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/wrestling /guests /Turner |
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/wrestling /guests /Turner |
| Guest Columns | Brian Turner |
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THE NIGHT *MY* LINE WAS CROSSED So TNN won't allow man-on-woman violence, eh? Looks like ECW was given a gift last night by the WWF, in the form of Jeff Jarrett laying the smack down on two female senior citizens. UPN has now become the front runner in portraying the brutal abuse of women by men during network prime time. Some gift. First off, I want to say that you will never hear me say that something should not be allowed on television. I am a firm believer in freedom of speech, and will defend anyone's right to say whatever they want, regardless of my own agreement or disagreement. That said, last night really made me kind of squeamish. Hell, JJ's beating of Jacqueline had me wincing. While I've never been particularly excited by men beating on women, ECW's forays into intergender conflict have never had the brutal tone of this week's WWF programming, or Randy Savage's, um, domination of his entourage. A wrestler has "caught" a female, and put a single, devastating maneuver on her, often "putting them out of wrestling" for a period. Seeing Jeff Jarrett standing over Jacqueline, laying boot after boot into her was just unpleasant, for me at least. Jeff Jarrett made it quite clear in both instances that he was a man, inflicting physical punishment on weaker, "helpless" females. I'm not even into watching squash matches! Yes, I know that all of the females are quite capable, including the Energizer Bunny that is Mae Young (Any other Daily Show viewers remember Beth Littleford's trip to meet Mae and Moolah? Classic!), and all of them were willing participants in a scripted sports entertainment vignette. Doesn't change the fact that the scene they were portraying was an athletic man beating up helpless women. Jacqueline wasn't an opponent; she was a punching bag. Sorry, but it doesn't sit well with me, and I don't think it will sit well with the general viewing public, especially on network primetime. So the ground has been broken. Apparently, one can show male on female violence during network prime time. How much worse can they get than the wicked guitar shot Moolah took (and sold like the pro she is!)? How much worse than an 80-year old woman writhing in pain while her frail little legs are twisted like a pretzel (again, sold with aplomb!)? So, I guess it's lucky for us and lucky for ECW. If Heyman decides to, he is apparently free to portray the physical abuse of weaker, helpless victims, should we tire of seeing evenly matched, action packed in-ring dramas. I truly hope that his own good taste will prevent it, and I hope even more that the audience will prove to be as sickened by it whenever it appears as I am. The only thing I can think of that would be worse than this violence becoming commonplace would be to find a willing audience of people who desire and encourage it. Brian Turner [slash] wrestling Mail the Author |
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