A scholar of Black entertainment history reflects on the death of producer Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss and reflects on the history of Black male entertainers dancing or telling jokes to their deaths.
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Articles on Will Smith
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By slapping Chris Rock during an internationally televised awards ceremony, Will Smith demonstrated that chivalry is not dead. But was that the protection Jada Pinckett Smith wanted or needed?
While you’ll often hear people say that violence is never the answer, in some communities violence is viewed as a perfectly reasonable response to personal slights.
Women in films are often damsels in distress. Psychology shows such representations can impact how people feel about violence and gender roles in real life.
Until Black women can wear their hair how they want without risk of ridicule, reprimand or termination, a joke targeting Black hair is no laughing matter.
In this special edition of ‘Don’t Call Me Resilient,’ we chat about how “the slap heard around the world” is part of a layered story of racism, sexism, power and performance.
The joke that sparked a violent reaction from actor Will Smith at the Oscars centered on his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair loss. A dermatologist explains the causes and treatment for alopecia.
The Power of the Dog may have lead the pack when it came to nominations, but the big winner of the night was the understated CODA.
Despite efforts to diversify the film industry, the Oscars awards ceremony demonstrates how far Hollywood has come – and how far it still has to go.
Once the stuff of tweeting birds and rolling cartoon eyes, bumps on the head are now linked to dementia. Will Smith’s latest movie tells how sports authorities tried to cover it up.
Top contributors
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Associate Professor, Performance, Toronto Metropolitan University
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Chair of Academic Board, Victoria University
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Lecturer in Communications and Media, University of Notre Dame Australia
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Honorary Clinical Associate Professor, University of Glasgow
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Associate Research Professor of Social Psychology, Louisiana State University
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Lecturer, Fashion Enterprise, RMIT University
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PhD Candidate, Flinders University
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Senior Lecturer, University of Auckland
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Dr. Ronald E. Moore Professor of Humanities and African American Studies, Texas Christian University
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Clinical Associate Professor of Dermatology, Wayne State University
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Senior Lecturer in Psychology, Royal Holloway University of London
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Professor of Political Science, University of Toronto
