tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546665963755719151.post9155241414816072185..comments2023-07-15T07:17:49.535-04:00Comments on Professional Wrestling in U.S. Popular Culture: A Vaguely Marxist Look at WrestlingSam Fordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17233749268141980625noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546665963755719151.post-83246157433937321052014-09-18T19:20:28.997-04:002014-09-18T19:20:28.997-04:00This narrative really fascinates me, Mikey, and it...This narrative really fascinates me, Mikey, and it's one I hope you expand on as we talk through Jim Freedman's piece. You questioned in an earlier post the degree to which we should celebrate or bemoan wrestling's existence as catharsis--does it let off steam so that people might continue to be oppressed. Here, you point out how wrestling gives voice to the frustration of the common people that the game is stacked against them..but we could question the degree to which this works as a Marxist reading (the system needs to be righted) or as a libertarian one (the least amount of infrastructure as possible works best, because officials/governments just aren't up to the task to truly enforce the rules, no matter what we do--government is incompetent). Both narratives do rely on one key point, though--the current example of "consumer capitalism" we have is one that fails people trying to play by the rules.<br /><br />I look forward to really talking this through as we talk about Jim Freedman's essay and the difference between the "ideal of a free market" and the "reality of a free market."Sam Fordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17233749268141980625noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546665963755719151.post-64205163927298900092014-09-18T11:13:03.105-04:002014-09-18T11:13:03.105-04:00Very nicely put. Often an underlying theme both in...Very nicely put. Often an underlying theme both in the readings and in wrestling more broadly is that the system is stacked against the common man (we'll ignore female wrestlers for the moment). Thus Marxist lens of the plight of the common worker, or more advanced arguments such as dependency theory, often are played out in wrestling without direct references as such. This narrative structure is also coincidentally consistent with the American Dream (not Dusty Rhodes) and the notion of perseverance against the odds is honorable. <br /><br />That said, Stone and Oldenberg in particular seem dismissive of the lower classes that enjoy wrestling, even while portraying wrestling as a drama for the masses. The lower classes are fans because they are simpletons, in contrast to the social deviants the authors claim make up a sizable portion of the audience.Timothy S. Richhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05759704121030358820noreply@blogger.com