weird part is its stamped San Jose......
Commentary: Why Arabs have been getting the 'smackdown' in professional wrestling
2005-08-29
By Cecilia F. Larios
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- A while back, I went to a live "Smackdown" wrestling event and was introduced to professional wrestling's latest villains: two headdress-wearing Arabs called Hassan and Daivari. As their introduction music blasted throughout the arena, all that was heard were jeers and boos.
All around me I overheard many people yelling, "F--- you, go back to your country," and "Go back to working at 7-11 and selling me Slurpees!" To my further disgust, I saw several people, including boys as young as 7 or 8, stick the middle finger at these wrestlers.
The day of the bombings in London, UPN aired a televised segment of "Smackdown" that included these same Arab characters, even dressing them in ski masks at one point. Hassan headed to the ring to take revenge on the Undertaker, beating him unconscious after the Undertaker defeated his counterpart, Daivari. After the fight the Arab characters were shown kneeling in prayer.
After audience members complained, Smackdown Executive Producer Kevin Dunn was quoted in an article in the online edition of the New York Post as saying, "We try and be sensitive with everything we portray, but there's got to be protagonists and antagonists on our TV shows."
"We just happen to reflect the politics of the world sometimes," he continued, "especially with these Arab-American characters."
Later on, World Wrestling Entertainment issued an apology for the timing of the episode, saying that they had no time to change anything before "Smackdown" was aired the day of the bombings.
But did WWE go too far because of the timing or because of the content, which capitalizes on the Anti-Arab sentiment rising in the United States? Depending on your politics, it could be one, both or neither. But WWE, regardless of what images are portrayed, depends on the sentiments of its viewers to create characters.
Now, we all know wrestling is not real, but how can so many people show so much hatred for these actors who are just that -- characters? Do people really see "them" as the bad guys? Many do, simply because it reaffirms what many people feel today, and are probably too afraid to say aloud in other, more politically correct environments. The bottom line is that this form of entertainment gives people a way to let out all their aggressions, in a place where people are probably not going to be judged because they are belligerent or fanatical.
WWE has always been used as a forum to endorse popular interests, particularly the "good ol' U.S. of A." The prime example is Hulk Hogan, the most famous pro wrestler of all time. Who can ever forget the thunderous roars of all the "Hulkamaniacs" cheering for their hero as he strutted down the aisle to his signature song: "I am a real American. Fight for the rights of every man. I am a real American. Fight for what's right -- fight for your life!"
Looking at old videos of the "Hulkster" waving his American flag, I see how even back then -- when I was just in middle school, during the era of the Cold War -- pro wrestling was giving voice to the emotions of the country. The Red Scare was personified by a Russian wrestler named "Nikolai Volkoff." The crowd cheered as some American good guy wrestler would triumph over the evil Russian. Although the matches would get close, ultimately it was necessary to have the American beat down the foreign enemy.
Sure, it is all entertainment, and you can't expect an organization like WWE always to take the straight, politically correct route. In the end, the impact this kind of entertainment has depends on how we, the public, take it. Do we really hate characters like Hassan and Daivari because they are "those damn foreigners," or do we just enjoy an entertainment that allows us to live, for a while, in a fantasy world where there are clear-cut heroes and bad guys?
Personally, I dislike many aspects of wrestling, yet there is something exciting about watching the drama unfold. The bottom line is that wrestling puts a premium on what sells, which means sticking to what people want to see -- the good guys (us) versus the bad guys (them). This impulse is the same one that drives a lot of Americans' political ideology. We have to demonize something or someone in order to know where we stand, and that's both inside and outside the ring. Copyright PNS
Editor's note: PNS contributor Cecilia Larios, 24, is a writer for Silicon Valley De-Bug (www.silconvalleydebug.org), a voice for young workers, writers and artists in Silicon Valley and a PNS project.
http://www.athensnews.com/issue/article.php3?story_id=21389
Commentary: Why Arabs have been getting the 'smackdown' in professional wrestling
2005-08-29
By Cecilia F. Larios
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- A while back, I went to a live "Smackdown" wrestling event and was introduced to professional wrestling's latest villains: two headdress-wearing Arabs called Hassan and Daivari. As their introduction music blasted throughout the arena, all that was heard were jeers and boos.
All around me I overheard many people yelling, "F--- you, go back to your country," and "Go back to working at 7-11 and selling me Slurpees!" To my further disgust, I saw several people, including boys as young as 7 or 8, stick the middle finger at these wrestlers.
The day of the bombings in London, UPN aired a televised segment of "Smackdown" that included these same Arab characters, even dressing them in ski masks at one point. Hassan headed to the ring to take revenge on the Undertaker, beating him unconscious after the Undertaker defeated his counterpart, Daivari. After the fight the Arab characters were shown kneeling in prayer.
After audience members complained, Smackdown Executive Producer Kevin Dunn was quoted in an article in the online edition of the New York Post as saying, "We try and be sensitive with everything we portray, but there's got to be protagonists and antagonists on our TV shows."
"We just happen to reflect the politics of the world sometimes," he continued, "especially with these Arab-American characters."
Later on, World Wrestling Entertainment issued an apology for the timing of the episode, saying that they had no time to change anything before "Smackdown" was aired the day of the bombings.
But did WWE go too far because of the timing or because of the content, which capitalizes on the Anti-Arab sentiment rising in the United States? Depending on your politics, it could be one, both or neither. But WWE, regardless of what images are portrayed, depends on the sentiments of its viewers to create characters.
Now, we all know wrestling is not real, but how can so many people show so much hatred for these actors who are just that -- characters? Do people really see "them" as the bad guys? Many do, simply because it reaffirms what many people feel today, and are probably too afraid to say aloud in other, more politically correct environments. The bottom line is that this form of entertainment gives people a way to let out all their aggressions, in a place where people are probably not going to be judged because they are belligerent or fanatical.
WWE has always been used as a forum to endorse popular interests, particularly the "good ol' U.S. of A." The prime example is Hulk Hogan, the most famous pro wrestler of all time. Who can ever forget the thunderous roars of all the "Hulkamaniacs" cheering for their hero as he strutted down the aisle to his signature song: "I am a real American. Fight for the rights of every man. I am a real American. Fight for what's right -- fight for your life!"
Looking at old videos of the "Hulkster" waving his American flag, I see how even back then -- when I was just in middle school, during the era of the Cold War -- pro wrestling was giving voice to the emotions of the country. The Red Scare was personified by a Russian wrestler named "Nikolai Volkoff." The crowd cheered as some American good guy wrestler would triumph over the evil Russian. Although the matches would get close, ultimately it was necessary to have the American beat down the foreign enemy.
Sure, it is all entertainment, and you can't expect an organization like WWE always to take the straight, politically correct route. In the end, the impact this kind of entertainment has depends on how we, the public, take it. Do we really hate characters like Hassan and Daivari because they are "those damn foreigners," or do we just enjoy an entertainment that allows us to live, for a while, in a fantasy world where there are clear-cut heroes and bad guys?
Personally, I dislike many aspects of wrestling, yet there is something exciting about watching the drama unfold. The bottom line is that wrestling puts a premium on what sells, which means sticking to what people want to see -- the good guys (us) versus the bad guys (them). This impulse is the same one that drives a lot of Americans' political ideology. We have to demonize something or someone in order to know where we stand, and that's both inside and outside the ring. Copyright PNS
Editor's note: PNS contributor Cecilia Larios, 24, is a writer for Silicon Valley De-Bug (www.silconvalleydebug.org), a voice for young workers, writers and artists in Silicon Valley and a PNS project.
http://www.athensnews.com/issue/article.php3?story_id=21389