Stop Cryme Time and Racism in the WWE Petition...Fear and Loathing on Sirius
It seems that race is a driving force still today. We may try to deny it or hide it as much as possible, but the sad truth is that race play a key role in American Society. As the musical Avenue Q proclaims, "Everyone's a little bit racist..." However where is racism more of a problem, in real-life, or the media circles that constantly spin the story.
Recently a show on Sirius Satellite Radio, The After Hours Spot, took offense to World Wrestling Entertainment's new RAW Brand tag-team, Cryme Tyme. You can read the story on the grievance here. After Hours Spot takes a shot at the WWE as using racism for cheap heat. An effort to get a worker over with fans the easiest way possible. Who is more responsible for using the race card as blatant self-promotion though, the WWE or The After Hours Spot?
Personally, I have never heard of The After Hours Spot. I have listened to Sirius, and I am quite in tune with the goings on in the world of the media, yet I had never heard mention of"The After Hours Spot" before today. WWE on the other hand is a house-hold name, not just here in the U.S., but across the globe. I guess if you're gonna take a shot at someone, why not go for one of the biggest in the world.
WWE does often leave themselves open to shots from the media, and negative press. And there is no denying the fact that many of the things done on WWE television are distasteful, however racism is not something that I believe the wrestling conglomerate is guilty of. A quick look at the WWE SmackDown! Roster will tell you this. King Booker (formerly Booker T) is the World Champion, and Bobby Lashley is one of the brand's biggest stars, both of which are black men. There have been a plethora of greats from all over the planet in every culture that have made themselves a name in WWE; Yokozuna, Booker T, The Rock, Farooq, Mark Henry, Bobby Lashley, Junk Yard Dog, and Eddie Gurrero just to name a few. So it is not a question of WWE using race as the sole motivator for "pushing" a wrestler.
Then why would WWE put a black tag team in vignettes that show them stealing, and mugging people? The answer is simple, entertainment. The WWE has long based storylines on the society at the time. WWE does not make all Asian wrestlers come to the ring in samurai battle garb, not all Hispanics come walk down the aisle with eating a fish taco to the tune of "The Mexican Hat Dance," and not all white wrestlers enter the curtain in a pickup truck while swilling beer. However, there are some instances where these things have happened, just as there are some instances where this happens in real life.
I could have spent this time complaining on the racial profiling that WWE is guilty of against white people with wrestlers the likes of Stone Cold Steve Austin, Irwin R. Schister, and the current tag-team of Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch, but I did not for the simple reason that it entertaining. Its a simple matter of art imitating life.
So again I ask, who is more guilty of using the race card as a means of peddling their wares, The After Hours Spot or The WWE? Perhaps the crew of the after hours spot should focus on new, creative ways to put their show over, and not rely on the cheap heat that is racism.
~peace, props, & chicken pox!
JP
Recently a show on Sirius Satellite Radio, The After Hours Spot, took offense to World Wrestling Entertainment's new RAW Brand tag-team, Cryme Tyme. You can read the story on the grievance here. After Hours Spot takes a shot at the WWE as using racism for cheap heat. An effort to get a worker over with fans the easiest way possible. Who is more responsible for using the race card as blatant self-promotion though, the WWE or The After Hours Spot?
Personally, I have never heard of The After Hours Spot. I have listened to Sirius, and I am quite in tune with the goings on in the world of the media, yet I had never heard mention of"The After Hours Spot" before today. WWE on the other hand is a house-hold name, not just here in the U.S., but across the globe. I guess if you're gonna take a shot at someone, why not go for one of the biggest in the world.
WWE does often leave themselves open to shots from the media, and negative press. And there is no denying the fact that many of the things done on WWE television are distasteful, however racism is not something that I believe the wrestling conglomerate is guilty of. A quick look at the WWE SmackDown! Roster will tell you this. King Booker (formerly Booker T) is the World Champion, and Bobby Lashley is one of the brand's biggest stars, both of which are black men. There have been a plethora of greats from all over the planet in every culture that have made themselves a name in WWE; Yokozuna, Booker T, The Rock, Farooq, Mark Henry, Bobby Lashley, Junk Yard Dog, and Eddie Gurrero just to name a few. So it is not a question of WWE using race as the sole motivator for "pushing" a wrestler.
Then why would WWE put a black tag team in vignettes that show them stealing, and mugging people? The answer is simple, entertainment. The WWE has long based storylines on the society at the time. WWE does not make all Asian wrestlers come to the ring in samurai battle garb, not all Hispanics come walk down the aisle with eating a fish taco to the tune of "The Mexican Hat Dance," and not all white wrestlers enter the curtain in a pickup truck while swilling beer. However, there are some instances where these things have happened, just as there are some instances where this happens in real life.
I could have spent this time complaining on the racial profiling that WWE is guilty of against white people with wrestlers the likes of Stone Cold Steve Austin, Irwin R. Schister, and the current tag-team of Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch, but I did not for the simple reason that it entertaining. Its a simple matter of art imitating life.
So again I ask, who is more guilty of using the race card as a means of peddling their wares, The After Hours Spot or The WWE? Perhaps the crew of the after hours spot should focus on new, creative ways to put their show over, and not rely on the cheap heat that is racism.
~peace, props, & chicken pox!
JP
posted by Joel Polkinghorne at 4:53 PM
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