Hillary Clinton slams pro wrestling?

[Davi323]

http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2011/03/03/17476616.html

Testifying before the U.S. Foreign Policy Priorities Committee yesterday, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton blamed professional wrestling, in part, for damaging the perception of America abroad, in a speech broadcast live on C-SPAN. The former Democratic Presidential candidate said that while other countries like Russia were exporting "instructive" information through their English language news services (Russia's English language RT news channel), America was exporting inferior programming.

"I remember having an Afghan general tell me that the only thing he thought about Americans is that all the men wrestled and the women walked around in bikinis because the only TV he ever saw was Baywatch and World Wide Wrestling," she lectured with a stern face to the sitting members of the U.S. Foreign Policy Priorities Committee.

Clinton further blamed TV shows like U.S. professional wrestling for being at "counter purposes to what we truly are as Americans," leading to "Al Jazeera winning." The former First Lady used the bogeyman of professional wrestling while defending the U.S. State Department's budget, while asking for more money to win an "information war" that America was "losing."

On April 21, 2008, during the U.S. Presidential campaign, candidates Sen. Hillary Clinton, Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain all appeared on Monday Night Raw on the USA Network with specially taped messages targeting the wrestling audience.

What a bitch. I have a huge problem with her statements. First, there is the obvious hypocrisy involved, as the author points out, she willingly appeared on WWE TV to appeal to the same fan base whose form of entertainment she is now bashing. If the WWE, TNA, ROH, and all the other wrestling companies are so evil, why did you ****e yourself out a few years ago to appear on Raw?

Second, she is going to seriously sit there and blame pro wrestling as the reason why the rest of the world doesn't like us? Really? Really. REALLY? You would think that with American pro wrestling being so influential on a global scale, the ratings would be better. Just seems odd.

Third, I think her anecdote is complete horseshit. I don't believe that any Afghan General EVER told her that little story, because any Afghan General she would have had the chance to speak to is already going to be an American ally, and would have known that just like in his country, there are more than two things available on television.

Fourth, and this is what really, really pisses me off, she just took a shit on all of the efforts the WWE has made towards supporting the troops. The WWE does everything it can to entertain the troops, whether its visiting them, broadcasting their PPVs free of charge to the armed forces network, providing currently enlisted soldiers with free tickets to WWE events, etc. The WWE has acted as their own version of the USO, and now Hillary Clinton is blaming them as the reason nobody likes us. How about praising them for their efforts in maintaining troop morale, bitch? There are lots of reasons why some countries hate us, and it has absolutely nothing to do with pro wrestling.

Then there is the WWE's campaigning to get young people to "Smackdown" the vote. The WWE has been encouraging people to participate in the democratic process by going to both the Democrat and Republican conventions, to tell their fans about the importance of votes. You know, votes that she and her fellow politicians need to be elected.

Essentially, fuck you, Hillary.

 

[Rayne]

It comes off as hypocritical, for sure, but that doesn't mean that a hypocrite has never had a point before.

It's an old point though. The popular programming in America- which, in turn, gets sent around the world and overdubbed in dozens of languages, tends not to be culturally stimulating. FFS, we're the idiots who invented the idea of a laugh track. Our comedy shows weren't funny, so instead of improving them we thought we'd tell people when they were supposed to laugh. She's approaching this from the position of Secretary of State, which, for laymen, is like the United States' PR department. Just like 95% of America looks down on pro wrestling, so does 95% of the world, which is her department.

You never get judged by the totality of your person; you only get judged by what people see of you. And yes, in Afghanistan, there are only two things on television, if you get reception at all. Cable and satellite TV are the province of wealthy countries.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

So is she saying that people have a bad view of America because the only American things they are exposed to are Baywatch and Wrestling??

So? That is not wrestlings fault.

If the only American things they had been exposed to was "Goodfella's" or "16 & Pregnant" they would think that all US citizens were murdering mobsters who get pregnant young.

What a load of bollocks. Wrestling is just being blamed for something it has nothing to do with. It is predetermined sports entertainment, where noone gets murdered, noone has sex scenes and there is no severe swearing. There is nothing wrong with it.

This is just bullshit. As is wrestling is that influential on how people see America. I am sure these people in the foreign countries are smart enough to realise not all Americans look like the Baywatch cast and not everyone in America walks round in their underwear, settling disputes in makeshift rings all around the town.

Pathetic, Clinton you have had a 'mare love.

 

[Kenny Powers]

"Stand Up for WWE!", just kidding. Isn't it really hypocritical for someone to bash Americans for their stereotypes of other cultures while they have their own stereotypes of Americans? You have to be either really naive or a bigot to think that all American women are running around in bikinis having sex with everyone, or the males are bashing each other in the head with chairs. There are plenty of programs like Jersey Shore, and others that are much worse then wrestling.

The negative publicity is just one of a few factors that lead to WWE turning PG. People will always try to find a way to censor what they don't understand. Whether it is music or wrestling.

 

[klunderbunker]

This doesn't hold up at all for me. Not as long as we have shows like the Bachelor (use a game show and have cameras follow you everywhere while finding a life mate you don't stay with!), Jersey Shore (get drunk, pump your fist, curse a lot, be a celebrity!), Skins (watch underage kids drink and sleep with each other!), Cake Boss (make ridiculously expensive cakes tht could be used to feed a bunch of hungry people to show off how much money you have!), Celebrity Rehab (watch people that you don't care about try to beat a real (allegedly) addiction and get paid to do it!) and Sweet 16 (not on anymore I don't think, but watch kids whine when they don't get the right kind of $45,000 sports car for their 16th birthday!). Those shows make WWE look like Shakespeare and to imply that this is the worst of the worst is absolutely idiotic.

Not to mention:

[youtube]HbaxHjxOlo4[/youtube]

Yes, it's trash and awful, but if it helps me win the nomination, it's AWESOME!

 

[Davi323]

yeah. That's the part that irritated me the most. Look, I disagree with Hillary Clinton about a lot of things, I am not going to pretend otherwise. But the fact of the matter is, she chose to appear on Monday Night Raw as a Presidential candidate. Wrestling wasn't beneath her when she thought she might get a few more voters out of it...I don't care if she detests pro wrestling, just be honest about it, and be consistent. If you hate wrestling, that's fine. A lot of people do. Just don't appear on it trying to suck up to wrestling fans because you need their votes.

I did a little research that makes me not believe her anecdote about the Afghan general even more. Apparently, she has used the bikinis and bodyslams quip multiple times in the past as well, so its highly convenient for her that this general supposedly used the exact same examples, you know? Two faced liar.