The face slap was the ultimate punctuation mark in the language of old-school cinema, delivering swift justice with a flick of the wrist. It was the exclamation point on a sentence, the full stop of an argument.
In the golden age of cinema, a sharp smack to the cheek was as commonplace as a cigarette holder and a fedora. Face slaps were de rigueur in movies and often found their way into real-life confrontations.
But was this Hollywood-inspired behavior effective, or just another relic of an era best left in the past?
A movie might set a scene with a smoky bar, a sultry songstress crooning in the background, and a man making an off remark. The response? A swift, resounding slap, leaving a handprint as red as his newfound regret.
Fast forward to today, and while the face slap has largely vanished from the silver screen, it still pops up in real life, albeit with serious consequences. Take French President Emmanuel Macron, for instance. In 2021, he was slapped in the face by a medieval combat enthusiast named Damien Tarel. This spontaneous yet deliberate act of violence earned Mr. Tarel a four-month stint in jail.
Then there’s the infamous Will Smith slap at the Academy Awards in 2022. In response to a joke Chris Rock made about Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s recently shaved head, Smith delivered a slap heard ‘round the world. The fallout was swift: Mr. Smith was banned from attending the Academy Awards for 10 years and resigned from the committee, stripping him of his voting rights, though he remains eligible to win the Oscars himself.
The incident showed that even in the glitzy world of Hollywood, today, a face slap can lead to serious repercussions.
Now the face slap is less a symbol of justice and more a relic of impulsive action and unintended consequences. As society evolves, so do our methods of handling conflict. The days of resolving disputes with a flick of the wrist and a resounding smack are fading, replaced by dialogue, understanding, and empathy.
While the dramatic flair of a face slap might make for memorable cinema, real life requires a far softer approach. So let’s leave the face slap where it belongs—in the annals of Hollywood history (hopefully), and the misguided impulses of the past. Instead, it’s time to focus on more constructive ways to address our differences. After all, a conversation can leave a lasting impact, without leaving a mark. Please write again
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