CM Punk as Social Commentator

[LokiCobain]

CM Punk seems to be doing the heel version of what Hogan represented in the 1980s. The odd thing is...it's a heel version. How can someone who stays away from drugs and alcohol be hated and booed? I'm far from straight edge, but how sad is this situation? An apparently PG-rated program pushes a 2-time suspended guy in Jeff Hardy as a face, and a straight edge guy as heel. Punk's character that to my knowledge he has "created" has the opportunity to do good to the future of our world (seeing that WWE is a global company). He has the opportunity to inspire, but WWE went the route to have him despised.

I haven't disagreed with a single word Punk has said in these last few weeks. When Jericho was bashing the legends about wanting one last chance of glory, you could see some truth in that, but at the end of the day, it was a storyline that couldn't stretch too far into the regular life of the fans. CM Punk has pointed a mirror at the fans, and has been booed. If I had a kid, and I went to a SD taping and heard a guy bash drugs and alcohol, how could I boo? How could anyone really boo that? Yes, it's a show. It's entertainment. But are we that dumb that we can't objectively think when watching entertainment?

The Classical Greek plays and Shakespeare are regarded today as social commentaries and filled with philosophical insight. At the time, they were for entertainment. I can't say whether or not people then saw them solely as mindless entertainment, as we see television and cinema today, or as insight into the human condition, but in retrospect, they were filled with them. We have characters on television that are entertaining, but there's a moral and meaning to them.

The point of this thread is to ask: Should we disregard the truth on behalf of entertainment? Should we boo because we're told to boo and cheer because we're told to cheer, with no thought of our own? Should we throw away our morals so that we can gain some sort of rise booing at the mirror? The last few weeks listening to Punk talk, I've been disgusted at my fellow man for their reaction to his words. Does anyone else feel this way? Does anyone else feel that "right" and "wrong" is pretty much flipped from where it's supposed to be?

 

[Cracka Jack]

I totally get what you mean. CM Punk is telling the fans about his lifestyle, about how much safer it is, and he gets booed. A lot of the booing can be attributed to the fact that he took the title from and is now in a feud with Jeff Hardy, but even then, the fans should be aware of what there booing: a man who is trying to show them an alternative lifestyle, one that is much safer than the others.

The part that seems the strangest in all of this is that this is occurring during the PG Era. The man who lives clean and drug-free is painted as the villain, while the (former?) drug user is the good guy. Why would WWE, during a time when appeal to kids is most important, put the straight-edge lifestyle in a negative context? Are their parents aware of what their children are cheering and booing?

Punk is now a legit heel after his assault on Jeff Hardy last Friday, and has actually given the fans a reason to boo him, but before that, there was little reason, aside from unsportsman-like behavior after a few matches with John Morrison. He got heat for being "preachy", which he hardly was. He just wanted to help the fans, by showing them another way to live their lives, and was booed. Go figure. I guess that's how the WWE fans, and possibly society in general, respond to some constructive criticism.

 

[yoshi_doce2006]

Someone started a thread that said that TNA fans were idiots. I could say the same about Smackdown fans. I was a pot user and if I didn't have liver problems due to long term medication use I'd still be a social drinker which isn't the healthiest lifestyle but it worked for me. Punk comes in spouting the anti-redneck lifestyle that could help children avoid the pitfalls of heavy drugs and they boo him. You wonder why society is in the toilet.

 

[RageBattle]

I think that this just shows that the "casual", not the IWC, fans do not really know what they want to see. I still don't see why Hardy gets the love he does and Punk gets no respect (I'm still referring to the casuals). This also applied to many of the things Jericho said.

Now obviously, a heel is supposed to call out the fans, point out flaws, degrade them, whatever he has to do, but this feud has me scratching my head, even though I am enjoying it profusely.

I don't think it makes sense, but it is working for entertainment's sake so it will tread on. I sure hope some of the kids don't get it twisted, and think a straight edge lifestyle should be avoided just because they like Hardy. It's up to the parents I guess, and themselves when they get older.

 

[rony31]

It's because people hate it when some guy tries to preach his lifestyle onto you and try to change you. Jeff's all about "do what you gotta do, enjoy life, blah blah blah" while Punk's like "I'm straightedge, and all of you should be as well". It's like telling a smoker how bad it is for you or telling a fat guy to stop being so lazy. Normally they'll tell you to mind your own business, and that's what Punk's character is all about. Being that guy who you wish would just shut up and keep it to himself. Hence the heat, hence the awesome heel character he's portraying right now.

 

[Dexter]

It's because people hate it when some guy tries to preach his lifestyle onto you and try to change you. Jeff's all about "do what you gotta do, enjoy life, blah blah blah" while Punk's like "I'm straightedge, and all of you should be as well". It's like telling a smoker how bad it is for you or telling a fat guy to stop being so lazy. Normally they'll tell you to mind your own business, and that's what Punk's character is all about. Being that guy who you wish would just shut up and keep it to himself. Hence the heat, hence the awesome heel character he's portraying right now.

This.

It's not his "clean livin'" that makes him a heel. It's the better than you attitude. Like, for example... studies show that religious people live longer, healthier lives, are happier, and even enjoy sex more (I make no personal claims to this, btw). Evidence suggests that this is a healthier lifestyle than the alternative, but we still slam the door in the face of the Jehovah's Witnesses, don't we?

I'm not sure how strong an analogy that is, but hopefully it at least conveys the point. I don't think WWE is selling us the idea of taking drugs being the preferable lifestyle. They're just selling us the idea of a person's right to make their own choices without being preached at. Seems pretty valid to me.

 

[Paradox]

Your wrong in the aspect that he's being booed because of the fact that he's straight edge. He's being booed because he's telling people that he's better than them because he's straight edge. On top of that he's telling people how to live. Something that nobody want to have done to them. That's where Punk draws he's heat. There are two ways for him to get easy heat. Tell people they are lower than him and that they need to live a certain way. Hardy is out there saying you should be allowed to do whatever you want to do. So he's cheered for it. To be honest I really like Punk as a heel, he's great on the mic, and can work a crowd.

I don't think that wwe is trying to support drug use. Actually I think they are doing the opposite. Hardy never could win the big one. Now that he's clean he has the title. I don't know if they are going to go with that route.

 

[LokiCobain]

So are we all a bunch of boxed in and sensitive cry babies? When a guy is right, a guy is right, regardless of his delivery. We live in a world that has bullsh*t political correctness as a driving force. There's no more "Roman realism" and calling people out on their flaws. It doesn't matter what you say, but how you say it. World of Being vs becoming (for all you philosophers on this website). It doesn't matter what is, but only how you appear to be. No one likes being preached at, but maybe the fact that we get so defensive when someone does is another flaw that's being brought to light here. They aren't booing the straight edge lifestyle, but they might as well because he didn't say it nice enough, and that's ridiculous, but how people actually think these days.

 

[Sasori]

I agree with you very much bro.
Punk is pretty much Hogan from the '80s! Hogan was a preachy prick as well! Drink your milk, eat your veggies, pray to god, omfg and wrestling wasn't even PG! But than again you have to note that WWE is kinda trying to move away from the PG era. They have been doing some things that aren't exactly 'PG':

1. They are still pushing the divas in swim suits and skimpy stripper clothes.
2. Santino stripped to ZZ Top.
3. Dr. Ken, do I need to say more?
4. There promoting the Goods which is a Rated R movie.

So yeah man.

 

[Super Crazy]

Punk is booed for two main reasons. I'm sure everyone else had said this but I'm going to say it too. Punk is booed because 1, he's going against the current top face of Smackdown Jeff Hardy. The second reason being he is the total opposite of Hardy. Punk has said numerous times, he's never drank, done drugs, or even smoked. Hardy on the other hand is all about live in the moment, don't hold back, do whatever you want, it's your life to live and you only have one so live it to the fullest. Besides Punk isn't just preaching being straightedge, he's pretty much going around and saying " I'm straightedge, and I wish all of you were, but since you aren't, I am better then every single one of you . " He's like Jericho in that he calls out all the fans, but he just focuses on different things that would get to the audience.

 

[Reddannihilation]

I guess it depends on how much you understand about the Straight Edge sub-culture basically CM Punk's current attitude is more representative of a Hardline Straight Edge follower. Rather than abstain from drug use and keep it to himself, he goes about preaching and beating people down. If you do a bit of research on the subject you'll see that CM Punk is building his current character around the Straight Edge culture of the 90's which is renowned for being incredibly violent and elitist. That's what CM Punk's doing right now and it works. Being against drugs, pre-marital sex and alcohol can be viewed as a good message to kids but CM Punk's character goes too far by making it a demand rather then an option. What Hogan was doing is vastly different he was saying "If you don't do drugs, exercise and treat people with respect you'll go far in life" CM Punk is saying "Hey you with the beer, I'm better than you" and then beating the shit out of said beer drinker. As people have already pointed out it's more that he's telling people how to live their lives, but there's a lot of sub-cultural history related to CM Punk's current character.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Dexter hit it on the head really. It's not that the things Punk says are bad, it's more along the lines of how he says them. Tone of voice and facial expressions sometimes can be a key to how someone accepts the things you tell them.

As a hardcore Straight Edger, it's not very difficult for Punk to turn on that annoyance factor. The "I'm better than you because I'm Straight Edge" attitude can get under people's skin quickly. I know a couple of militant Straight Edgers and I fantasize about having their blood on my hands within about 2 minutes of being around them. Punk only has it in low gear right now, he could really tick some people off if he wanted to. There have been other gimmicks that've relied on the same basic premise of "I'm better than you". Flair's Nature Boy persona, DiBiase's Million Dollar Man, Triple H's Conneticuit Blueblood character when he first came to the WWF, etc. are examples gimmicks based on social class or lifestyle.

Another thing is just simple psychology. LOTS of people generally don't like being told what to do. Many of those same people have a problem with people pointing out their shortcomings, no matter how accurate they might be.