The incident of Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars will probably be the most memorable moment in Hollywood history. Will Smith is known to have slapped Chris Rock after the comedian made a joke about Will Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
Chris Rock made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith shaving off her hair. In fact, Pinkett Smith is struggling with alopecia, an autoimmune disease that causes hair loss.
Immediately, this incident became a world trending topic and shocked the public. Netizens are also divided into two camps; some say that the incident was the worst moment in Oscar history. While others, there are those who defend Will Smith for protecting his wife and consider Chris Rock's jokes to be very inappropriate.
Not long after, Will Smith finally apologized through his Instagram account. He said that violence is a form of toxic damage.
So, what exactly is the right way to defend your partner if they are being insulted, made fun of, or harassed by others?
There are probably some people who know how it feels when someone else stands up without being asked. Sometimes, that can make the incident much more embarrassing and lead to unwanted things happening.
However, if you are insulted and your partner is just sitting around doing nothing, this could be even worse.
Hitting, slapping, or using any other form of violence is not an appropriate response. According to experts, there are ways to defend your partner in a firm and non-violent way.
"I think it's reasonable to expect your partner to support you during difficult times," Naomi Segal, couples psychotherapist and founder of The Couple Consultancy, told Metro UK.
"However, what support or "defense" looks like, depends on what your partner needs at the time. For some, it may be soothing after an event, for others it may be for a partner to represent them at a time when they feel unable to do so. myself," he added.
The form of support that can be given depends on each partner and on the circumstances and situations at that time.
"Seeing your partner verbally or physically assaulted is likely to create quite a strong emotional reaction within you as well. This means that both of you may have different and strong emotional reactions to what is happening that need to be managed," explains Naomi.
If your partner isn't in physical danger, Naomi suggests checking first how your partner feels about the situation. Ask him what support he needs at that time.
"Anger and violence are different things. Anger is an emotional reaction, violence is a physical reaction. Feeling angry about injustice may be a normal emotional response in some situations. Violence may be a manifestation of that anger, such as running away or feeling frozen, it "It depends on the individual. But anger often masks some kind of emotional wound, and it's that wound that needs to be addressed in the end," Naomi said.
According to relationship coach Liam Barnett, he agrees that someone should stand up for their partner. However, only after you give them a chance to defend themselves first.
"Reacting right away can make them feel inferior and weak towards people who insult them," Liam says.
"If you notice that they need help, then you can intervene by setting some boundaries. Make them pay attention to the person insulting your partner that what they said or did was wrong," she adds.
Supporting and defending your partner is one of the most important elements of a healthy relationship. This can balance relationships, reduce stress, increase happiness, and create better communication or bonds.
Judging from Will and Jada Smith's situation, some might question why Will didn't resolve the incident privately with Chris Rock. However, Naomi has her own opinion.
"Making public statements may be a useful way of educating people about something that is being misunderstood or misunderstood. But for this to be effective, it often takes a certain amount of vulnerability to reveal why what happened was hurtful, which violence doesn't really allow.
Personally, it may be useful to take the time to work through the feelings that have arisen in connection with the incident so that they don't become an emotional barrier."
In your opinion, what is the right way to defend your partner if you are in Will and Jada Smith's situation?