Many of the reviews of Chris Rock’s latest comedy special, “Selective Outrage,” seem focused on moralizing.
Some are using Rock’s controversial Netflix show to retroactively defend Will Smith’s slapping him at last year’s Oscars, while others are defending Rock’s routine as an acceptable clapback.
I’m going to do some quick moralizing of my own as a foray into what I believe is a far more interesting conversation: the actual quality of the show.
I don’t think Rock, or anyone for that matter, should feel shame for being attacked. I think Smith and other such assailants should feel shame over their lack of self-control, their petulance and any insistence of theirs that the violence was done in the name of something valorous rather than selfish emotion.
I say this to make the point that I don’t know whether Rock feels ashamed by the slap as much as he may feel a sense of isolation. He was attacked in front of thousands of people, his attacker was allowed to enjoy the rest of the evening as if nothing happened, and millions more people saw fit to laugh rather than express concern.
All of this is — or should have been — important context for the producers of the new show to consider when they were putting it together.
All of this is — or should have been — important context for the producers of the new show to consider when they were putting it together.
Instead, what we got was a standup routine that seemed sloppily assembled — and I’m not talking about Chris Rock here. The live production seemed like a run-of-the-mill comedy performance, but its subject matter was anything but typical: a widely publicized attack. And it was lacking in intimacy for a performance that was part comedy, part confessional.
Much of Rock’s routine — particularly the parts referring to the slap — didn’t even sound like jokes, coming across like cutting critiques with a few laughs sprinkled on top. And at times he appeared straight up…
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