Will Smith’s aggression towards Chris Rock during the Oscars ceremony in 2022 is making headlines globally. Making fun of his wife’s shaved head was insensitive, for she suffers from alopecia areata, a disorder that causes hair loss. The crowd was stunned by both the joke and the smack. Will Smith later resigned from the Academy and expressed remorse for the episode.
Another recent revelation concerned the well-known “Die Hard” celebrity Bruce Willis diagnosed with Aphasia. The celebrity will retire from performing at the age of 67, owing to the ailment, which is claimed to compromise cognitive ability. According to the family, it was a difficult moment for them all.
Aphasia is a language problem caused by injury to the brain’s region that controls language expression and comprehension. Aphasia makes it challenging to communicate effectively with others, both verbally and in writing. It can occur following a stroke, a concussion or over time as a result of brain tumours or degenerative illnesses.
People generally turn a blind eye to ailments; nevertheless, seeing the same through celebrities heightens the issue’s sensitivity. Eventually, empathy and concern build to the point where everyone is aware of these not-so-known diseases and empathizes with them. Perhaps the beauty of stardom is that people become worried and sensitive about situations like the above.