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Will Smith joins Donald Trump as Power Out of Control
What consequences would Will Smith face if he wasn’t rich and powerful?
The Problem of Power
Banks that are “too big to fail.” Celebrity politicians that tell such blizzards of lies that “lie” and “truth” lose all meaning. Billionaires effectively setting monetary policy, multinational corporations with more money than most nations. Movie stars that can physically assault someone with impunity.
It is the era of giants. Wealth inequality of a global gilded age. Corporations — and individuals — that are untouchable.
If Will Smith had waited until after the Oscars, found Chris Rick out back and slapped him, things might be different. That it was caught on camera — millions watching the 94th annual Academy Awards — matters. When criminal acts are perpetrated in broad daylight, something changes. Just ask Donald Trump.
It also matters that actor Will Smith has an estimated net worth of $350 million dollars. What does he care if Chris Rock changes his mind and decides to press charges? Rock could sue for all kinds of loss — he was humiliated on national television, after all, and could claim at some point that this negatively impacted his career — but what would it matter to Smith? Sure, here’s a few million to salve your wounds, now go away.
