Racist/Homophobic Remarks from Chris Jericho at Festival

[Southwind]

I think it is a big deal Jericho made wrestling look bad and reaffirmed the idea that wrestlers are classless jokes to the mainstream public.

Isn't the programming Vince has started designed to swat negative stereotypes of wrestlers away ? By doing this Jericho just made the WWE go one step forward and two steps back their goal will never be reached now or it will take much much longer.

These comments that Jericho made offended people and that matters just because some aren't offended doesn't mean that a large number weren't as well.

I'm not gay not in the least but I know some people that are gay and this would offend them for sure. Gays are in a war for their rights as we speak a war they are largely losing. using a slur like "fagot" stumps their growth.

Again Jericho is a great wrestler but don't let your blind love and worship of his undeniable talent cloud the issue. He made a huge mistake something no excuse should be made for if he was a man he would accept responsibility and offer a public apology.

Hulk Hogan was asked what he though about this his reply was: "Jericho's boyfriend didn't like that to much'. Yeah wrestling's place in the public will never ever change and that's a fact.

[Belladonna29]

Originally Posted by Southwind

I think it is a big deal Jericho made wrestling look bad and reaffirmed the idea that wrestlers are classless jokes to the mainstream public.

Isn't the programming Vince has started designed to swat negative stereotypes of wrestlers away ? By doing this Jericho just made the WWE go one step forward and two steps back their goal will never be reached now or it will take much much longer.

These comments that Jericho made offended people and that matters just because some aren't offended doesn't mean that a large number weren't as well.

I'm not gay not in the least but I know some people that are gay and this would offend them for sure. Gays are in a war for their rights as we speak a war they are largely losing. using a slur like "fagot" stumps their growth.

Again Jericho is a great wrestler but don't let your blind love and worship of his undeniable talent cloud the issue. He made a huge mistake something no excuse should be made for if he was a man he would accept responsibility and offer a public apology.

Hulk Hogan was asked what he though about this his reply was: "Jericho's boyfriend didn't like that to much'. Yeah wrestling's place in the public will never ever change and that's a fact.

I understand your concern, some people on the IWC are overestimating how 'major' this story is. What Chris said is inappropriate and he shouldn't have said it, but I think it's very debatable that it was a 'huge' mistake.

A huge mistake completely changes your career and your relationships with people inside and outside of the industry. The last time I checked, there hasn't been a huge shift in Chris' career or life because of this. In fact, it's barely made a ripple when you compare it to other pro wrestling 'controversies'.

TMZ picked it up, sure, but its' TMZ. They would report if a cat sat down next to Britney Spears and puked on her as though it were literally the start of WWIII, but between cats and pop singers.

The 'mainstream' coverage of this incident has been minimal at best.
Unlike, say example, the Kurt Angle/Rhaka Khan drama or the 'drug bust' on Jeff Hardy, which actually made some AP stories and was on ESPN, the most of heard of this story is within the IWC newsites themselves, TMZ and the maybe one or two news stations in Cali who care about that Mr. Lobo guy.

And as I stated earlier, despite Vince's efforts to completely clean up the WWE's image, their still not the bastions of PC they portray themselves to be.
They have Hornswoggle, who is treated like he's a leprechaun who can't speak intelligently just because he's a little person; and then there's Cryme Tyme ( do I even have to explain this one ). They may have dropped the blood and the profanity, but if you pay attention, their not completely without negative stereotypes in the gimmicks and/or storyline.

BTW, of course using negative language can contribute to the overall oppression of a group, but Chris Jericho jokingly ( and drunkenly) calling someone 'fag' at horror film fest isn't stopping gay people from getting married. Anti-gay rights groups that constantly lobby that it would be against the Bible or against nature or corrupt society are doing that.
They're the real enemy that people need to project any prolonged activism at, not a intoxicated pro wrestling who most people doubt is actually homophobic anyway.

That's what I mean when I said early that all situations of 'offensive' aren't equal. Chris wasn't at an anti-gay rally or a fundraiser trying to establish some more political capital for his anti-gay cause. He was going out of his way to be funny and it backfired on him at a recreational event.

I say this because as a minority, I get tired of seeing people get lost in dense principles and wasting resources fighting every slight to their group like their on the same level when its not. He may have pissed some people off because using the word in general is in poor taste, but he is not the real and most powerful enemy.

And I wouldn't dwell on Chris 'making everyone look bad' when it comes to pro wrestling the and the mainstream media. The mainstream media doesn't like pro wrestling because it's something that presents itself as a sport in a way that they feel undermines unscripted sports. Until that changes ( which will happen on the 10th of never ) pro wrestling will be a stepchild to the mainstream sports media.

Also, the long list of guys who have died before their 50 due to probable steroid use I suspect would contribute to people not respecting pro wrestling more than this incident with Chris. Even when pro wrestling is booming it was still treated like a cheesy, over-the-top sideshow ( the 80's) or a trash tv with athletes ( the Attitude Era) by more 'respectable' outlets and journalists. But I don't watch to impress these people with my taste in entertainment, so why bother caring about that they think anyway?

BTW, if Chris having a douchebag moment is taken as indicative of all the people in his profession, then wouldn't that make every actor, writer, musician, and television host look bad as well because Chris is also all of those things too?
Or if anyone who is in any profession says something offensive, then those remarks reflect on everyone else in that profession? Isn't it regressive to perceive things that way in the first place and if the mainstream press were to do that, make them seem less progressive than they profess to be?

If Chris' remarks fulfill any stereotype, it's that drunk people say stupid sh*t.
So yeah, I wouldn't worry about it.