Date: Tue, 17 Mar 2009 17:37:07 -0400
From: Andrew <puppetvision-AT-gmail.com>
To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org
Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] theatre of Wrestling


I think you make some very valid points about wrestling Steve and my
original post was not meant as a wholesale endorsement of professional
wrestling. I mean no disrespect, but I think comparing professional
wrestlers to Jihadists and Nazis as you did is ridiculous and offensive.

There is a really seedy underbelly to the wrestling world, which I think the
recent movie "The Wrestler" did a good job of dramatizing. As industry it
has at times pushed the limits of what I think should be accepted as
"entertainment", especially during the 'Monday Night Wars' when the WCW and
WWE competed head-to-head for ratings on cable TV in the 1990s. The business
takes a horrific toll on many wrestlers. Mick Foley, who I mentioned in my
original post, has often said he can't get down on his knees to play with
his children because of the severe injuries he sustained during his career.
A disturbing number of wrestlers die before they reach the age of 50 because
of steroid abuse (which is now being stamped out) and addiction to
painkillers and illegal drugs.

Wrestling is much more honest than reality TV though, since the WWE does not
attempt to present itself as real outside of the context of their shows.
They were the first in their industry to declare what they did was "sports
entertainment" (and more entertainment than sport) some 25+ years ago. I've
never seen a serious interview with WWE wrestlers or management that didn't
clearly acknowledge that fact. On the few occasions I've seen their TV shows
I've noticed very slick PSAs explaining that what they do is entertainment
requiring years of training and urges the audience "Don't Try This".

Sure, there is suspension of disbelief on the part of the audience, but
isn't that equally true of puppetry? Or stage magic? And if we're going to
get down on the WWE we have to go after action and horror movies, which are
much more violent. I saw Watchmen recently and that has some really horrific
moments of violence in it, but none of the actors appear on screen to
explain to the younger members of the audience that what they're seeing
isn't real.

As Alan said, lots of art throughout history has depicted warfare and
combat. I have to agree that choreographed wrestling is no different.

- Andrew



On Tue, Mar 17, 2009 at 12:00 PM, <puptcrit-request-AT-puptcrit.org> wrote:

> Send puptcrit mailing list submissions to
>        puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Mon, 16 Mar 2009 09:52:28 -0700
> From: Steven Barr <lapuppet-AT-gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] theatre of Wrestling
> To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org
> Message-ID:
>        <a34a1e9a0903160952t62382714l407d3018e318817c-AT-mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
>
> I can't let this thread go on too long without adding my 5-cents.
> Disclaimer-- I was a collegiate wrestler and have been doing cultural art
> for almost 30 years.I know what Andrew is impressed by with the WWA and
> such
> sports-- the spectacle and the nature of escapist theatre, the shear effort
> to put on a good show-- to allow for a release, a catharsis.... by any
> means
> necessary.
>     But the question must be raised "to whom are you communicating and what
> is the message". I always liked Puppetry Art because it usually stayed on
> the fence between LOW-BROW and HIGH-BROW art (de l'art (pronounced lard)
>  ou
> du cochon (pig)? is a popular French question in this regard. It could
> travel through a grotesque Punch and Judy moment and finish with an
> exquisite Bruce Schwartz Doll puppet piece that defines beauty and
> transcendence as nothing before.
>     But this HYPED FALSE PLAY THEATRE (WWA type Wrestling) is playing on
> some dangerous turf. It presents itself as Real yet it is (75%?) staged or
> predetermined-- more so even than what they call Reality shows. So a big
> part of it is that it is a hoax clothed in sport. Part of its allure is the
> shear conscious DENIAL of this fact by its spectators. Whipping people into
> a frenzie with self-destructive acts is not much of a noble endeavor, no
> matter how much effort you put into it. Kind of like admiring the Jihadists
> because of their shear committment to their cause in spite of the bad side
> effects.
>     The germans used this kind of Theatre in their presentations of their
> main man from about 1935 until his disappearance in 1945. Huge audiences
> swooned for him. As they have been doing, more recently, in France for Jean
> Marie LePen, and presently, in Isreal for A. Lieberman.
> It is a kind of sensationalist emotional theatre-- these politically staged
> events-- that bypassed the questions,
> -- What is the message and to whom are we doing this for-?
>      Doesn't the mention of the WWA in the same sentence as Puppetry Arts
> disturb any one but me?   I did like Celebrity Death Match, which I would
> think had much more in common with anything PUPPETIC than the WWA.
> -Steven Ritz-Barr
>
> Classics in Miniature, inc,  www.classicsinminiature.com
> LA puppet, a non-profit,  www.lapuppet.com
>
>
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