The Immortal Racism.
I already know that despite the intent of this article, I'm sure to get attacked. That's fine. I've got a thick skin. I've learned to "Rise Above Hate", or at least, ignore it.
Quick back note: I've experienced both closet racism and blatant racism. Closet in the sense that I've worked at jobs where clearly, those around me thought less of me because of my skin tone (since the quality of my work often exceeded others), blatant in that the friend I knew the longest (who was white) once called me "The N Word" right in front of a group of others simply because he was angry about a girl he liked that was attracted to me. A white girl. So yes, I know a bit about racism.
Racism isn't just about physical harm. It's a thought process; an illogical one. You simply think less of a person who isn't of your same race. You might not even hate them as a person; you just don't think much of them compared to yourself.
Much has been made of the recent news regarding Hulk Hogan, and I want to clarify points, because I'm seeing really disturbing responses. Most everyone knows the name "Hulk Hogan", whether it's because you saw him as a wrestler or you saw him in movies. At a point, his character transcended anything: the will to survive insurmountable odds, the physical strength to overcome what normal men couldn't.
Now, he's associated with something that people thought Hillbilly Jim would be better suited for.
The interview where he went on a rant IS NOT the talk show where he talked about how he just got used to saying "nigga" with his "black friends".
You see, some years ago, Hulk Hogan was BFF's with Bubba "The Love Sponge", a radio shock jock. For some stupid reason, Sponge literally pimped his (ex) wife out to Hogan and video taped not only the performance, but their conversation while he was in an adjacent room. When the news broke, there was Safe-For-Work snippets released of this performance, but very little. The situation went to court and a deposition was taken, because there was no consent to release the footage.
Now, it is apparently during this video that Hogan made these comments. There may have been a confidentiality agreement in place, which is why we hadn't heard about this before and why Hogan's now-lawyer is saying they're going to go after whoever leaked the footage. It was never meant to be heard by the public and in fact, it's surprising that WWE even hired Hogan back (he wasn't working there when the footage was released) given they stated they had a policy that they wouldn't hire anyone with a sex tape.
The catch: Gawker is who originally broke the story, and was later silenced by a judge (but refused). They posted the footage on their website, but then got sued and had to take it down per court order.
Fast forward to 2015. Early in the morning, Twitter lights up with news that WWE.com has apparently begun scrubbing Hulk Hogan. No known reason why at this point - though his recent matches and interactions appear to still be available (he's in or referenced in at least half of WWE's history, I would imagine!)
Later, it's discovered that a transcript has been leaked. The transcript is from the full deposition from the sex tape fiasco, and apparently, WWE officials (probably, Vince himself) has watched the video and determined that it was clear Terry Bollea (Hulk Hogan's real name) was a racist, and not appropriate for PG WWE. Somewhere, an instruction was sent to distance from Bollea, and a page written indicating that he was terminated.
For many hours Hogan trended as people made fun of the situation, but it is here that I saw the disturbing replies. I won't repeat what was said and I won't link to the transcript, because I don't want people excusing bad behavior. But let me get on to my points now that you understand the real genesis of this story.
People have to learn and understand that they can't just say whatever about people. Stop and process what you're thinking of saying and make sure it's not about to offend people or get you arrested; or, if you believe you have every right to share it, then accept and own the negatives of that decision.
A not-so-wise character once said, "choice is an illusion". I don't agree. Choice is all we have. You make choices all the time; some good, some bad. But when you can control the situation, you maintain power over it even when you are in the wrong. In this situation, Hogan was being filmed, presumably didn't know, but the problem is he was talking to someone and saying things that could harm his reputation. Again, this is a guy who was at the forefront of what it meant to appeal to children: say your prayers, eat your vitamins, etc. He was a figurehead. He had to always act that way, even if he didn't believe it (I'll get to THAT later).
Hogan had a choice of words. He could have said, "I feel like all I've done to benefit my daughter, she hasn't appreciated, because she's turning to other resources that I don't agree with". Instead, he went on a total tirade and denigrated an entire race of people, and it all centered (presumably) around his disagreement with his daughter's choice of boyfriend. That's bad. It's not what you say, it's how you say it.
Now, flip this. Benedict Cumberbatch gave an article where he referred to "coloured people". In context, he was referring to fellow actors of color, but because of his heritage he said the first thing to come to mind, and he didn't expect any sort of backlash because he wasn't referring to them negatively; he was actually talking about them not getting fair opportunities compared to white actors. But he got literally roasted for that slip and apologized for his ignorance. He didn't know that it was a sensitive thing, and realistically, he shouldn't have been attacked; unfortunately, he needed to assume that certain words or terms would be taken wrong in context.
That's the unfortunate state of society today. You can't just say what you want. People will jump down your throat for it.
It's not about "free time" or "personal time".
I saw this excuse quite a few times. That he wasn't on the clock, it was his "free time", and he was having a "private conversation" on his "personal time". I'm thinking to myself, why don't these people get it? Are people seriously that blind?
It has NOTHING to do with free time, personal time, private time, private space, etc. Nothing. If you're sitting in a room by yourself with nobody in earshot, you're more than welcome to rant all day long about whatever you want. It doesn't matter, because nobody's there. If you're in a situation where someone could hear what you're saying and you're not sure they share your same sentiments, you're putting yourself at risk of backlash - possibly legal backlash - and a nightmare situation.
Especially when you're someone like Hogan who is at the forefront of a marketing giant. Why he would basically talk to a hooker about his racial bias I have no idea. The whole situation started because he ranted off at the mouth very disturbing things about another race on video. No, he didn't know about the video - but that's EXACTLY why he shouldn't have said the things in that situation! Even if there weren't video, the hooker could have just blackmailed him, set her phone to record in her purse and used it to extort him.
Like another wise person said, "D.T.A. - Don't Trust Anybody". Yes that's sad. But it's the only way to protect oneself.
If you're a flat out open racist and you don't care who hears your rant, that's one thing, but Hogan now says he's "not that type". On the transcript, he said he was. Now he looks like a liar and a hypocrite.
Excuses for the racism just allow it to fester and continue, rather than die off.
In addition to the above excuses, I see people saying "I know he's a good person", "not a racist bone in his body", "he deserves to be forgiven", "it was a mistake", "what's the big deal", "but WWE does it too tho", etc. These are all excuses.
The only way we can move past it - TRULY move past it - is to confront it head on.
Hogan admitted saying the terms. He apologized. But then he made a mistake saying, "I'm not that person". Uh, yes, you are: you SAID you were. You can't do both.
What he should have said is this (or something like it).
"This is Terry Bollea. You know me as Hulk Hogan. For years I've entertained you in many ways, but recently things have come to light that have tarnished that history.
In a private communication I said some very hateful, bigoted things about African Americans because I was frustrated about a family situation involving them. I want to be clear: I did it, and it was wrong. Period. There's no excuse for what I said or why.
I'll be honest. It's the way I think, it's the way I was raised. I can't help that. But I can try to learn, try to improve and understand why it's wrong. I can say I have never directly said or done anything inappropriate to someone of the opposite race. Some point to an incident with my restaurant which I agree was in poor taste and might have been subconsciously related to the way I think. But I acted to remove it because it was inappropriate.
I have more respect for why the way I think just doesn't work. I have more respect for why it's stupid to put down another race for any reason. I've got some work to do to fix what's been done. For now, I accept the punishment. But I'll keep on pressing forward until I get to a point that I can view all men equally, and truly "fight for the rights of every man"."
In the above, as Paul Heyman says, he does everything to capture the audience. He makes a clear distinction between the man and the character, first and foremost (I'll do another article on that later). He accepts responsibility and owns it. He doesn't say "that's not me!" he OWNS it. He explains it. Then talks about what he's doing to fix it.
That's how respect is gained. He'd still be attacked by those who let their emotions guide their actions, but the majority of people will respect him and dare I say, forgive him for something that, while not just a simple mistake, was something done and in the past.
People making excuses for Hogan are just making the problem worse. Racists, even closet racists, have to own up to the way they think and feel and accept it. Then, work to fix it. If they deny it or pass it off as "a mistake", they're not really getting rid of the disease.
That WWE, WWF, TNA, etc. have had racially charged storylines is not a free pass for Hogan. That they have had racism behind the scenes is not a free pass for Hogan.
This is another issue. People can't separate a storyline from a real-life racism situation.
Pro wrestling has had its fair share of racially charged storylines. The intent is to get people interested with some realistic in-the-media situations. But it's not just wrestling, regular TV does it too. Law and Order had plenty of racially charged stories. Night Court had racially charged stories. Even people's favorite "Star Trek" had tons of racially charged stories. They're STORIES. They're told to attach to the reality and as part of The Arts, are used to tell the story forward. They shouldn't be used as an excuse for real racism.
This does not say that Michael Hayes throwing a racial slur at Mark Henry should be overlooked and forgiven. He got punished for it, but the thing is, it wasn't on air. It wasn't recorded. It wasn't in a deposition. It wasn't exposed to general audience. And no, it's not the same thing as the Del Rio situation where Del Rio physically attacked someone in response to a racial slur. Said person was fired from WWE eventually. Plenty of African American stars of the past have talked about racism - Mark Henry included - but they didn't physically assault someone.
But more importantly, Michael Hayes isn't an icon. Most wouldn't even know who he is if he were walking down the street. He's not in front of a marketing machine selling merchandise like Hogan. He's not on national TV with sponsors selling products. There's a whole different ball game with Hogan doing it. You'd see the same exact outcome if Cena were to come out (outside of the WWE) ragging on Asians or something.
Shots of Michael Hayes' old gimmick where he'd paint the Confederate Flag on his face, or Roddy Piper painting blackface, or JBL doing the Hitler march in Germany...all stories designed to get a reaction. (Devil's Advocate: I do believe that Roddy Piper simply hates fans. I don't think he cares what their race is. But I digress.)
Racism will live on no matter what, because people are quick to excuse it, but they'll deny it when presented it.
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