[Boudica]

If the audience was full of members of the general public, I might agree. Fans can go wild and try things they shouldn't. However, the room was full of people who would be considered peers, or on the same level of fame (etc) as the hosts. With this in mind, why would you think security is needed? Surely the threat of losing your career would be more effective than some burly men standing near the stage. This could also put out a bad image for the Oscars.

I think this incident itself showed why security was needed, in any matter there should have been people that intervened and took Will Smith off the stage. What he did was basically assault someone over words said. Security can also function in a way that they are in the background or nearby but just observing, as we see at presidential events they don't give a bad image but could even make the audience feel more safe. Some of the people at these types of events may know each other, but they could still need protection from others or themselves, especially with the heavy drug use and emotional tension that many are going through in the industry.

I know it sounds ridiculous, but nobody was hurt. It was an open hand slap which would have hurt pride at most. I do agree with what you're saying to an extent. If there was ever an incident where hosts or audience truly were hurt, my tune would soon change. However, security pulling Will off stage would have seriously escalated this issue and damaged careers further. The event hitting the news already drew attention away from the people who worked hard to achieve something that night. Escalating a problem can cause a problem to worsen. Ofc, safety is paramount. But an open handed slap is not really in the realm of a health and safety problem.