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Be forewarned.. If you are in the business, and you know any of the Crew in any way, shape, or form, you may be asked to do a future guest commentary. If you are one of the brave, feel free to email me and volunteer. If you do not want to be asked, you will be... blame Noel as she came up with this idea! Special thanks to Foxxy for suggesting the name for this column. You rock, Foxxy!
"Message
Boards: Promoting Shows or Promoting Slander"
By Foxxy Dreams
<Sigh> Remember the days when wrestling was fun? Remember the days
when although people may have hated each other, they kept it under wraps.
I do, and to think, it wasn't that long ago either.
The hottest ticket in town right now is either to join up with or disagree
with, are message boards. Love them or hate them, they are there. They
have always been there, but usually go unnoticed, then all in one night's
moment, with one post, it becomes the buzz of the scene for weeks at a
time until it dies out again. So message boards are kind of like wrestling,
but a lot faster to get sick of.
Now, I'm probably going to get a lot of slack myself on message boards
for even daring to write this article. God forbid someone doesn't agree
with other people, or has a negative opinion about the negative opinions,
but oh well. If I were going to apologize for or even regret writing this,
I wouldn't have done it in the first place.
So like me or not after this article, here we go.
Message boards serve their purpose, at times. What is their purpose? Does
anybody really know the answer to that question?
Usually, message boards are used for the fans to get information on a
wrestler, inquire about shows and workers, submit their ideas: what they
want to see, who they want to see, etc., etc. So it's like a suggestion
box at one's job. Or is it? It's a good thought in theory, but is it necessary?
Many federation's don't have message boards and if someone ever wanted
to get in contact with them or submit ideas, they'd just e-mail the federation,
which seems a lot easier, and in the long run, less harmful.
So, what is the purpose of the Message Board? After all, it's purpose,
or their supposed purpose, is being ignored.
This topic is on the tongues and minds of everyone lately, and the reason
being is because of two things: bashing and bashing anonymously. Blatantly
disregarding the rules and regulations set by board moderators, "Topics
should be wrestling orientated, not of an adult nature, all other posts
or non-wrestling related posts will be deleted, blah." I guess it's
fun to act like a teenager and rebel against the rules and regulations
set by an authority figure. I guess it's even more fun for the moderator
to disregard their own rules, and allow some of the things written to
remain on the board for weeks, sometimes months at a time.
People posting lies, rumors, and other things in defense of themselves
or others, yet in offense to wrestlers/promoters/promotions. Anonymously
posting their opinions and things they heard.
"At least post your name when you post, and not some fake, unregistered
BS. You want to be a champion, then step up and be the champion. Here's
what posting anonymously against others does. It makes you look like an
ass. It makes the business look like the very stereotype we try to avoid…uneducated,
petty, redneck, uncultured, and ignorant. Whether you want to think you're
being clever, whether you want to think you're defending wrestling…whatever
you THINK you're doing, you're just exposing a very dark, bad side to
wrestling, the side of wrestling that fans don't need nor want/care to
know."--Devin Sturgis
Of course when this issue is called upon, a whole big rant about the first
amendment gets thrown in our faces. Believe me when I say, I am a supporter
of 'freedom of speech,' as I, myself am a writer. But everyone takes 'freedom
of speech' for granted. This right allows us to say what we think and
feel despite who or what might be hurt in the crossfire. But there is
some common sense to this entire amendment. Let's think for a moment,
if you're not afraid thinking will cause your brain to seep out of your
ears. Joe Schmoe posts on a message board about Jon Doe, whom he hates,
so he spreads rumors, tells lies, etc. Jon Doe retaliates and decides
to give the same verbal punishment that he received, but Joe Schmoe can't
handle it, gets pissed off because Jon Doe is spreading rumors and lies,
and goes on a big tirade of 'freedom of speech.' Is there of conflict
of interest there? I think so.
Yet it continues, the lies, the bashing, the rumors, the verbal abuse.
Doesn't anyone stop to think that it's getting nobody anywhere? Doesn't
anybody realize that it's things like this that fans of wrestling read,
and upon reading it see what this business is really about and not want
to attend any shows, because the glitz and glamour of it is being downplayed
by it's own.
But, people still condone it, because it's 'harmless fun.' Whether you're
a promoter, wrestler, wrestling journalist/interviewer, fan with a website,
I still don't understand how you can allow "that" to consume
the boards. How "that" has become the voice of wrestling.
"That" isn't ratings. "That" won't get people in the
seats. In fact, it takes people away from the wrestling scene because
no one cares about excess bullshit, if they want to see that, they'll
just stay home and watch 'The Real World' or some other lame ass reality
show. It takes people away from the seats of WWE house shows and indy
shows which is why they're struggling, and it makes this business look
like a piece of shit. It's people like this, that are making the sport
of wrestling a joke, and we both know that wrestling is both entertainment
and a sport. Do you hear me? IT'S STILL A FUCKING SPORT!
People forget that it's a sport and that it does take hard work, determination
and heart. There is no longer any respect for what we do in the ring,
whether it be a minimal spot, or a major match. People don't give respect
or proper credit to those in which bruise their bodies night after night
for the same exact people that are bashing us and this business, and will
eventually end up putting the business to rest, yet they believe they're
doing something good.
Instead of respecting the business for what it was and what it still could
be, everyone is focusing on the entertainment value of it all, thinking
"hey, if we bash on people, or spread rumors and tell lies, then
we have real life entertainment and not that crap entertainment they feed
us, so why go see a wrestling show, we have it on our computer."
If you don't like a certain promoter/wrestler/federation or whatever,
then don't go to their shows, and don't associate with any of them. If
others want to go or associate, let them, who are you to try and convince
others of your crap.
This business is going to shit because of bickering children, most of
which are other wrestlers and promoters, who instead of posting crude
remarks and trying to ruin other people and feds by words that don't even
sound educated, should be focusing on the main priority: wrestling. You
want to ruin a fed, or someone, then focus on your fed or your wrestling
ability and prove the naysayers wrong. Be different, joining the anonymous
bashing maylay, just proves to everyone that you're a mark for following
the pack, and that you obviously have nothing to offer in the world of
wrestling, except for the fact that you could cut one hell of a shoot
promo.
I don't understand how these people think. I don't understand how they
think they're doing something good by bashing others, when it's so obvious
who they are, and think that it's making them/their promotion look so
good. I just don't get it, and I guess I never will, because unlike the
anonymous sheep that post, I'm professional, and I suppose I will never
be unprofessional enough to comprehend the joy and orgasmic feeling of
making myself look like an ignorant asshole all because of the jealously
that insues when someone is doing better than you are.
Since this article was written in a fit of rage, and may be a little incoherent,
here's the topic in brief.
Top 5 Things Wrong With Message Boards
1-Anonymous Posting (How cowardly does it make you when you're talking
the talk, but remain faceless and nameless? You stick up for your beliefs,
only for your existence not to be known. Even if you make a valid point
once in a blue, you can't take credit for it, because no one knows who
you are!)
2-Lies (This may be funny to some, but in other cases, the lies get out
of hand, and if one wrong person reads that lie, it could be very damaging
to their personal life...but you wouldn't want it to happen to you, now
would you?)
3-Others personal lives (Get the point, we don't care! I don't care if
so and so did this and that, this is wrestling, there is no need to point
out others faults outside of wrestling! I don't give a shit about what
they do outside of wrestling, I just know that they're good in the ring,
and that's all I need to know. What knowledge of wrestling can one possibly
gain by knowing the details of one's personal life?)
4-Personal Issues (So you hate a certain wrestler/promoter/promotion,
fine, everyone is entitled to their opinion. But, that doesn't give anyone
the right to do their laundry in public? I don't care what you have against
someone else, that's your issue with that person, and should be kept like
that. Whining about it only makes you look like a little bitch, especially
when the person you're hating on is no selling you because all it is,
is bullshit. Also, why try to sway the opinions of others by giving your
own personal reason without any justification? Is common sense dead?)
5-Rumors ('I heard so and so did this and that to get a spot'...yeah,
exactly, you heard. Everyone spreads their rumors and lies, because let's
face it people in the business are worse than little old blue-haired ladies
when it comes to gossip. The fact of the matter is, they're rumors, get
some facts to back up your story before going on a rant about things that
aren't even proven as factual.)
So that's all I have to say. Thanks to Devin Sturgis for letting me steal a line or two from his journal, to prove that I'm not the only one who thinks this way, and thanks to Brett and Brams for allowing me to not only be the guest writer for Wrestling Clothesline, but letting me write about this certain topic, I'm sure they still could've done it better than I did. Now, let the anonymous message board bashing on me and my article begin.
