I never understood wrestling. Even as a child I couldn’t wrap my head around it. I didn’t get what was so fucking amazing to my friends about watching people put on a stageplay and pretend to hit each other in a ring while wearing tights. It seemed cheesy, boring and unexciting.
My friends ate it up, they were screaming at the TV. I tried to tell them it was fake and they got mad. I was boggled how people couldn’t tell it was fake. There was a Hulk Hogan cartoon in the 80’s, I loved cartoons but I was still boggled what was going on with wrestlers being so popular. The cartoon was boring and substandard, even to a child.
Fast-forward a buncha decades and here we are, a whole world of people shouting at the TV and getting exciting over theatrical bullshit presented in overtly fake ways for people to mindlessly cheer or jeer at their favorite heroes and villains… except now it’s the goddamn federal government.
I used to say all the same until, likely related, the relatively recent growth of John Cena’s film career. We know wrestling is fake. We know Twoicide Squad is fake. That doesn’t stop me from talking about the cool things Peacemaker does, so why should I police other people talking about wrestling events? Plus, after seeing live wrestling, it’s genuinely entertaining to watch as a sports/dance event. Note: I have zero interest in mma/boxing/etc and really don’t watch sports anyway.
People watch plays. People watch concerts. People watch sports. People watch wrestling. It’s just entertainment
Until the people who profit off making fake things seem real use the same tactics to shape policy and undermine democracy. For that matter, some of the very same people who produced the cognitive dissonance of wrestling went on to produce political campaigns, blurring that line in uneducated viewers’ minds further.
I’m not saying you can’t enjoy wrestling or whatever media you like, as long as you understand how entertainment works and that it’s not even a reflection of reality, much less an actual narrative. That’s the difference I’m talking about here, if you know that difference, you need not worry, go have fun.
they had to legally do that actually, sports entertainment, so they wouldnt be subject to heavy regulation by a sports authority like with drug testing, its well known most of them are on peds, rock, cena(pretty obvious),etc
I’m not talking about what the individuals go on to say from their personal capacities. I’m talking about a reality TV show where men pretend to beat each other up. Or am I out of the loop and wrestlemania is now part of the campaign trail?
Not saying its the same, or that your wrong. I just couldn’t help but think how that’s how Fox News can do what it does and is (at least was from what I remember) the highest rated channel in the US because its clearly not the news, it’s an entertainment program.
Sorry if my brief comment lead you to believe otherwise.
Born late 90s, and always knew WWE wasn’t “real”. Did people really belive it was real or was that just some silly joke people used to make fun of the fans?
Like, have they never watched a stage play? It’s basically just a televised version of that plus violence.
I never understood wrestling. Even as a child I couldn’t wrap my head around it. I didn’t get what was so fucking amazing to my friends about watching people put on a stageplay and pretend to hit each other in a ring while wearing tights. It seemed cheesy, boring and unexciting.
My friends ate it up, they were screaming at the TV. I tried to tell them it was fake and they got mad. I was boggled how people couldn’t tell it was fake. There was a Hulk Hogan cartoon in the 80’s, I loved cartoons but I was still boggled what was going on with wrestlers being so popular. The cartoon was boring and substandard, even to a child.
Fast-forward a buncha decades and here we are, a whole world of people shouting at the TV and getting exciting over theatrical bullshit presented in overtly fake ways for people to mindlessly cheer or jeer at their favorite heroes and villains… except now it’s the goddamn federal government.
It was a male-targeted soap opera.
Our species thrives on narratives, if you could fashion a narrative that pulls in enough people you can literally change the world.
I am pulling my face off here wondering where our better stories are, where the master storytellers for progress and equality are hiding.
also has a large conservative base to apparently.
I used to say all the same until, likely related, the relatively recent growth of John Cena’s film career. We know wrestling is fake. We know Twoicide Squad is fake. That doesn’t stop me from talking about the cool things Peacemaker does, so why should I police other people talking about wrestling events? Plus, after seeing live wrestling, it’s genuinely entertaining to watch as a sports/dance event. Note: I have zero interest in mma/boxing/etc and really don’t watch sports anyway.
People watch plays. People watch concerts. People watch sports. People watch wrestling. It’s just entertainment
Until the people who profit off making fake things seem real use the same tactics to shape policy and undermine democracy. For that matter, some of the very same people who produced the cognitive dissonance of wrestling went on to produce political campaigns, blurring that line in uneducated viewers’ minds further.
I’m not saying you can’t enjoy wrestling or whatever media you like, as long as you understand how entertainment works and that it’s not even a reflection of reality, much less an actual narrative. That’s the difference I’m talking about here, if you know that difference, you need not worry, go have fun.
Ah, the Fox News defense.
they had to legally do that actually, sports entertainment, so they wouldnt be subject to heavy regulation by a sports authority like with drug testing, its well known most of them are on peds, rock, cena(pretty obvious),etc
Honestly had no idea, then again, wrestling is no where near my orbit. Even more reason to dislike “Professional” Wrestling.
I’m not talking about what the individuals go on to say from their personal capacities. I’m talking about a reality TV show where men pretend to beat each other up. Or am I out of the loop and wrestlemania is now part of the campaign trail?
Not saying its the same, or that your wrong. I just couldn’t help but think how that’s how Fox News can do what it does and is (at least was from what I remember) the highest rated channel in the US because its clearly not the news, it’s an entertainment program.
Sorry if my brief comment lead you to believe otherwise.
Born late 90s, and always knew WWE wasn’t “real”. Did people really belive it was real or was that just some silly joke people used to make fun of the fans?
Like, have they never watched a stage play? It’s basically just a televised version of that plus violence.
It’s just another form of theatre, and has been from the beginning. Suspension of disbelief is a part of the fun.