Social Question

Self_Consuming_Cannibal's avatar

Why are people so quick to make it a point to bash wrestling because it's scripted, but they are ok with other TV shows?

Asked by Self_Consuming_Cannibal (4269points) January 31st, 2010

Wrestling is a show and they even admit that now. Do they have to interupt their show to state they’re fake? No other show does.

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38 Answers

Zen_Again's avatar

Oh no! You mean it isn’t real???!!!

Self_Consuming_Cannibal's avatar

@Zen_Again
And neither is Santa. But don’t worry the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny are! * “Or was that just my parents role playing one night,” SCC says while gagging and scratching his head. *

Sarcasm's avatar

I’m not someone who points this out
Possibly because so many viewers seem to think it’s entirely real.

Supacase's avatar

I’m with @Sarcasm. They never specify that it is scripted and are happy to let people think it is real.

Self_Consuming_Cannibal's avatar

@Supacase
Actually when WWF (World Wrestling Federation) changed to WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment)Vince McMahon did comment on the new name and set that wrestling is just a show like any other. I personally saw the interview. Sure they don’t have a disclaimer before every show stating: “Wrestling is scripted and for entertainment only,” but then again neither does Friends or any other show.

Zen_Again's avatar

Friends is considered entertainment???!!!

wundayatta's avatar

Because the other shows do not pretend to be non-fiction.

Supacase's avatar

@Self_Consuming_Cannibal One interview, huh? That should clear things up for everyone.

I don’t know anyone who thinks Friends is real, but I [am embarrassed to] know several people who would swear to you that wrestling is. Sorry, I just can’t buy the comparison and I do think professional wrestling, in general, encourages that perception.

jrpowell's avatar

I want to make sweet love to the answer @Supacase gave. The love could be scripted. I talked about it in 1999 once.

Ansible1's avatar

No, Friends does not interrupt the show and state that it’s fake, but if you watch the opening credits it does says things like “Created by…....” and “Jennifer Aniston as Rachel”

Self_Consuming_Cannibal's avatar

@Zen_Again
LMFAO about the Friends comment.

@Supacase
First of all wrestling doesn’t have to clarify anything for anyone. But before we go any further PLEASE watch this link. For a long time this promo was at the beginning of every show and video. Clearly stating it’s entertainment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXzI0WrlFwA Secondly how many kids think Santa is real? Should we tell them it’s a lie? The point is, if someone is dumb enough to not know wrestling is scripted, so what? Has your life somehow become a story of heart ache and tragedy because someone believes a show that’s scripted isn’t?

Why does it embarrass you that other people you know believe wrestling is real? Wrestling does encourage that perception, but once again how many shows do you know of, that put disclaimers on to let people know it’s not real? That takes away from it, just like a magic show, or a good luck charm We may know it’s an illusion or superstition but sometimes it’s more fun to pretend differently.

No one believes Friends is real because it’s so obviously scripted, but if people (for whatever reason) assumed it was and it helped their ratings, do you really think Friends would come out of the reality closet every episode to let people know differently? What do you expect wrestling to do. Every episode to have a disclaimer at the beginning or at the end of every match say, “Well I hope you enjoyed that scripted match, now back to the rest of our scripted show.”?

If people do start believing that Friends is real, maybe in every episode each one of the cast members should look directly at the camera and say it. Look at “The Blair Witch Project” and how much money it made because so many people believed it was real. Not as many people would’ve watched it if at some point while that girl is pretending to cry stopped in the middle of it and said, “Just so you know this is fake.”

tinyfaery's avatar

Because even though it’s scripted it’s horribly bad and full of unnecessary violence.

Self_Consuming_Cannibal's avatar

@tinyfaery
Well that’s your opinion, you’re entitled to it and I respect it but, there’s a lot of people that disagree with you. WWE alone (not to mention other wrestling shows and organizations) is a billion dollar a year industry.

Self_Consuming_Cannibal's avatar

@wundayatta
If it pretends to be non-fiction then why did this disclaimer used to be at the beginning of every show and home video? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXzI0WrlFwA
And actually if you remember for the longest time Jerry Springer pretended to be real.

tinyfaery's avatar

Jerry Springer and wrestling? Uh. Yeah. Got it.

Self_Consuming_Cannibal's avatar

@tinyfaery
Good. I’m glad I don’t need to break it down any further for you.

tinyfaery's avatar

You never need to break anything down for me.

Self_Consuming_Cannibal's avatar

@tinyfaery
Wow brains and…What else do you have to offer? You’re a cat. :-P lol Just messing with you. :)

Jude's avatar

I don’t give this guy all that long.

Self_Consuming_Cannibal's avatar

@jmah
Thanks and with your pornographic picture how long do you think you will last?

Jude's avatar

@Self_Consuming_Cannibal Hey, I’ve been here for over a year, so, I’m doing okay, bud.

Supacase's avatar

@Self_Consuming_Cannibal To be honest, I could not begin to care less about this subject and have no desire to debate you.

I am not embarrassed to know those people. I am embarrassed that the belief is so prevalent here that it is even possible for me to personally know several of them. It has nothing to do with the individuals. It is a general embarrassment of collective ignorance about it in this area.

Self_Consuming_Cannibal's avatar

@Supacase
I agree that it is sad, that so many people still believe that wrestling is not scripted especially with Vince admitting it in an interview and with the link I provided. Did you watch it? In case you didn’t here it is again: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXzI0WrlFwA you really should watch it. It’s only thirty seconds long. Either way, for the record I wasn’t mad at you, I just love a good debate and you gave me that without being disrespectful and for that I respect you and grant you this gift…+5 lurve

Self_Consuming_Cannibal's avatar

@jmah
Just out of curiosity, why don’t you think I will last long. Is it because I’m not trashy enough to show my entire body to a social network of people I don’t know? By the way in case you didn’t notice this isn’t a porn site. I think you meant to put your picture on: www.naked_skanks_showing_their_bodies_to_ANYONE_who_will_look.com I don’t know if this is a real site or not, but I created that link just for you. ;-)

Jude's avatar

@Self_Consuming_Cannibal Right. Avert your eyes from the naked lady, son and go do your homework.

Oh, and the model is a lady who is no longer with us. Lots of respect..

Self_Consuming_Cannibal's avatar

@jmah
I’m hardly a child. While I did not know, the person in the picture wasn’t you and was deceased, I still stick with my original argument. THIS SITE IS NO PLACE FOR PORNOGRAPHIC MATERIAL!!! I’m not against porn, I don’t watch it anymore although I used to, if other people want to watch it that’s fine, but you only have to be thirteen to be on this site and I know if I had a child that was thirteen on a site with nudity he/she would no longer be allowed on it.

If you don’t have any respect for me (which I’ve given you no reason to) then have respect for the parents and children that are on this website and for the guide lines:

” What else might get moderated?
Our trusty moderators may remove anything that is:

•Tragically misspelled
•Totally open-ended or poorly thought out
•Trolling (or thinly masked propaganda)
•Self-promotional (No peddling, promos, or marketing)
•Egocentric attention-grabbing
•Hateful, abusive, or bigoted
•Deceitful
•Vague, confusing, or generally non-sensical
•A personal attack
•Off-topic chatter or an inside joke
•Excessive txtspeak (“ZOMG r u 4 real?!?!?!!? LOL”)
Of course, we also remove the obvious stuff:

•Illegal content
•Spam, or anything that smells like it
•Pornography, obscenity or obviously NSFW”

And you never answered my question: Why do you think I won’t last long on here?

Jude's avatar

I wasted enough of my time with this kid. Carry on.

Self_Consuming_Cannibal's avatar

@jmah
Wow that’s so sad! Nothing makes me sadder than a girl displaying pornographic pictures of dead people deciding that talking to me is a waste of my time. :’-(
* sniff, sniff *

unless you count this: “Oh nothing makes me sadder, than the agent who lost his bladder on the airplane.”

HTDC's avatar

“Off-topic chatter or an inside joke”.

Wow, I didn’t know the moderators removed inside jokes. Weird…

Apologies for the random nature of my comment.

Self_Consuming_Cannibal's avatar

@HTDC
Well I absolutely love randomness. As far as I’m concerned apology accepted and unneeded. +5 lurve.

EmpressPixie's avatar

[Mod says:] Flame off, folks, and back on topic. Off topic comments will be removed. The current topic is: Why are people so quick to make it a point to bash wrestling because it’s scripted, but they are ok with other TV shows?

Response moderated
Bluefreedom's avatar

Because Professional Wrestling is a show that is just dying to be made fun of.

Self_Consuming_Cannibal's avatar

@Bluefreedom
As much as I love it, that is true. +5 lurve

wundayatta's avatar

@Self_Consuming_Cannibal I never saw any disclaimer. That must be a recent innovation. I don’t think I’ve watched any of these shows in a couple of decades or more. Anyway, do you have any data to back up your assumption that wrassling shows are bashed any more than any other type of show? For God’s sake, even the superbowl gets bashed. Can you say “wardrobe malfunction,” anybody?

Rufus_T_Firefly's avatar

Personally, I have to worry deeply about the mental state of anyone who needs such excess and violence in their lives. I worry even more about the mental state of someone who believes it’s real. The spirit of competition can be a good thing, but we’ve already agreed that there’s no real competition in any of these shows. It’s just violence for the sake of violence. The mere fact that such scripted wrestling shows are popular makes me worry about the collective intelligence of the human race.

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