hidden image

Bob’s Banter by Robert Clements Will and Gandhi at the Oscars..!

Robert Clements Robert Clements
04 Apr 2022
Will Smith slaps Chris

A resounding slap indeed. A punch heard all round the world. One that revealed not a broken jaw or black eye, but showed ever so clearly, that you can take a man off the streets, but you can’t take the streets out of the man.
Will Smith revealed himself: An ugly revelation!
As a youngster, when his grandmother found a notebook of his lyrics, which he described as containing "all his little curse words", she wrote him a note on a page in the book, which read, "Dear Willard, truly intelligent people do not have to use words like this to express themselves. Please show the world that you're as smart as we think you are". Smith said this influenced his decision not to use profanity in his music.
But his decision didn’t change how he was deep inside.
And that is very important. When the Father of our Nation, introduced non-violence to the world, he spent a long, long time working on himself. It was because he worked on himself, he was able to take any insult thrown at him, and keep his mind focused on the idea of ‘turning the other cheek’.
What an opportunity lost for Will. He, the six footer that he is, could have taken those giant strides to the front of the hall, stood by Chris Rock, and then using powerful, impactful words, told Chris and the rest of the world how needed it was to have compassion on someone’s illness and not make a joke about it.
The world would have loved him for it, realizing, the Will they knew in reel life was even bigger in real life.
But he blew it.
He blew it, because his mask was off and he showed his true colours.
In our country, we have many Will Smith’s. Many politicians who speak gently and convincingly to the poor, and thereby get votes, then use the same tongue to slander and cut down men and women who worship differently.
You can’t unite and also divide, because though you may have some cheering for you, the world will consider you a hypocrite.
After this Oscar incident, let us as a country start becoming proud again of a simple man with simple tastes, who had simplicity both in his heart and outward appearance, using those same simple methods to win a victory over the overdressed Englishman!
Tell America, what our Gandhiji would have done, and even as they put their heads down in shame, will them not to say, ‘Then why have you started honouring his assassin?”
Because it’s time we emulate and glorify the one man who stands tall in the world arena, one who would have got his point across with his arms around Chris Rock’s shoulder and not a fist at his face..!

bobsbanter@gmail.com   

Recent Posts

How can greater knowledge be accompanied by greater wisdom, greater prosperity by greater solidarity, greater power by greater responsibility, and greater connectivity by genuine human fraternity?
apicture Br. Dr. Lawrence Soosai Nathan, OFM Cap.
28 Sep 2026
"Deus meus et omnia" ("My God and my All!") was St. Francis of Assisi's favourite prayer. According to early Franciscan accounts, most notably recorded by Brother Bernard of Quintavalle, Francis's fir
apicture Br. Cyriac George, OFM Cap.
28 Sep 2026
St Francis shows that peace begins by freeing ourselves from the urge to possess, control and dominate. His poverty, humility and fraternity offer another way of exercising power: not over others, but
apicture Br. Brian Raymond Bandya, OFM Cap.
28 Sep 2026
Assisi is more than a pilgrimage town; it is a challenge to the way we live. Eight centuries after St Francis, his poverty, simplicity and service still raise a difficult question: how much do we real
apicture A. J. Philip
28 Sep 2026
St. Francis of Assisi's life and message have much to say to a communally divided India. Dialogue across faiths, standing with the poor and marginalised, respecting diversity, and working together for
apicture Jacob Peenikaparambil
28 Sep 2026
Gandhi and St Francis remind us that renunciation and humility go hand in hand. While their understanding of celibacy and self-denial may invite disagreement, their lives of sacrifice, simplicity, ded
apicture Chhotebhai
28 Sep 2026
St Francis remains a beloved figure because his life joined simplicity, poverty, humility, compassion and love of creation with a deep devotion to God. His message of peace, brotherhood and reconcilia
apicture P. A. Joseph
28 Sep 2026
"Brother Sun has become an energy contract. Sister Water is imprisoned in plastic and sold. Mother Earth is mined, poisoned and stripped of her forests. When she responds with floods, fires and drough
apicture Robert Clements
28 Sep 2026
A diplomatic dinner is more than a meal; it is cultural diplomacy on a plate. India has every right to showcase its magnificent vegetarian cuisine, but excluding its equally rich non-vegetarian tradit
apicture A. J. Philip
21 Sep 2026
Ageing need not mean becoming a burden. With the right opportunities, senior citizens can remain productive, creative and socially engaged. Kerala's emerging Silver Economy offers the Church and civil
apicture Jacob Peenikaparambil
21 Sep 2026