Rep. Phillips Calls For 'Moral Vaccination' After Oscars Violence

MINNETONKA, MN — Rep. Dean Phillips is calling for a "moral vaccination" after actor Will Smith slapped host Chris Rock on stage at the Oscars Sunday night.

The alternation occurred immediately after Rock made a joke about Smith's wife, Jada, and her hair loss from alopecia. Smith attacked Rock both physically and verbally.

Phillips, a Democrat who represents the western suburbs of the Twin Cities metro in Congress, called for a "moral vaccination" in light of the incident.

"The obnoxious episode on the Oscars stage last night encapsulates the very mean-spiritedness and erosion of self-control that are spreading in our streets, our schools, and our society," Phillips tweeted. "Both are diseases for which we need a moral vaccination."

"And a booster shot of civility," he added.

The Academy, which is the governing body behind the Oscars, said that it "does not condone violence of any form."