How Will Smith’s Apology Shook the Dating World…

In recent not-so-shocking events, Will Smith took to the Oscar’s stage to slap Chris Rock square across the face. We all saw it. We all watched it… some of us watched it in the morning on Instagram because we went to bed at 9 pm, but that’s beyond the point.

Smith, in what he calls defense of his wife, took it into his own hands to make a stand against Rock’s Alopecia joke towards Jada Smith. Alopecia is an autoimmune disease-causing hair loss. If you or a friend have been diagnosed with Alopecia Areata, please visit naaf.org for support.

After multiple rewinds in America’s homes and a theatre full of shook celebs, Will Smith apologized, stating, “love will make you do crazy things.”

But should it?

Love is complex. It comes in various forms, showing us different sides of ourselves and the person who we are with. Love can be an overwhelming feeling that takes us to a blurry space in our minds. 

If you’re also currently watching the new season of Bridgerton right now, Daphne Basset née Bridgerton explains to her brother that love is feeling as though your body and soul will burst into flames around your partner. Though the type of love portrayed in the series can be unrealistic, like any tv show or movie, there is still the absence of the word crazy.

Crazy has many connotations. Society has warped the word into something unsettling. For example, the ongoing debate about women being crazy in relationships. Men claim they like and/or dislike “crazy girls.” Without going too deep… because then we will be in this blog for hours. Society placed the word crazy in relationships in response to women showing passion and overwhelming feelings of love. (some are caused by the lack of self-awareness of partners…)

In this societal definition of the word, crazy is a poor reflection of women crazy in love. So, when a man or another partner claims that love makes them crazy, shouldn’t it be the same?

“Love makes you crazy” has been an excuse for negligent relationship behavior, rather it is emotional or physical abuse or toxic manipulation. If you or a friend have experienced any type of abuse in a relationship, please visit thehotline.org for support.

Love should never be an excuse. And we should never pair the word crazy with the feeling of love. Crazy is already complex enough by itself that it does not need to sit beside love, the most complex word of all. Crazy, according to Oxford Language, can mean passionate, extremely enthusiastic, or mentally deranged, manifested wildly. 

Is this what Will Smith meant when he explained why he slapped Chris Rock in the face?

Idealizing love in a way that promotes crazy as a sign of true love is dangerous. It not only sets unrealistic expectations but also allows for excuses for unwarranted behavior.

Let’s stand together to petition the end of the universal use of the word crazy in any declaration of love.

Love is passionate, balanced, silly, beautiful, heartbreaking, worth it. Love is not crazy. You are not crazy. Love should not make you do crazy things. 

Love is love. 

Discover more types of love in our Relationship column.