A resurfaced clip of Jaden Smith talking about his early social development has gone viral on social media, and commenters are showing the 23-year-old no mercy. The video comes from 2018 when Smith was interviewed by Big Boy TV, and he complained that people his own age didn’t share his serious interests in global politics. The video seems to have resurfaced because of his parents Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith’s recent public controversies.
“I am very happy that I spent my childhood with more adults than I did with kids my age. Because I was picking up more things from adults than I were from kids my age,” Smith said in the clip. He then briefly babbled, mocking teenage slang before saying: “I’m like, ‘dude oh my god we can we just talk about the political and economic state of the world right now? Can we talk about what’s going on with the environment? Can we talk about other things?’”
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Later in the interview, Smith conceded that he has more casual moods as well, but felt like he was more serious more often than many of his peers growing up. He generalized that his generation was not interested in deeper conversations, and that’s what social media critics have been teasing him for. Read on for some of the top responses to Smith’s old interview.
Pretentious
Commenters teased Smith for being “pretentious,” and some said that even his pretensions were not particularly remarkable.
Sad
Some fans were genuinely sad for Smith and related to his perspective. They commented on how climate anxiety, income disparity and other entrenched issues had loomed over Smith’s generation from the start.
Maturity Memes
Fans imagined scenarios where Smith showed uncharacteristic maturity throughout his childhood. They made memes about a younger version of Smith failing to connect with his peers.
Movies
As a child, Smith was best known for a handful of movie roles, and fans quickly dug up those scenes as fodder for this trending topic.
Melodramatic
Fans affectionately compared Smith to the most melodramatic characters from cartoons, anime and other media. Many speculated that he was emulating these kinds of fictional misguided visionaries in his own efforts to affect change.
Defenders
Smith had many defenders on social media as this conversation continued. Some pointed out the real-life work he has done in pursuit of sustainability, including his company Just Water which he started at 12 years old. Fans also pointed out that Smith made these comments four years ago when he was 19.
Hater
Still, many thought that Smith’s commentary came from a place of ignorance when it comes to his own generation – or at least imperfect social skills. They thought that Smith should focus on the issues he cares about and levy his criticisms at those responsible for them – not at peers who he perceives as dispassionate.
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