

Come on. You’re being snarky for no reason.

Glad you agree.

Are you? I don’t believe you’re being sincere. 😉

 

[Dirty Dog]

You said that part of the problem for her because she’s not bald by choice. Who is? Not too many men or women choose to be bald.

Seriously? You don't know anyone who shaves their head by choice? I do. Two of my kids do. A third one does intermittently. I can think of at least 4 people in our ER who do. One of the guys in our gaming group does. At least half the UFC does. It's so common that companies are marketing special razors specifically intended to be used to shave your head. If you truly don't know anybody who is voluntarily bald, you must be very very isolated.

Come on. You’re being snarky for no reason.

Nothing snarky in what I wrote. Perhaps you need to find a safe zone.

Are you? I don’t believe you’re being sincere. 😉

You can believe whatever silliness you want.

 

[Steve]

Seriously? You don't know anyone who shaves their head by choice? I do. Two of my kids do. A third one does intermittently. I can think of at least 4 people in our ER who do. One of the guys in our gaming group does. At least half the UFC does. It's so common that companies are marketing special razors specifically intended to be used to shave your head. If you truly don't know anybody who is voluntarily bald, you must be very very isolated.

Nothing snarky in what I wrote. Perhaps you need to find a safe zone.

You can believe whatever silliness you want.

you seem tense. Do you suffer from male pattern baldness? Do your sons? Or do you guys call it something else?

Jada doesn’t shave her head because she is forced to. No one compels her to do it. She chooses to shave her head because her hair grows irregularly. Like me and I’m betting like you, your sons, and the various other people you know.

Consider that, and the Go back and read my post again. It’s all there and pretty clear.

Or don’t. If talking about male pattern baldness is too hard for you, I’m fine letting it drop. I know it can be hard for some dudes to accept.

 

[Dirty Dog]

In Cali, it's a disturbing the peace charge to challenge someone else to fight, or engage in one.

Are you sure about that? That would make sparring a crime. In every place I've checked, mutual combat is not a crime. Google returns a ton of California legal sites that all say mutual combat is legal. So I'm pretty confident that if I walk up to you and ask you to fight, I'm ok. If you say yes, I'm ok. If you say no, and I say OK and walk away, I'm ok.
Of course, none of this really applies. There was no challenge, no mutual combat. There was simply a criminal assault.

 

[Steve]

you seem tense. Do you suffer from male pattern baldness? Do your sons? Or do you guys call it something else?

Jada doesn’t shave her head because she is forced to. No one compels her to do it. She chooses to shave her head because her hair grows irregularly. Like me and I’m betting like you, your sons, and the various other people you know.

Consider that, and the Go back and read my post again. It’s all there and pretty clear.

Or don’t. If talking about male pattern baldness is too hard for you, I’m fine letting it drop. I know it can be hard for some dudes to accept.

I’ll just add that it’s great that we have reclaimed it from the skinheads. 20 years ago, no one really shaved their heads but now it’s pretty common and no big deal.

I think it would be awesome if we could get there for women too.