I don't even remember falling in love with movies. The love affair was hot and intense, wild and passionate before I even knew it had began. When I say I've been in love with films my entire life, I am almost certain I literally mean my entire life. While I don't remember it, my mom tells me that even as an infant, I was very easy to entertain. She'd throw a Mickey Mouse cartoon into the VCR, and I was good to go for at least a half an hour.
As I grew, so did my interest and love for films. I'm sure there are a lot of reasons why people love films as much as they do, but for me it has always been story and performance. I must like a film's story in order to like the film. I don't care how good anything else is, if I don't like the story, I'm not going to like the film. Although not as crucial, the performance out of the actors is also important to whether I enjoy a film or I do not.
I went to college with these big aspirations of earning an undergraduate degree in theatre and then going to graduate school to learn to write screenplays. While attending college, I took a variety of film classes. I met other film enthusiast and had some of the most intriguing conservations and debates about what is good and what is not. As a story teller, wannabe writer, I earned the respect of my peers by producing work that they deemed good. As a film lover, I had proven my opinion as someone that, "Knew what they were talking about" on the subject. I could make cases for anything, drama, comedy, action, mystery you name it. It wasn't until I admitted a personal love for horror films, that people began to question my knowledge and expertise about films. It wasn't until I admitted that I had a desire to write and make horror films, that people began to question my ability and my talent. I have had to defend specific movies more than once in my life, but I've never had to defend my love for any other genre. Horror is the only genre in which I've had to consistently defend my passion.
I ask myself why is this? Why does the genre of horror have to prove it self again and again that it is capable of producing thought provoking, mesmerizing good art? Why do all other genres get a free pass? See a terrible drama, it is the exception. Most dramas happen to be good, but that was simply a rotten apple in the bunch. Horror is just the opposite. Make as many phenomenally good horror films as you can, and no matter how many you make they are the exception. Horror is senseless, mindless, madness! Why are there so many avid movie lovers,schooled in the art of film, who carry this view?
Horror believe it or not, is almost as old as film itself. La Caverne Maduite what many historians believe to be the first horror film, was made in 1898. 117 years ago. This is nearly a decade and a half before the Titanic sunk and long before the start of World War I. Horror films have been around for as long as any other type of film. Yet, no genre of film has experienced more change and transition than horror films. Matter of fact, try and define what a horror film is. An intuitive definition would be, "A film whose purpose is to frighten its audience." Yet, there is so much more to a horror film than that and horror films of yesteryear are very different than horror films of today. The very thing that makes me love horror films as much as I do, is the very thing that makes others loathe them as much as they do. The beauty of horror is that it can be adventurous and full of action, it can be serious and mysterious full of suspense and it can also be comedic and full of laughter. The ugly of horror, is that it can also be stupid and gory. It can be as some like to view it, senseless, mindless, madness.
In order to discover why people like myself love horror and why others hate it, I believe we need to look at the last 117 years of horror and examine all of the ways it has changed throughout the decades.
The 1900's through the 1920's was the era of bringing the monster from the pages of the novel and onto the screen. It is immensely fun and interesting to see all of the many ways in which film makers thought of Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dracula and other characters that for years people could only picture in their own minds. Today these characters are very recognizable by nearly everyone around the world. We can see them, and we identify them easily. What we forget sometimes is that what we identify as Frankenstein, or Wolfman or Dracula may not be what the novelist who created the character necessarily had in mind. What we see and identify as the monster, is the vision of the monster that the film maker created.
We think of remakes as if they are a fairly new device. We hear the word, "reimagining" as if it is something commonly unique to our era. It isn't. Matter of fact, remakes and film makers reimaging original ideas, is as old as horror films itself. We may think of Bela Lugosi as the "original" Dracula but there were many before him. There were many Frankenstein's before Boris Korloff. You can make the argument that Lugosi and Korloff were the best, but they were far from the first.
What makes the horror films of the 1930's and 1940's stick out over those that came 10-25 years before them? Why is Dracula (1931) or Frankenstein (1931) what most people think of as the first, when they were not? I think it's because they were the first (or one of the first) "talkie" versions of the story, where all other films depicting the story were made during the silent era.
The 1950's from what I gather were an experimental time for horror films. There were certainly some gems during this time, including House of Wax (1953) and The Creature From the Black Lagoon (1954.) Yet, the 50's also produced some crazy, not so great films like Tarantula (1955) and other killer insect films with horrible effects and laughable blue screen shots. The 50's also introduced us to the wild and whacked mind of Ed Wood and his films that can be easily summed up as, "awful." Today, we'd categorize these types of films as, "So bad, they're good" but movie goers didn't know to do that 60-65 years ago. All they knew is that they were bad films, and they didn't know well enough to laugh them off as such.
The 50's also believe it or not, was well aware of itself. Sure, some displayed their garbage on a pedestal thinking that the smelly rubbish was something good, but others were aware of the fact that no matter how many air fresheners you stick in the basket, it's still garbage underneath. While they're not well known or remembered, the 50's had its fair share of parody films. Tongue in cheek films that purposefully poked fun at moments like seeing the zipper in the back of the costume or the string on the obviously fake airplane, next to the obviously fake mountain. These parody films didn't take off though, because it was too difficult for fans to see the difference between what was trying to be actual horror and what was purposefully being a spoof. I suppose it is similar to how it's often difficult to tell the difference between what it posted in The Onion and what we see on what it supposed to be the actual news.
The 1960's came back with a vengeance, redefining itself and more importantly establishing itself as the pioneering time of modern horror. The mesmerizing, psychological, captivating films I think of, when I reminisce about the horror films I love, originated in the 1960's. One of the people we can thank for this is the late mastermind Alfred Hitchcock who created such masterpieces as Psycho (1960) and The Birds (1963) which were so much more about the story and the development of the characters than they were about the scary moments they went through. The 60's also explored with our fascination and fears of religion with such films as Rosemary's Baby (1968).
The late 1960's, 67',68', 69' was more of a beginning of the 1970's genre of horror than it was the end of the 1960's. The 70's much like the 50's was an experimental time, but in many regards more successful. The envelope was pushed many times throughout the late 60's, through the 1970's. Things that were never seen on film before were seen. Things that were never done on film before, were done. Take Night of the Living Dead (1968) for example. It was the first time a fully nude woman was seen on screen in a non-pornographic film.
It is also important to note that during the 1970's, people were no longer afraid of the imaginative monsters they knew weren't real. Film makers instead had to scare them with the ideas of, "this really happened" or at least, "this could really happen." Writers and directors knew that as seriously as people took their religion, movies such as Alice, Sweet Alice (1971), The Exorcist (1973) and The Omen (1976) would scare the shit out of them. Throw "based on a true story" on The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1973) and suddenly people are avoiding shortcuts down old country roads. Know anyone who won't swim in the ocean? Jaws (1975) or Orca (1977) have anything to do with that?
The 1980's, which also began more so in the late 1970's, began a shift back to the monster themed horror films, but these monsters were different than the monsters of 35-50 years prior. These monsters didn't exist in novels already written. They were created on the pages of a screenplay and first brought to life on the screen. Michael Myers from Halloween (1978), Jason Vorhees from Friday the 13th (1980), Freddy Kruger from A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), Chucky from Child's Play (1988), Pinhead from Hellraiser (1987) and so many more of our beloved horror icons, we must thank the 1980's for. If being honest and examining the evidence thoroughly we must also examine why these films were as good as they were. Was it simply because they had such well developed, interesting antagonist? Or was it also because these antagonist had equally as interesting protagonist who were just as developed, with a stimulating and provocative story? If you want to know why the original of these films and some of its sequels were so good, while others got progressively worse or even downright sucked, there you have your answer.
For a long time, the 1990's of horror, I don't think ever knew what it was trying to be. It certainly didn't establish itself on its own terms and instead seemed to want to be a bit of everything from the beginning of horror all the way up into the 1980's. This was demonstrated with sequel after sequel rehashed again and again throughout the entire era. Part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, you name it, the original was made in the 1980's and the sequel(s) came out in the 1990's.
The 90's also mimicked the 1950's with a fair share of ridiculousness with The Ice Cream Man (1995), Mosquito (1995) and The Dentist (1995) which are all enjoyable films, but none of which take themselves seriously. I can't say that the 90's didn't at least try to take itself seriously by creating it's own monsters such as, The Candyman (1992) The Puppetmaster (1993) and Leprechaun (1993) but at least in my opinion these monsters were not near as iconic or memorable as the ones created in the 1980's.
In 1996, after six years of simply doing what had already been done 100's of times before, the 90's finally sat itself apart in two distinctly unique ways. The first was so innovative and creative, that I don't think film makers knew the magic that they created. Either they held pure gold in their hands and didn't realize it or they knew what they had created and they simply didn't know how to create it again. The Frighteners (1996) was the first and to my knowledge still is the only film that is nearly impossible to categorize easily under horror or under action. It has everything that a horror film could ask for. It's suspenseful, it's frightening and it deals with a frightening monster. Yet it also has everything that an action film could want too. Horror? Action? Horror-action? Action-horror? I think something was stumbled on that could have lead to whole new genre of beloved films. Unfortunately though, no one else must have seen the potential besides me. It's been nearly 20 years, and to this day it remains an idea that has sat dormant, waiting for someone to come along and capitalize upon it.
The other ingenious idea that sparked in the 90's was the idea of a non-comical parody, which came in the form of Wes Craven's Scream (1996). Before we had horror films and we had parodies of those horror films but we had never seen the two come together to create something new and that is what Scream gave us. It was an idea that I would like to think had been thought of before, but so indifferent to what people were used to, that it was probably shut down because people didn't have the imagination to envision it. While its three sequels built upon the idea, like The Frighteners it seems to be very unique unto itself.
As the 90's began to come to an end with Deep Blue Sea (1999) and Lake Placid (1999), the 2000's began with the era of "This is real footage" horror of The Blair Witch Project (1999) which is in one way where we are today with horror. For some this type of horror is fun and for others it is totally lame. I personally fall into the latter category. Matter of fact, the whole supernatural craze with the umpteen Paranormal Activity(2009) sequel, The Gallows (2015) and Unfriended (2015) is making me sick. I have to admit I sort of liked, It Follows (2015) but even that turned me off with its supernatural, paranormal undertone. I'm sick of the paranormal, supernatural horror film. I want something else.
Many people say they're also sick of all of the remakes, reimaginings and sequels and I can understand their frustration. I enjoy the good ones, but enough is enough already. When are we going to see something original? When are we going to replace Halloween Part 87 with a new horror film, that takes place in a new location, with a new killer and new protagonist that try and stop him/her? Why is everything these days, not only horror, but literally everything a sequel, remake or reimagining?
You want to know what I think it is? I think it is another consequence of being overexposed do to the internet and social media. People see an original idea come out and say, "That's a rip off of (insert movie the already know here)" You want to know something? Many of the films people loved in the 1970's, 1980's and 1990's were "rip offs" of films that had come 10, 20, 30 years prior? Only, you didn't know that because you didn't have the handy, dandy internet to look it up. 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 years ago and even longer ago, people simply watched these movies. They didn't fixate themselves on the idea of everything having to be original. They did obsess themselves with worry of whether someone else had done something similar in the past or not. Our demand of originality is the very thing that is killing it. A young film maker makes a horror film about a killer that stalks his brother out of revenge, we refuse to see it because it is "too much like Halloween and not original enough" but we'll make some young buck millions upon millions of dollars for reimagining/remaking the original Halloween or making the 10,000th sequel. People need to realize that no idea is truly original. Not in this business anyway. You can put your own spin on things, change the name, change the location and change the story overall, but the original concept was already thought. Someone already had that idea. Why we are so afraid of that and so eager to dismiss it in hope that someone will come along with something that seems totally brand new to us? I'd hope by now people are so sick of twist endings that are about as shocking as not being able to fit into the same pants you wore in junior high. The sooner we accept the fact that it has all been done before, we just simply have to figure out new ways to do it, the sooner Hollywood, especially horror films will be great once again.
Horror more so than any other genre has seen its good days, its bad days and everything else in between. You want to name a list of horror films as long as my chin, that absolutely suck? I'm sure you can. I can name plenty of them myself. However, there are plenty of horror films out there that do not suck. They do not suck at all. Matter of fact, I'd put some of them up against what you feel is a great drama. I'd put some of them up against what you feel is a great action film. I'm a fan of horror, because in many respects horror is a fantastic genre of film. Films full of drama, action, adventure, mystery, suspense and mesmerizing, thought provoking characters and story. I'm not ashamed to be a fan of horror, not ashamed at all. Matter of fact, I'm just as proud of my passion and love for horror as I am of any film genre.
Monday, August 31, 2015
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
If I Got To Plan and Orchestrate My Life the Exact Way that I Would Want It to Go.
I'd have been born in the spring of 1958, in Sigourney, Iowa. I would have entered my freshman year of high school in the fall of 1972 and went out for the wrestling team and theatre, where I would have excelled in both. I would have gotten the supporting character role in a multitude of plays and a few leading roles here and there as well. On the wrestling team I'd have qualified for the 1974, 1975 and 1976 Iowa High School State wrestling tournament placing 5th in 1975 as a junior and 3rd in 1976 as a senior. Upon deciding where to attend college I'd have taken the advice from a beloved English teacher to put aside all of my fears and follow my dreams to attend UCLA to wrestle and earn a degree in Film and Television. As a walk on the Bruin wrestling team, I'd make the team in 1979 as a junior, barely missing qualifying for the NCAA tournament by one match at the PAC-10 tournament. Entering my senior year, I'd be informed that this would be the last year for the wrestling program at UCLA. Bound and determined to represent my school well, I'd do better on the mat than I ever anticipated. In my Film and Television classes, I'd utilize my knowledge to spread awareness around Los Angeles about UCLA's wrestling program and why it is important to save the sport. I'd go into the PAC-10 tournament unseeded and upset my way to qualification. Then as the NCAA tournament, I'd again upset my way to an All American finish, finishing in 8th place for the Bruins. I'd graduate with a degree in 1980, feeling that I did all I could to help save the wrestling program.
Looking for work around Los Angeles, I'd meet and befriend a group of bodybuilders, learning a multitude about bodybuilding while getting a job at their gym and working odd jobs around Los Angeles, while being given a small but comfortable room at the gym to stay in. I'd be busy trying to get work as a writer and as an actor, while going back to UCLA to attend theatre events and roam the grounds that used to be the wrestling room. I'd also drive across town to attend wrestling dual meets at East Los Angeles Community College. While searching for love, I never quite find it because while I'm popular with the ladies, not wanting to get married or have children is often a deal breaker.
One day I try out for a role on "The Incredible Hulk" television series and find myself getting a rather large part. It's my first break as an actor. I form an immediate bond with Bill Bixby, Lou Ferrigno and Jack Colvin. They all think I'm a terrific guy and really enjoy working with me a lot. While my character was supposed to only be in two episodes, everyone enjoys me so much that they want to make me a reoccurring role. Suddenly, I'm a Hollywood actor. One day while discussing the show, I take a script I've written for an episode and show Bill. Bill thinks it is a magnificent idea for an episode and runs it past the producers. They say that they love it too and that it will be made into an episode.
During the filming of the episode in front of a live studio audience, I perform some of my own stunts that catches the eye of a professional wrestling promoter. After the filming is complete he comes up to me and ask me if I've ever thought of a career in professional wrestling. I tell him that I was an amateur wrestler, an All American for UCLA and that I grew up watching Bruno Sammartino on television and have always been a fan. He tells me that I have the look for it and more importantly the personality for it and he'd like me to train with him. I tell him that my commitment first and foremost is to "The Incredible Hulk" and other acting/writing opportunities in Hollywood, and as long as he understands that I'd like to train with him.
In his territory that runs all throughout California, into Nevada and Utah, I become a masked professional wrestler, popular amongst fans who comes in and out of the territory depending on when I have work on "The Incredible Hulk." About two years into the gig, I learn that "The Incredible Hulk" is going to be canceled and I take on more of a full time gig working for the promoter, making more money and eventually buying out the gym I had worked at, having the two guys that did own it operate it while I continued my pro wrestling career.
A few months later Bill Bixby phones me and tells me he has this idea for a major motion picture that he wants to direct. He wants Lou to star in it and he wants me to write it. I sit down with Bill and Lou as we bounce ideas off one another and agree to write the script. We get funding and begin shooting and the film ends up being a major box office hit. I'm now financially set for life, as I make improvements to the gym I own in town and pour a significant amount of money into the wrestling territory I work for to make it five times as big and powerful as it once was.
I then go to UCLA and speak with the president and the athletic director. I give them a proposal to reinstate the wrestling program and they agree to my idea. As it becomes news around Los Angeles and around the country that Hollywood actor/pro wrestler helps to reinstate wrestling program at UCLA, other coaches and wrestlers from around the country start to mail and call me asking for help to reinstate and/or save their wrestling programs. As I'm getting work as an actor and as a writer in Hollywood, I decide put my professional wrestling career on hold while I work on helping to popularize collegiate wrestling and help save programs and get programs started. I become the savior of collegiate wrestling.
After years in Hollywood as an actor and as a writer, I get the unfortunate news that my good friend Bill Bixby is dying. I stay by his side while he passes away, realizing that I owe so much to him for the way my life turned out. Had it not been for that chance encounter landing that role on "The Incredible Hulk" all those years ago and meeting him, my life could have turned out a lot different.
I decided to write a book on my life that I entitle, "The Incredible Bill Bixby: The man who opened up the door of opportunity for me" that speaks about how Bill helped me to succeed in life. My Hollywood agent introduces me to a writing agent who like me has no desire for kids and feels that marriage isn't necessary to love some one. My book is published, it is a huge success on the New York Time's best seller list and I fall desperately in love with my agent.
I continue to act and write in Hollywood, as I come up with an idea for a television show that I pitch to a group of executives that love the idea. The show is entitled, "Mr. Green" a show about a group of kids who have an eccentric and weird neighbor who is consistently doing strange things. The show is an instant hit on primetime, as I write a significant number of the episodes.
After a 10 year run, the show is canceled and I have desire to get out of Hollywood and spend the rest of my life back in my hometown of Sigourney, Iowa traveling about the country with my woman attending amateur wrestling events, pro wrestling events and theatre productions while speaking to students at various colleges, universities and schools.
After having a very happy, satisfying life, one night in 2033, at the age of 75, I lay down to go to sleep and I never wake up again. My will states that part of my money will go towards taking care of my significant other and family members specified in my will and the other part of my money will go towards helping wrestling teams to be saved and started throughout the country.
Ah! What was I thinking! I forgot one of the most important things. I would also spend a significant amount of time at animal shelters, playing with dogs and cats and providing medicine, medical care and food to them. Part of my will would be dedicated to these places to take care of cats and dogs.
Looking for work around Los Angeles, I'd meet and befriend a group of bodybuilders, learning a multitude about bodybuilding while getting a job at their gym and working odd jobs around Los Angeles, while being given a small but comfortable room at the gym to stay in. I'd be busy trying to get work as a writer and as an actor, while going back to UCLA to attend theatre events and roam the grounds that used to be the wrestling room. I'd also drive across town to attend wrestling dual meets at East Los Angeles Community College. While searching for love, I never quite find it because while I'm popular with the ladies, not wanting to get married or have children is often a deal breaker.
One day I try out for a role on "The Incredible Hulk" television series and find myself getting a rather large part. It's my first break as an actor. I form an immediate bond with Bill Bixby, Lou Ferrigno and Jack Colvin. They all think I'm a terrific guy and really enjoy working with me a lot. While my character was supposed to only be in two episodes, everyone enjoys me so much that they want to make me a reoccurring role. Suddenly, I'm a Hollywood actor. One day while discussing the show, I take a script I've written for an episode and show Bill. Bill thinks it is a magnificent idea for an episode and runs it past the producers. They say that they love it too and that it will be made into an episode.
During the filming of the episode in front of a live studio audience, I perform some of my own stunts that catches the eye of a professional wrestling promoter. After the filming is complete he comes up to me and ask me if I've ever thought of a career in professional wrestling. I tell him that I was an amateur wrestler, an All American for UCLA and that I grew up watching Bruno Sammartino on television and have always been a fan. He tells me that I have the look for it and more importantly the personality for it and he'd like me to train with him. I tell him that my commitment first and foremost is to "The Incredible Hulk" and other acting/writing opportunities in Hollywood, and as long as he understands that I'd like to train with him.
In his territory that runs all throughout California, into Nevada and Utah, I become a masked professional wrestler, popular amongst fans who comes in and out of the territory depending on when I have work on "The Incredible Hulk." About two years into the gig, I learn that "The Incredible Hulk" is going to be canceled and I take on more of a full time gig working for the promoter, making more money and eventually buying out the gym I had worked at, having the two guys that did own it operate it while I continued my pro wrestling career.
A few months later Bill Bixby phones me and tells me he has this idea for a major motion picture that he wants to direct. He wants Lou to star in it and he wants me to write it. I sit down with Bill and Lou as we bounce ideas off one another and agree to write the script. We get funding and begin shooting and the film ends up being a major box office hit. I'm now financially set for life, as I make improvements to the gym I own in town and pour a significant amount of money into the wrestling territory I work for to make it five times as big and powerful as it once was.
I then go to UCLA and speak with the president and the athletic director. I give them a proposal to reinstate the wrestling program and they agree to my idea. As it becomes news around Los Angeles and around the country that Hollywood actor/pro wrestler helps to reinstate wrestling program at UCLA, other coaches and wrestlers from around the country start to mail and call me asking for help to reinstate and/or save their wrestling programs. As I'm getting work as an actor and as a writer in Hollywood, I decide put my professional wrestling career on hold while I work on helping to popularize collegiate wrestling and help save programs and get programs started. I become the savior of collegiate wrestling.
After years in Hollywood as an actor and as a writer, I get the unfortunate news that my good friend Bill Bixby is dying. I stay by his side while he passes away, realizing that I owe so much to him for the way my life turned out. Had it not been for that chance encounter landing that role on "The Incredible Hulk" all those years ago and meeting him, my life could have turned out a lot different.
I decided to write a book on my life that I entitle, "The Incredible Bill Bixby: The man who opened up the door of opportunity for me" that speaks about how Bill helped me to succeed in life. My Hollywood agent introduces me to a writing agent who like me has no desire for kids and feels that marriage isn't necessary to love some one. My book is published, it is a huge success on the New York Time's best seller list and I fall desperately in love with my agent.
I continue to act and write in Hollywood, as I come up with an idea for a television show that I pitch to a group of executives that love the idea. The show is entitled, "Mr. Green" a show about a group of kids who have an eccentric and weird neighbor who is consistently doing strange things. The show is an instant hit on primetime, as I write a significant number of the episodes.
After a 10 year run, the show is canceled and I have desire to get out of Hollywood and spend the rest of my life back in my hometown of Sigourney, Iowa traveling about the country with my woman attending amateur wrestling events, pro wrestling events and theatre productions while speaking to students at various colleges, universities and schools.
After having a very happy, satisfying life, one night in 2033, at the age of 75, I lay down to go to sleep and I never wake up again. My will states that part of my money will go towards taking care of my significant other and family members specified in my will and the other part of my money will go towards helping wrestling teams to be saved and started throughout the country.
Ah! What was I thinking! I forgot one of the most important things. I would also spend a significant amount of time at animal shelters, playing with dogs and cats and providing medicine, medical care and food to them. Part of my will would be dedicated to these places to take care of cats and dogs.
Thursday, June 25, 2015
Weighing in on the issue of the Confederate Flag
Every
meme I have looked at in the past two weeks has been about the confederate
flag. I’ve heard so many arguments on both
sides of the issue that my mind feels convoluted and overwhelmed. Some of the arguments I’ve heard have been
well thought out, articulated and intellectual. They’re strong arguments because they make
good, solid points. Other arguments I’ve
heard have been utterly ridiculous and weak.
They make no sense and it’s alarming that someone is using them,
thinking that they have a solid point.
I’ve been trying to figure out how I feel on the issue and while I do have some thoughts, I am mostly left with a lot of questions. I do not think that this issue is as black and white as many people are making it out to be. I think this issue is very gray, much grayer than many would like to imagine. Then again, I think racism in general is much grayer than many would like to imagine.
The meme that I saw earlier today that really got me thinking was a meme that I felt fell into the weak category field of arguments. It was a meme that suggested that a bakery who would be forced to bake a cake for a homosexual wedding should also in turn be forced to bake a cake of a confederate flag. I put that idea into serious question and thought out some plausible scenarios.
Customer: I would like a cake for my son and his husband’s wedding please
Bakery owner: I’m sorry, I cannot do that for I believe homosexuality is wrong based on my belief system.
I would only hope that if a bakery owner based his/her reaction to a customer wanting a cake for a homosexual wedding on his/her beliefs as a Christian that a similar reaction would be in place for the person wanting the confederate flag cake.
Customer: I would like a cake for my black neighbor that recently moved into what used to be a perfectly fine all white neighborhood, to give him the incentive that we don’t appreciate his kind round here.
Bakery Owner: I’m sorry, I cannot do that for that goes against what I believe as a Christian.
Yet, as I picture this scenario in my mind, I realize that while there is truth to what I imagine, it is not 100% truth. There are people in the world that would want a confederate flag cake for that very reason, but not everyone who would want a confederate flag cake would want it for that reason.
Customer: I would like a confederate flag cake please. I’m not racist by the way. I just want the confederate flag to celebrate with all of my friends, who happen to be all white and for the record Non-Jewish.
At one time I would have considered such a statement to have been an outright lie of an individual who was clearly a racist but did not want to be labeled as one. I would have thought this because again there are a lot of examples of people in the world who are just like that. Yet, not everyone is.
The more I thought about it, the more I realized that there truly are people out there in the world, who are not racist and who are not white supremacist who keep and bear the Confederate flag. They truly display the confederate flag for its historical reference and heritage. Some may even display it simply because they like the look of it. Those types of people do exist and when weighing my thoughts on the issue, I must consider them.
In some ways it all reminds me of the issue with Pit bulls. There are many people that are against the ownership of Pit bulls and believe that no person should be allowed to own the animal. They vote for Pit Bull bans in communities. I have to ask myself, why do these people feel this way? Well the answer is unfortunately very simple. It’s because while there are people out there in this world that raise Pit bulls to be kind, loving, loyal dogs, there are unfortunately still many people out there in the world that raise them to be vicious, incredibly mean, killing machines. The Pit Bulls greatest enemy is not the mom with three little kids that thinks of the dog as a killer and votes for a ban, it is the wanna be bad boy/bad girl who buys a Pit Bull puppy and trains it to be a merciless killer.
That is where the history/heritage waivers of the Confederate flag have failed. If you are someone who is not a white supremacist or a racist that waves the confederate flag in honor of its historical and heritage reference, may I point out the obvious: You are in the minority of those who wave the flag. The Dylann Roof’s of the world who wave the flag as a symbolism of white supremacy and hatred for minorities, outnumber you. They outnumber you by a lot. Your frustration and anger with this issue shouldn’t be with the liberals and the blacks who look at the Confederate flag as a symbolism of hatred and evil, your frustration and anger should be with the white supremacist and racist who perverted the flag by proudly waiving it as a symbolism of white supremacy and hatred.
More questions remain. How do I feel about the Confederate flag being removed from government ran institutions. I feel good about that and agree with it. I agree with it because of what that flag has came to represent whether that is the true intention of the flag or not. To me and others taking down the flag is a representation for a movement of equality. It is a step in the right direction for the, “With Liberty and Justice For All” statement in the Pledge of Allegiance to finally feel like a true statement.
Yet, how do I feel about telling American citizens that they can’t waive the flag on their own property? Not as good, matter of fact not good at all. Is it because I believe strongly in the first amendment? Yes, in partial it is. Is it because I know that not all Confederate flag bearers are white supremacist and/or racist? Yes, that is also part of the reason. Yet the real reason is because I have to ask myself, what really does this accomplish? Does it truly help to eliminate racism? Does it suddenly make the man who hates all minorities and feels that America is HIS country because he’s white; have a sudden change of heart? I don’t think so. I personally feel that all it really does is create even more of a problem by not eliminating racism, but instead simply changes direct racism into indirect racism. From what I’ve seen and studied, indirect racism in many ways is a much more dangerous and complicated issue than direct racism.
Some people then ask me, if by continuing to allow someone to waive the Confederate flag, for whatever reasons, am I not therefore supporting or in the least at least tolerating racism? I can see that argument and think it’s a good, fair question. It’s one that I have thought about, slept on and still find myself wrestling with today. I don’t have the answer. I wish it were as simple as, “Ok, stop the stupid hatred for stupid reasons. We all bleed red people, let’s love one another” but it’s not.
Why do racist exist? I don’t know if we as a society ask this question enough. I think instead we ask ourselves, “Do racist people exist?” but we don’t examine the why enough. I think instead we dismiss the question with, “because they’re stupid” or something of the sort. Racism isn’t nearly as black and white as we seem to treat it.
A young man raised in a mostly white community grows up and is amongst whites nearly all of his young life. Then one day his father takes him to the store and he has an unfortunate incident with a person of color, who is very rude and mean to him. After the incident, the boy ask his father why was the man rude and mean to him and his father replies, “That’s just the way those people are.”
The man grows up to think that all people of color are like that mean, rude man in the store that day and holds that prejudice against all people of color he meets in person and views on television and radio. He gets a job at a place and has to work with a few people of color. He doesn’t like most of them, but as he begins to work with Jimmy, he finds out that Jimmy isn’t like the rest of them. Jimmy’s a good guy, smart, funny and friendly. He likes Jimmy.
Yet when he’s around his other racist buddies, who see a group of black people and make unfair racist statements about them, saying, “yeah, they’re all like that!” his response is, “Well, yeah, but not Jimmy. Jimmy isn’t like that. He’s a good one.”
The hope would be that the man’s experience with Jimmy would lead him to realize that all people of color are just like the white people he knows in his life. Some people of color are going to be like the mean, rude man in the store that day. Some people of color are going to be like Jimmy. Just like the white people the man knows in his life, some are really cool, nice, friendly people and others are complete jerks.
Yet that’s not how the man looks at it. The man looks at it as if almost all people of color are like the man in the store that day and that Jimmy just happens to be the one rare exception. I have to ask myself, where are we as a society failing this man? Where are we as a society failing to make this man make the realization that how people act and treat others is based on their content of character and not on the color of their skin? That is a question I think needs to be addressed. A question that needs to be addressed much more than the question of the Confederate flag. The Confederate Flag is a result of this issue and not a causation of it.
Questions need to keep being asked and issues need to continue being discussed. Feel free to agree with me or disagree with me but please do me a favor. If you disagree with anything that I’ve said, let’s discuss it. Tell me why you feel how you do and why. It does no good for you to just be angry with me for having an opposing opinion to yours. It does no good for you to just have your opinion and close mine off either. We can only grow by learning about one another and listening to each other. There are answers out there to these problems, and while disagreements will always exist, I do believe that we can come closer to moderation. Then again, maybe I’m wrong about that too.
I’ve been trying to figure out how I feel on the issue and while I do have some thoughts, I am mostly left with a lot of questions. I do not think that this issue is as black and white as many people are making it out to be. I think this issue is very gray, much grayer than many would like to imagine. Then again, I think racism in general is much grayer than many would like to imagine.
The meme that I saw earlier today that really got me thinking was a meme that I felt fell into the weak category field of arguments. It was a meme that suggested that a bakery who would be forced to bake a cake for a homosexual wedding should also in turn be forced to bake a cake of a confederate flag. I put that idea into serious question and thought out some plausible scenarios.
Customer: I would like a cake for my son and his husband’s wedding please
Bakery owner: I’m sorry, I cannot do that for I believe homosexuality is wrong based on my belief system.
I would only hope that if a bakery owner based his/her reaction to a customer wanting a cake for a homosexual wedding on his/her beliefs as a Christian that a similar reaction would be in place for the person wanting the confederate flag cake.
Customer: I would like a cake for my black neighbor that recently moved into what used to be a perfectly fine all white neighborhood, to give him the incentive that we don’t appreciate his kind round here.
Bakery Owner: I’m sorry, I cannot do that for that goes against what I believe as a Christian.
Yet, as I picture this scenario in my mind, I realize that while there is truth to what I imagine, it is not 100% truth. There are people in the world that would want a confederate flag cake for that very reason, but not everyone who would want a confederate flag cake would want it for that reason.
Customer: I would like a confederate flag cake please. I’m not racist by the way. I just want the confederate flag to celebrate with all of my friends, who happen to be all white and for the record Non-Jewish.
At one time I would have considered such a statement to have been an outright lie of an individual who was clearly a racist but did not want to be labeled as one. I would have thought this because again there are a lot of examples of people in the world who are just like that. Yet, not everyone is.
The more I thought about it, the more I realized that there truly are people out there in the world, who are not racist and who are not white supremacist who keep and bear the Confederate flag. They truly display the confederate flag for its historical reference and heritage. Some may even display it simply because they like the look of it. Those types of people do exist and when weighing my thoughts on the issue, I must consider them.
In some ways it all reminds me of the issue with Pit bulls. There are many people that are against the ownership of Pit bulls and believe that no person should be allowed to own the animal. They vote for Pit Bull bans in communities. I have to ask myself, why do these people feel this way? Well the answer is unfortunately very simple. It’s because while there are people out there in this world that raise Pit bulls to be kind, loving, loyal dogs, there are unfortunately still many people out there in the world that raise them to be vicious, incredibly mean, killing machines. The Pit Bulls greatest enemy is not the mom with three little kids that thinks of the dog as a killer and votes for a ban, it is the wanna be bad boy/bad girl who buys a Pit Bull puppy and trains it to be a merciless killer.
That is where the history/heritage waivers of the Confederate flag have failed. If you are someone who is not a white supremacist or a racist that waves the confederate flag in honor of its historical and heritage reference, may I point out the obvious: You are in the minority of those who wave the flag. The Dylann Roof’s of the world who wave the flag as a symbolism of white supremacy and hatred for minorities, outnumber you. They outnumber you by a lot. Your frustration and anger with this issue shouldn’t be with the liberals and the blacks who look at the Confederate flag as a symbolism of hatred and evil, your frustration and anger should be with the white supremacist and racist who perverted the flag by proudly waiving it as a symbolism of white supremacy and hatred.
More questions remain. How do I feel about the Confederate flag being removed from government ran institutions. I feel good about that and agree with it. I agree with it because of what that flag has came to represent whether that is the true intention of the flag or not. To me and others taking down the flag is a representation for a movement of equality. It is a step in the right direction for the, “With Liberty and Justice For All” statement in the Pledge of Allegiance to finally feel like a true statement.
Yet, how do I feel about telling American citizens that they can’t waive the flag on their own property? Not as good, matter of fact not good at all. Is it because I believe strongly in the first amendment? Yes, in partial it is. Is it because I know that not all Confederate flag bearers are white supremacist and/or racist? Yes, that is also part of the reason. Yet the real reason is because I have to ask myself, what really does this accomplish? Does it truly help to eliminate racism? Does it suddenly make the man who hates all minorities and feels that America is HIS country because he’s white; have a sudden change of heart? I don’t think so. I personally feel that all it really does is create even more of a problem by not eliminating racism, but instead simply changes direct racism into indirect racism. From what I’ve seen and studied, indirect racism in many ways is a much more dangerous and complicated issue than direct racism.
Some people then ask me, if by continuing to allow someone to waive the Confederate flag, for whatever reasons, am I not therefore supporting or in the least at least tolerating racism? I can see that argument and think it’s a good, fair question. It’s one that I have thought about, slept on and still find myself wrestling with today. I don’t have the answer. I wish it were as simple as, “Ok, stop the stupid hatred for stupid reasons. We all bleed red people, let’s love one another” but it’s not.
Why do racist exist? I don’t know if we as a society ask this question enough. I think instead we ask ourselves, “Do racist people exist?” but we don’t examine the why enough. I think instead we dismiss the question with, “because they’re stupid” or something of the sort. Racism isn’t nearly as black and white as we seem to treat it.
A young man raised in a mostly white community grows up and is amongst whites nearly all of his young life. Then one day his father takes him to the store and he has an unfortunate incident with a person of color, who is very rude and mean to him. After the incident, the boy ask his father why was the man rude and mean to him and his father replies, “That’s just the way those people are.”
The man grows up to think that all people of color are like that mean, rude man in the store that day and holds that prejudice against all people of color he meets in person and views on television and radio. He gets a job at a place and has to work with a few people of color. He doesn’t like most of them, but as he begins to work with Jimmy, he finds out that Jimmy isn’t like the rest of them. Jimmy’s a good guy, smart, funny and friendly. He likes Jimmy.
Yet when he’s around his other racist buddies, who see a group of black people and make unfair racist statements about them, saying, “yeah, they’re all like that!” his response is, “Well, yeah, but not Jimmy. Jimmy isn’t like that. He’s a good one.”
The hope would be that the man’s experience with Jimmy would lead him to realize that all people of color are just like the white people he knows in his life. Some people of color are going to be like the mean, rude man in the store that day. Some people of color are going to be like Jimmy. Just like the white people the man knows in his life, some are really cool, nice, friendly people and others are complete jerks.
Yet that’s not how the man looks at it. The man looks at it as if almost all people of color are like the man in the store that day and that Jimmy just happens to be the one rare exception. I have to ask myself, where are we as a society failing this man? Where are we as a society failing to make this man make the realization that how people act and treat others is based on their content of character and not on the color of their skin? That is a question I think needs to be addressed. A question that needs to be addressed much more than the question of the Confederate flag. The Confederate Flag is a result of this issue and not a causation of it.
Questions need to keep being asked and issues need to continue being discussed. Feel free to agree with me or disagree with me but please do me a favor. If you disagree with anything that I’ve said, let’s discuss it. Tell me why you feel how you do and why. It does no good for you to just be angry with me for having an opposing opinion to yours. It does no good for you to just have your opinion and close mine off either. We can only grow by learning about one another and listening to each other. There are answers out there to these problems, and while disagreements will always exist, I do believe that we can come closer to moderation. Then again, maybe I’m wrong about that too.
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
4/5 Reasons I'm sick of amateur wrestlers praising MMA/UFC and bashing professional wrestling.
“You’re a disgrace to real
wrestling.”
“You have no business calling yourself an amateur wrestling fan, being involved in that crap.”
“Traitor!”
I used to let comments and accusations like these go in one ear and out the other. The way I saw it (and still see it) I love both amateur wrestling and professional wrestling and I’ve done more than enough to prove my passion and love for amateur wrestling over the years. I don’t need to justify my love and involvement in professional wrestling. Yet, when I started hearing praise for MMA and UFC fighters out of the same mouths that bashed professional wrestling and me for being in it, I couldn’t ignore it anymore. If people felt the need to make the statement, then I guess I feel the need to question them and why they say what they say. Thus far I’ve been given five reasons why MMA/UFC is a respectable profession and why professional wrestling is not. Let’s see how much truth there is to these statements.
MMA/UFC takes talent and Professional Wrestling does not
No doubt about it, MMA/UFC takes a tremendous amount of talent. Many of the competitors know a variety of different skills and techniques, from a variety of different disciplines including wrestling, boxing, kick boxing, karate, jiu-jitsu, taekwondo, Kung Fu, and a multitude of others. Training and mastering these techniques takes an ample amount of talent and not just anyone can do it. If you are going to be a top MMA or UFC superstar, you need to be far above average. It takes an incredible amount of ability.
Guess what? Same goes for professional wrestling. In order to perform at a top level, learn maneuvers, master timing and other skills, it takes a tremendous amount of talent. Not to mention, few wrestlers will ever consider themselves Shakespearean but a certain level of theatrical talent is needed as well. It takes a lot of knowledge, skill and talent to know how to take someone down and snap their elbow in a MMA fight. It also takes a lot of knowledge, skill and talent to know how to make it look like you took your opponent down and snapped his elbow. Think what you will, but when you convince an audience of millions of people that you are legitimately hurt and your elbow really looks snapped when it is not, that is the mark of talent.
VERDICT OF STATEMENT: FALSE
MMA/UFC participants are legitimate athletes and professional wrestlers are not
MMA/UFC participants often have legitimate backgrounds in a variety of sports and activities. Many were successful in boxing, such as Marcus Davis, Jens Pulver and Art Jimmerson. If I were to list all of those with successful amateur wrestling backgrounds, it'd take you an hour to read all of the names. Just to give you an idea, Ben Askren, Johny Hendricks, Josh Kosheck, Mark Munoz, Phil Davis and Jake Rosholt were all Division I NCAA champions. It's actually harder to think of successful MMA/UFC fighters who do not have wrestling backgrounds than it is to think of those who do. No doubt about it, MMA/UFC participants are legitimate athletes with legitimate athletic backgrounds.
Guess what?
So are many professional wrestlers. Want to talk football? How about Big E Langston, the Rock, Bo Dallas, Darren Young, JBL and Titus O'Neil who all have collegiate football backgrounds? Roman Reigns played professional football. Basketball players are represented as well with The Big Show, and The Undertaker having both played college hoops. Baseball even gets a mention with Ryback who played in college. Want to talk about professional wrestling superstars with legitimate amateur wrestling backgrounds? How about Brock Lesnar, Dolph Ziggler or Jack Swagger? All were Division I wrestlers. Not enough? Bray Wyatt and Bo Dallas were also successful wrestlers in high school. Still not enough? Kurt Angle? Bobby Lashley? If you need more names, I can provide them. The fact of the matter is, MMA/UFC fighters are legitimate athletes and so are a majority of professional wrestlers.
VERDICT OF STATEMENT: FALSE
Professional Wrestling is full of profanity, trash talking, sexual and perverted information and other inappropriate things and MMA/UFC is not.
Professional wrestling has most certainly had its fair share of trash talking, profanity, sexual, perverted and raunchy material. During the WWE Attitude Era, it was little else. However, MMA/UFC have certainly been no strangers to the profanity and trash talking. Matter of fact, if you want to get to the logistics of it, the trash talking in professional wrestling is usually 9/10 times simply a work. Two guys playing characters, who work out a promo to help draw money. When pro wrestler A tells pro wrestler B he hates him and is gonna kick his butt, it's all part of an angle to draw in an audience. The two will laugh over a few beers later on that night. In MMA/UFC, fighter A calls fighter B a piece of trash, who he hopes contracts terminal cancer, he means every word of it.
Is that to say that most MMA/UFC fighters are like that? No, of course it isn't. The majority of them are high class individuals who routinely show phenomenal sportsmanship. A lot of them are role models that your kids can look up to and admire. Some of them aren't though. Some of them are outright jerks. Professional wrestling is no different. You want a list of guys who are genuine, sincere individuals who are honest heroes for your kids to look up to? Pro wrestling has plenty of them. You want guys that absolute pieces of garbage? Pro wrestling has them too.
The point is, on this factor MMA/UFC and Professional wrestling match up damn near nose to nose.
VERDICT OF STATEMENT: FALSE
MMA/UFC Fans are respectable, sophisticated and intelligent people, whereas professional wrestling fans are a bunch of morons and idiots.
It baffles my mind to think that I even need to bring this up, but it has been brought to my attention. Well, I certainly can't deny that there are fans of professional wrestling who are morons and idiots. I know there are. I was around many of them. I'm still around some of them from time to time. The obese, overweight high school dropout, who lives in his mother's basement playing video games all day, pro rasslin' fan does exist. I know, I've met him. I've met a lot of him's. However, some of those guys are watching MMA/UFC too. I know very intelligent people, people with bachelor's, master's and even doctorate degrees who are professional wrestling fans. I know some who are MMA/UFC fans too. The fact of the matter is, both MMA/UFC and professional wrestling are extremely popular and when you are extremely popular you are going to have fans from all walks of life. No one is excluded.
VERDICT OF STATEMENT: FALSE
MMA/UFC is a legitimate athletic contest between two people who are honestly trying to beat one another and professional wrestling is a work.
Ok, you got me here. If this is your reasoning for loving MMA/UFC and hating Professional wrestling, then unlike the other reasons, this one is justified. This one has merit. When two UFC/MMA fighters go head to head, they are legitimately trying to beat each other's brains in, knock each other out or make each other submit. When two professional wrestlers go head to head (unless it's a rare time when they really do go at it for real) it is a rehearsed or improvisational performance. I find it absolutely astounding that it offends people the way it does and that they have the audacity to call it a "disgrace" to amateur wrestling but it is beyond comprehension that they could say that while at the same time calling MMA/UFC a "God-send" to amateur wrestling. Nevertheless, if one's reasoning for why MMA/UFC is awesome for an amateur wrestler to do or be a fan of and why Professional wrestling is disgraceful for an amateur wrestler to do or be a fan of, is because of this reason....then I have to at least say that it has some merit.
VERDICT OF STATEMENT: TRUE
So there you have it. Five reasons I often hear from amateur wrestling fans of why they are MMA/UFC fans, supporters or in the least tolerant and why they are not of professional wrestling. Amazingly enough, only 1/5 has any legitimacy whatsoever. The other four are absolute balderdash and extraordinarily hypocritical. They are outright lies.
In the end I really don't care whether someone is an MMA/UFC fan or not. I really don't care if someone is a professional wrestling fan or not. I do however care when guys like Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger are referred to as, "sell outs" or "traitors" while guys like Ben Askren and Rashad Evans are put on a pedestal. I want Askren and Evans on a pedestal. They deserve to be there, but so do Ziggler and Swagger and it's about time that we as a community acknowledged that.
MMA/UFC and professional wrestling are very similar in many, many ways and slightly different only in a few ways. Fan of both, fan of one but not the other, fan of neither...doesn't matter. The guys who were former amateur wrestlers who participate in them deserve our respect and admiration, if they are good guys. The only reason why we should ever be saying anything negative about them or what they do, is if and only if what they are doing is truly disgraceful. Call a guy like Rob Rebmann who's been in and out of jail multiple times disgraceful. Call a guy like David Tyner, who murdered two pregnant women in a mafia hit disgraceful. Those guys are disgraceful. Former amateur wrestlers who are in professional wrestling are not.
“You have no business calling yourself an amateur wrestling fan, being involved in that crap.”
“Traitor!”
I used to let comments and accusations like these go in one ear and out the other. The way I saw it (and still see it) I love both amateur wrestling and professional wrestling and I’ve done more than enough to prove my passion and love for amateur wrestling over the years. I don’t need to justify my love and involvement in professional wrestling. Yet, when I started hearing praise for MMA and UFC fighters out of the same mouths that bashed professional wrestling and me for being in it, I couldn’t ignore it anymore. If people felt the need to make the statement, then I guess I feel the need to question them and why they say what they say. Thus far I’ve been given five reasons why MMA/UFC is a respectable profession and why professional wrestling is not. Let’s see how much truth there is to these statements.
MMA/UFC takes talent and Professional Wrestling does not
No doubt about it, MMA/UFC takes a tremendous amount of talent. Many of the competitors know a variety of different skills and techniques, from a variety of different disciplines including wrestling, boxing, kick boxing, karate, jiu-jitsu, taekwondo, Kung Fu, and a multitude of others. Training and mastering these techniques takes an ample amount of talent and not just anyone can do it. If you are going to be a top MMA or UFC superstar, you need to be far above average. It takes an incredible amount of ability.
Guess what? Same goes for professional wrestling. In order to perform at a top level, learn maneuvers, master timing and other skills, it takes a tremendous amount of talent. Not to mention, few wrestlers will ever consider themselves Shakespearean but a certain level of theatrical talent is needed as well. It takes a lot of knowledge, skill and talent to know how to take someone down and snap their elbow in a MMA fight. It also takes a lot of knowledge, skill and talent to know how to make it look like you took your opponent down and snapped his elbow. Think what you will, but when you convince an audience of millions of people that you are legitimately hurt and your elbow really looks snapped when it is not, that is the mark of talent.
VERDICT OF STATEMENT: FALSE
MMA/UFC participants are legitimate athletes and professional wrestlers are not
MMA/UFC participants often have legitimate backgrounds in a variety of sports and activities. Many were successful in boxing, such as Marcus Davis, Jens Pulver and Art Jimmerson. If I were to list all of those with successful amateur wrestling backgrounds, it'd take you an hour to read all of the names. Just to give you an idea, Ben Askren, Johny Hendricks, Josh Kosheck, Mark Munoz, Phil Davis and Jake Rosholt were all Division I NCAA champions. It's actually harder to think of successful MMA/UFC fighters who do not have wrestling backgrounds than it is to think of those who do. No doubt about it, MMA/UFC participants are legitimate athletes with legitimate athletic backgrounds.
Guess what?
So are many professional wrestlers. Want to talk football? How about Big E Langston, the Rock, Bo Dallas, Darren Young, JBL and Titus O'Neil who all have collegiate football backgrounds? Roman Reigns played professional football. Basketball players are represented as well with The Big Show, and The Undertaker having both played college hoops. Baseball even gets a mention with Ryback who played in college. Want to talk about professional wrestling superstars with legitimate amateur wrestling backgrounds? How about Brock Lesnar, Dolph Ziggler or Jack Swagger? All were Division I wrestlers. Not enough? Bray Wyatt and Bo Dallas were also successful wrestlers in high school. Still not enough? Kurt Angle? Bobby Lashley? If you need more names, I can provide them. The fact of the matter is, MMA/UFC fighters are legitimate athletes and so are a majority of professional wrestlers.
VERDICT OF STATEMENT: FALSE
Professional Wrestling is full of profanity, trash talking, sexual and perverted information and other inappropriate things and MMA/UFC is not.
Professional wrestling has most certainly had its fair share of trash talking, profanity, sexual, perverted and raunchy material. During the WWE Attitude Era, it was little else. However, MMA/UFC have certainly been no strangers to the profanity and trash talking. Matter of fact, if you want to get to the logistics of it, the trash talking in professional wrestling is usually 9/10 times simply a work. Two guys playing characters, who work out a promo to help draw money. When pro wrestler A tells pro wrestler B he hates him and is gonna kick his butt, it's all part of an angle to draw in an audience. The two will laugh over a few beers later on that night. In MMA/UFC, fighter A calls fighter B a piece of trash, who he hopes contracts terminal cancer, he means every word of it.
Is that to say that most MMA/UFC fighters are like that? No, of course it isn't. The majority of them are high class individuals who routinely show phenomenal sportsmanship. A lot of them are role models that your kids can look up to and admire. Some of them aren't though. Some of them are outright jerks. Professional wrestling is no different. You want a list of guys who are genuine, sincere individuals who are honest heroes for your kids to look up to? Pro wrestling has plenty of them. You want guys that absolute pieces of garbage? Pro wrestling has them too.
The point is, on this factor MMA/UFC and Professional wrestling match up damn near nose to nose.
VERDICT OF STATEMENT: FALSE
MMA/UFC Fans are respectable, sophisticated and intelligent people, whereas professional wrestling fans are a bunch of morons and idiots.
It baffles my mind to think that I even need to bring this up, but it has been brought to my attention. Well, I certainly can't deny that there are fans of professional wrestling who are morons and idiots. I know there are. I was around many of them. I'm still around some of them from time to time. The obese, overweight high school dropout, who lives in his mother's basement playing video games all day, pro rasslin' fan does exist. I know, I've met him. I've met a lot of him's. However, some of those guys are watching MMA/UFC too. I know very intelligent people, people with bachelor's, master's and even doctorate degrees who are professional wrestling fans. I know some who are MMA/UFC fans too. The fact of the matter is, both MMA/UFC and professional wrestling are extremely popular and when you are extremely popular you are going to have fans from all walks of life. No one is excluded.
VERDICT OF STATEMENT: FALSE
MMA/UFC is a legitimate athletic contest between two people who are honestly trying to beat one another and professional wrestling is a work.
Ok, you got me here. If this is your reasoning for loving MMA/UFC and hating Professional wrestling, then unlike the other reasons, this one is justified. This one has merit. When two UFC/MMA fighters go head to head, they are legitimately trying to beat each other's brains in, knock each other out or make each other submit. When two professional wrestlers go head to head (unless it's a rare time when they really do go at it for real) it is a rehearsed or improvisational performance. I find it absolutely astounding that it offends people the way it does and that they have the audacity to call it a "disgrace" to amateur wrestling but it is beyond comprehension that they could say that while at the same time calling MMA/UFC a "God-send" to amateur wrestling. Nevertheless, if one's reasoning for why MMA/UFC is awesome for an amateur wrestler to do or be a fan of and why Professional wrestling is disgraceful for an amateur wrestler to do or be a fan of, is because of this reason....then I have to at least say that it has some merit.
VERDICT OF STATEMENT: TRUE
So there you have it. Five reasons I often hear from amateur wrestling fans of why they are MMA/UFC fans, supporters or in the least tolerant and why they are not of professional wrestling. Amazingly enough, only 1/5 has any legitimacy whatsoever. The other four are absolute balderdash and extraordinarily hypocritical. They are outright lies.
In the end I really don't care whether someone is an MMA/UFC fan or not. I really don't care if someone is a professional wrestling fan or not. I do however care when guys like Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger are referred to as, "sell outs" or "traitors" while guys like Ben Askren and Rashad Evans are put on a pedestal. I want Askren and Evans on a pedestal. They deserve to be there, but so do Ziggler and Swagger and it's about time that we as a community acknowledged that.
MMA/UFC and professional wrestling are very similar in many, many ways and slightly different only in a few ways. Fan of both, fan of one but not the other, fan of neither...doesn't matter. The guys who were former amateur wrestlers who participate in them deserve our respect and admiration, if they are good guys. The only reason why we should ever be saying anything negative about them or what they do, is if and only if what they are doing is truly disgraceful. Call a guy like Rob Rebmann who's been in and out of jail multiple times disgraceful. Call a guy like David Tyner, who murdered two pregnant women in a mafia hit disgraceful. Those guys are disgraceful. Former amateur wrestlers who are in professional wrestling are not.
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
Fantasy Tag Teams I Would Have Put Together
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| Wrestlers: Earthquake and Dino Bravo Team Name: Jimmy's Boys Not much imagination going into this one, I'm just simply taking two guys that already worked very well together in tag team situations such as the Survivor Series and making them an official tag team. Earthquake and Dino got along in the ring and outside of the ring, which I think would have made great chemistry for a tag team. With Jimmy Hart as their manager, they could have feuded with Demolition, the Hart Foundation and other WWE face teams. I also think that there are a multitude of angles that could have came out of this tag team as well. Many people are unaware, but right before Dino was murdered he was in the transition of a face turn. Perhaps Earthquake could have turned on Dino, and they could have had a great feud. Maybe Dino and Earthquake could have turned face together and added Typhoon as a three man stable. All sorts of ideas that may have or may not have worked. |
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| Wrestlers: Ric Flair and Mr. Perfect Team name: Impeccable When Mr. Perfect became Ric Flair's executive consultant, I always thought that sooner or later the two would form a team and contend for the WWE tag team titles. When Mr. Perfect finally came back to wrestling from his managing status, I was quite shocked when instead, he turned face and teamed with Randy Savage at the Survivor Series. How I came up with the name impeccable, is hearing the word on television once and asking my teacher at school what the word meant. She said that it meant to be without flaw. Someone that did something perfectly. I thought to myself, well you have Mr. Perfect and you have Ric Flair, two guys who consider themselves impeccable. What better name? Would the tag team have worked? Maybe, for a short while. Flair is a spotlight hog and I don't know if he would have wanted to have shared it with Mr. Perfect. As shown during his Four Horsemen years, as long as he's the Quarterback, the lead singer, then he's alright but if his status isn't superior to the other members of the group then he isn't much interested. As talented and charismatic as Mr. Perfect is, he'd have had to have worked his ass off in the ring and on the mic to have outdone him night after night. If "Impeccable" would have came to fruition, I simply think that they would have gotten together shortly after Flair's title loss to Bret Hart, determined that they were going to be the next WWE tag team champions, and then lost the match to the champions or the top face team to determine #1 contender status. Flair would have blamed Mr. Perfect for the loss, Pearl Harbored him and helped propel his face run as he himself walked out the door back to WCW. |
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| Wrestlers: Rick Rude and Rick Martel Team Name: Quite Charming Two guys with very similar gimmicks, who were two of the best built guys in the wrestling business as the time. Matter of fact, when it comes to physiques I don't know if anyone can match up to the Ravishing one. In life sometimes you beg, borrow and steal and how I came up for this idea was when Paul Roma and Paul Orndorff teamed together in WCW as "Pretty Wonderful." I thought I was "pretty clever" myself when I came up with the idea of teaming two Rick's together, the way that WCW had teamed two Paul's together. Would this tag team have worked? I think as arrogant and cocky as the two were, that they could have drawn some serious heat. I think the female fans would have loved them and the male fans would have hated them. My biggest concern is that I don't know if Rude would have worked well in a tag team or not. From what I hear of him, he was a great guy in many ways, but he was also very much a do things his way kind of guy. Knowing that Martel was more of a go with the flow, as long as he gets paid kind of guy, it still may have worked. It'd have been fun to see. |
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| Wrestlers: Yokozuna and Ko Ko B Ware Team Name: Yoko-Koko Yeah, ok this is an absolutely ridiculous team name, but you have to remember I was 11 years old when I first came up with this concept. As you'll read later in this blog, I had an idea for a feud between Marcus Bagwell and Owen Hart, where the two went through a series of tag team partners trying to out do the other as "the greatest tag team partner ever." During the feud, Owen would fire both Yokozuna and Ko Ko B Ware. After Owen and Bagwell decide that the best thing to do would be to join one another than feud one another, Ko Ko and Yoko would decide to extract revenge on Owen by teaming together to challenge "The Greatest Tag Team Ever." |
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| Wrestlers: Owen Hart and Marcus Bagwell Team name: The Greatest Tag Team of All Time When I was little I had a ton of action figures and I used to run my own fantasy shows all the time. One of the angles that I had was that Owen Hart with a series of different partners would feud against Marcus Bagwell with a series of different partners for the tag team championship. Both Owen and Bagwell would feud with one another over which one of them was the greatest tag team partner of all time. Owen and Brian Pillman would win the belts, and then be beaten by Bagwell and 2 Cold Scorpio. Owen would fire Pillman as his partner, and then take Jeff Jarrett as his tag partner to win the belts back. Bagwell would fire Scorpio as his partner and hire Scotty Riggs. This process of hiring and firing partners to win the belts would go back and forth between the two until one night one comes to the other and says that he knows what the problem is. They both are the greatest tag team of all time and if they put there heads together they'll be unbeatable. |
Tuesday, May 19, 2015
Sometimes the sequels are better.....at least in MY opinion.
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| Terminator 2: Judgment Day Might as well start with one that most people agree with huh? 1984's "Terminator" was a fantastic film, full of action and suspense. The idea that a sequel could compare, let alone do better seven years later in 1991 was preposterous. Yet when the sequel hit theaters, fans all over the world were calling it, "better than the original" because it was. It had all of the action and the suspense that the original had, plus more. Technology and knowledge allowed for greater stunts and more realistic action scenes. Schwarzenegger's acting had immensely improved and the storyline had introduced a new idea, that to my knowledge had never been done before. The main antagonist of the first film, is now the main protagonist of the second film. Talk about a million dollar idea, literally. Fans, including myself ate it up. 12 years later, "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines" would make its debut and like "Terminator" it too is a very good film. Yet also like, "Terminator" it pails in comparison to what many affectionately refer to today as simply "T2". |
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| Army of Darkness Honestly I don't even like "The Evil Dead" at all and I think the "The Evil Dead 2" is tolerable at best. I'm just not a fan of either movie, but for some odd reason I like the third installment of series, "Army of Darkness." It's just as ridiculous as the first two films, but it is a fun and compelling ridiculous. The character of Ash Williams is more interesting and intriguing than he was in the two previous films and the storyline, while simple, is much more entertaining. I think the first two films tried to take themselves too seriously and I appreciated the film looking back on itself in a humorous manner. This doesn't always work, as I enjoy "Child's Play" a Hell of a lot more than I do, "Seed of Chucky" but in this particular case, it works. |
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| Beverly Hills Cop 2 "Beverly Hills Cop" was a pretty damn good movie in itself and you'll never hear me say anything different, but "Beverly Hills Cop 2" not only captured the charm and charisma of the original, it plain upped the ante. I was hoping for another great sequel in "Beverly Hills Cop 3" but the film all but sucked. Eddie Murphy seemed disinterested and his character seemed to be written by someone who hadn't watched or paid attention to the two previous films. Whereas Axel Foley was a cool, collected, intelligent, smartass individual in the first two films, he was out of control and absent minded in the third film. Rumor has it that a fourth film may be coming out in the future. If so I hope it reflects the first film, I wish that it'll be as good as the second and I pray that it won't be anything like the third. |
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| Ghostbuster II I'm liable to get shot for this one, but I honestly enjoy "Ghostbusters II" more than I do the original "Ghostbusters". It's funny to me to hear Bill Murray as well as others say that they don't feel that the sequel was as much about them as the first one was. I feel that it is more about them than the original. Perhaps Murray means them as a collaborative, because as individuals, I think part II gives them much more attention. I found Lord Vigo to be a more interesting character than Gozer, I enjoyed getting to know Louis and Janine better and Peter McNeil's Janosz was a lot of fun. |
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| Halloween II John Carpenter's "Halloween" is a master piece and in my opinion one of the best horror films ever made. To be perfectly honest, I don't even think of "Halloween" and "Halloween II" as two separate movies. I always watch them back to back and look at them as one entity. Considering that there is three years between the two films, technically I shouldn't do that. When taking the time to think out why I love "Halloween" as much as I do, I realize it is because its sequel "Halloween II" does such a great job of complimenting it, tying up loose ends and linking all of the films together. It is what every sequel ought to be. |
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| Superman II "Superman: the Movie" is a fantastic film, with tons of great things to say about it but it has a lot of not so great things about it as well. It's too long in some parts, suffers from corny writing in others, needs serious revision and editing that it never got and needed to have as Stephen King would say, "more of its darlings killed." "Superman II" learned from the mistakes of "Superman: the Movie" and thus gave us all of the greatness of the original, without any of the non-great parts. I also really like "Superman III" although I'll admit, it doesn't even come close to "Superman II". "Superman IV: The Quest For Peace" was pretty bad, even though it wanted to be good. |
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| Scream 4 I love all the "Scream" movies but the fourth, ironic as it is, is by far the best of the series. "Scream" was fun and thrilling, but it was also predictable. "Scream 2" was even more fun than the original and much more clever. "Scream 3" was too unrealistic and the characters seem disenfranchised. When it was announced that a fourth sequel was coming out, my initial thoughts were, "please at least be better than part 3". Not only was it better than part 3, it was better than all of them. A clever storyline, a non-predictable yet believable twist and still fun and thrilling with fresh ideas, yet keeping continuity and REMEMBERING that it is a sequel. Extremely well made film. |
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| Toy Story 3 "Toy Story" and "Toy Story 2" were both great, but the third was just impeccable. I really enjoyed it a lot. |
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| An American Tail: Fievel Goes West I enjoyed "An American Tail" quite a bit as a kid, but I enjoyed its sequel "An American Tail: Fievel Goes West" much more. It's hard to pinpoint exactly why, but I think it's because the sequel is much more character driven than the original. It's also not as depressing of a film, and a lot more seems to happen at a faster pace, than the slower paced original. In comparison to critics and audiences, I'm very much alone in this as the film was not anywhere near the success of the first film and critics panned it as bland compared to the first film. Two more, easily forgettable sequels would follow after this film, but no one knew about them when they came out and no one knows about them now. |
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