Is It OK For The WWE To Air "Be A Star" Commercials?

[Defekt]

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Good point about hoping that the campaign has made you nicer.

The guy was being sarcastic.

A thought just occurred to me, and I am not directly this to you personally, Headman, but what I find hpocritical is the amount of bullies on this site.

There are plenty of you here who bully and belittle people, and call them names. If they like Cena or TNA, you criticise them and say that they must be sucks. There is a lot of mysoginy about the divas and bullying of wrestlers through your harsh words and mean comments.

I find some of you hypocritical, and the fact this post is on wrestlezone, which is a hotbed for bullying, and the mods will mod me for this and yet enable the true bullies on this site to continue unabated.

Every message board has its jerks. Most forums are toxic wastelands of trolls and assholes. This one is actually pretty good, or else I wouldn't even bother with it. Calling people names because you disagree with their opinion is immature and ignorant.

Regardless, pro wrestlers are adults who should be able to take criticism, no matter how uninformed or vulgar. How can a guy on a computer bully a 6'4 bodybuilder?

Wrestlezone also employs Mark Madden, who says some of the most vile things that can be said by someone. One time, I send Madden an e-mail, picking him up on some of his points. He replied by telling me to f.... off, and go f.... myself. Is that not bullying? Yet wrestlezone employ him, and yet have modded me in the past for not towing the "party line", or because I offended a member of the IWC.

I don't know much about Mark Madden and I haven't read the email you sent him. Maybe he is just a dick? Little kids get bullied. Adults just move on with their life. There will always be mean people in the world.

Maybe the reason some of you are opposed to those "Be A Star" ads is because, deep down, you are a bully yourself. You like to pick on those you perceive are weak. You support someone like a "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, who bullies and bashes women, and the Rock, whose whole shtick is to run down other people. So don't get on your high horse about WWE doing something positive.

I don't like the ads because they are useless and opportunistic. Bullying is ingrained in human behavior and will never stop. Even dogs bully one another. They've been running ads for thirty years telling kids not to inject poison in their arms, but drug use hasn't decreased. The WWE's ads, and the whole anti-bullying campaign in general is just a way for large companies to appear socially conscious and get good press.

Anything Stone Cold or The Rock do in the ring is part of the show, and everyone knows this. If people really believed Stone Cold was attacking a sixty year old woman (Linda McMahon) for real, the whole arena wouldn't be cheering. People would be jumping over the barricade to stop him.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

The guy was being sarcastic.



Every message board has its jerks. Most forums are toxic wastelands of trolls and assholes. This one is actually pretty good, or else I wouldn't even bother with it. Calling people names because you disagree with their opinion is immature and ignorant.

Regardless, pro wrestlers are adults who should be able to take criticism, no matter how uninformed or vulgar. How can a guy on a computer bully a 6'4 bodybuilder?



I don't know much about Mark Madden and I haven't read the email you sent him. Maybe he is just a dick? Little kids get bullied. Adults just move on with their life. There will always be mean people in the world.



I don't like the ads because they are useless and opportunistic. Bullying is ingrained in human behavior and will never stop. Even dogs bully one another. They've been running ads for thirty years telling kids not to inject poison in their arms, but drug use hasn't decreased. The WWE's ads, and the whole anti-bullying campaign in general is just a way for large companies to appear socially conscious and get good press.

Anything Stone Cold or The Rock do in the ring is part of the show, and everyone knows this. If people really believed Stone Cold was attacking a sixty year old woman (Linda McMahon) for real, the whole arena wouldn't be cheering. People would be jumping over the barricade to stop him.

Well Austin really did beat his wife in real life, so there's that. Then again, given the level of white trash at most WWE events, maybe that makes him more relateable.

I think it's great that the WWE is doing everything they can to stir up good PR.

 

[H33LTurn]

Theres no need to over think this. WWE is assuming its fans are smart enough to distinguish entertainment and consensual conflict from real life harassment. Please dont prove them wrong.

 

[d_henderson1810]

The guy was being sarcastic.



Every message board has its jerks. Most forums are toxic wastelands of trolls and assholes. This one is actually pretty good, or else I wouldn't even bother with it. Calling people names because you disagree with their opinion is immature and ignorant.

Regardless, pro wrestlers are adults who should be able to take criticism, no matter how uninformed or vulgar. How can a guy on a computer bully a 6'4 bodybuilder?



I don't know much about Mark Madden and I haven't read the email you sent him. Maybe he is just a dick? Little kids get bullied. Adults just move on with their life. There will always be mean people in the world.



I don't like the ads because they are useless and opportunistic. Bullying is ingrained in human behavior and will never stop. Even dogs bully one another. They've been running ads for thirty years telling kids not to inject poison in their arms, but drug use hasn't decreased. The WWE's ads, and the whole anti-bullying campaign in general is just a way for large companies to appear socially conscious and get good press.

Anything Stone Cold or The Rock do in the ring is part of the show, and everyone knows this. If people really believed Stone Cold was attacking a sixty year old woman (Linda McMahon) for real, the whole arena wouldn't be cheering. People would be jumping over the barricade to stop him.

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So, your answer to the problem of bullying is to ignore it. You can't stop it anyway?

Well, you can't stop crimes being committed, so should the police resign enmasse, as there will always be people who do the wrong thing?

The answer to solving a problem is not to excuse it, shrug your shoulders at it or ignore it. It is to fix it.

I don't know about WWE's sincerity, but, you know what, I don't care. If even one person feels more important because they have contacted "Be-A-Star"'s services, and can now overcome the cruel taunts and become a happier person who likes themselves better, then it is all good.

I suppouse you have never been bullied? What about cyber-bullied? What about belittled?

It doesn't just happen to kids. Adults can spend their whole lives dealing with poor self-esteem, due to things like bullying. I doubt many people who are confident and happy in their own skin take drugs, become alcoholics, or commit crime. It is usually people who have been made to feel inadequate, and it starts in the schoolyard. As someone who was mercilessly bullied myself, I still think about the taunts sometimes. What you do with the taunts are up to you, but many people need help, and "Be-A-Star" provides that. Hey, some people commit suicide because of bullying, so are you going to callously dismiss that, too?

Also, when I mentioned Austin's treatment of women, I didn't mean onscreen. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin was found guilty of spousal abuse on his then-wife Debra McMichael. He was later also accussed of a second assault, this time on a girlfriend he was living with at the time. So, he is no better than Chris Brown. Spousal abuse is bullying, because it is someone asserting their strength on a weaker person. In Austin's case, it was women.

 

[Mr.Wrestlemania]

Well considering that WWE is a PG product, it's natural for them to practically throw money into a open fire.

We're talking about wasting a bunch of money for something completely useless, such as these campaigns that don't really do much to actually stop the bullying. In fact, unless this world is free of crime and everybody gets along...there will ALWAYS be bullying.

But I get it, they want a great reputation for there company's sake. WWE wants to keep updated as possible with the modern times to stay in business, despite how much money they have right now. Honestly, I didn't think most of the WWE Superstars actually mean what they say due to there definition of getting "Bullied" being absolutely absurd if you've seen the recent one. Not to mention, they have all these "famous" actors to show support...if you've even heard of them.

Overall, it's just WWE trying to make itself relevant like any other business.

 

[One to Remember]

i think anti bullying is the new fad. the people who rally against it do it to be apart of a fad not to stamp out abuse. At the same time I think its a noble cause, futility be damned. I doubt the kids are confused though because it shows WWE stars in a more natural environment interacting non dramatically with other wrestlers and kids. As far as Natalya and others being picked on what of it if she was called fat? Everytime she was called fat the storyline permitted her to fight for her rights and come out on top and continue to look the same so does that not set a good example? The guys in wrestling who have characters who are bullied always fight back and are always the face. Even when they stand up for themselves and come up short they are still making more strides then those dumb gay kids who hung themselves over teasing.. they also accomplished more in their failed effort then the columbine boys did with their semi automatics that sad day in 1999..

As for those bringin up Hardcore Holly I say I am greatful to see him get stiff. When he does that i almost forget how embarrased i was the day the state athletic commisions relinquished their control over the WWF when the WWF finally conceded in writing and in public that wrestling unlike boxing, UFC, or even sumo was a fake sport with fake tough guys. think you Mr. Holly for making me believe a wrestler might have a chance in a boxing ring or an ocTagon or even a damn redneck bar..

 

[Rocket Sauce]

I think the bigger offense is Cena calling Eve all kinds of derogatory names for KISSING him (while he kissed back), and shaming her to the point of tears while wearing a "Rise Above The Hate" shirt.

Rise above the hate, unless you're dealing with a woman, because she's askin' for it!

 

[SixMovesOfDoom]

I call hypocrisy, but why say you?

I agree. Although its one thing to have heels like Kane and Mark Henry do bullying, to have faces do it is indeed hypocritical. Basically this is what I think of whenever I see those "Be A Star" commercials.

Don't be a bully, be a star VICKIE GUERRERO IS FAT HAHAHAHAHAHA!

Don't be a bully, be a star I AM GOING TO BEAT UP YOUR SKINNY FAT ASS!

Don't be a bully, be a star THEY ARE GOING TO ARREST ME FOR ANIMAL CRUELTY, BECAUSE I WILL BEAT YOU LIKE A BITCH!


And these are all statements or gist of statements from faces, not heels (Jerry Lawler, HHH, and CM Punk respectively).

And then there are the actions, like the Tough Enough winner getting slapped in the face by Vince and stunned by Steve Austin. All to cheers of course.

 

[Shotaro]

Bullying is bad.

Kane is a bully therefore Kane is bad.

If anything it not only gives a positive message but also helps the heels look even more evil.

 

[Davi323]

Understanding the differences between reality and fantasy = FAIL.

Seriously? As others have pointed out, WWE programming is SCRIPTED. They are playing characters, not themselves. Even the people who use their real names, are playing characters to some degree or another. The "Be a star" stuff are PSAs, not to be confused with the programming itself. There is nothing hypocritical about someone like Sheamus bullying someone on WWE TV, and then appearing in an infomercial type thing talking about how he was bullied as a kid, etc.

Stephen Farrelly was bullied as a kid, Sheamus, his ring character, is a tweener character who sometimes acts like a bully, sometimes doesn't. It's little different than Kane being this big bad monster who terrorizes Zack Ryder, Eve and Cena, and then on Tuesday, Glen Jacobs flies halfway across the country to fulfill some terminally ill kid's Make-a-Wish request. You have to be able to separate the two ideas.

Person portraying character =/= character they are portraying.

 

[Daniel]

The Be A Star commercials are great. I want to see the company I like doing positive things. Hell, I want to see more companies using their power and promote things such as Be A Star.

The whole fantasy/reality has been dealt with many times over in this thread, so I'm not going to go there. Instead, I want to point out something. No matter the bully in the WWE, the good guy always comes out on top. The bully always gets their comeupance. To use a couple of recent examples, The Big Show eventually overcame Mark Henry and John Cena finally beat Kane. And they played by the rules to do so. That's a positive message if ever I saw one.

 

[Dagger Dias]

The WWE absolutely should keep airing the "Be a Star" commercials. It should probably only be faces who appear in them, but even if heels do appear in them.... Raw and Smackdown are shows. Their heel personas are characters. Let's use Daniel Bryan as an example. He might not act on Smackdown like someone who should be in these ads, but Daniel Bryan is a heel CHARACTER. If he appeared on the "Be a Star" ads, he would be sending a message as Bryan Danielson THE PERSON. The same can be said for The Miz, Mark Henry, and other heels if they appear on the "Be a Star" commercials.

When WWE airs these ads they are not in character. The wrestlers are speaking as human beings rather than their kayfabe'd personas. It is an uplifting message that a large number of their fanbase can be motivated by. Everyone has dealt with bullying at some point and if someone you look up to (such as wrestlers) motivates you in these ads, then the commercials did what they were created for. It's a good campaign that WWE should not stop. While I do think it might be more effective to only have faces appear, if a heel wishes to participate as their real self in these ads then why should they have to be left out? It does not make WWE hypocrites. What a wrestler does on Raw/Smackdown is different from appearing in ads like those because that's a character they portray.