Is Michael Hayes Racist?

[Mighty NorCal]

That's just pure speculation though.

I cant even be assed to debate between the N and H words

Just like everyone speculating that becuase Hayes got liqoured up and said some dumb shit, then he is a full blown racist no?? The point I was making was much more general, in the sense of I dont think people would be flipping out all over the place had something simular came out of Henry's mouth. And I myself would consider Henry a racist if he DID make a racial slur against white people, becuase that would be silly. Just as its silly to consider Hayes a racist for saying what HE said.

 

[THE Madcap]

of course, we can't speculate whether Hayes is a racist or not, but the stories surfacing on a daily basis seem to hint towards this. However, double standards can't really be called unless Henry acted the same way, which noone here can say that he has. I know personally that Henry is one of the nicest, most down to earth guys the wrestling world could offer. (a friend of a friend is a top powerlifter and is a friend with Henry because of this).

"And I myself would consider Henry a racist if he DID make a racial slur against white people, becuase that would be silly. Just as its silly to consider Hayes a racist for saying what HE said." So you're saying here that if Henry acted like how Hayes did, he's a racist, but to call Hayes a racist in this situation is silly. Doesn't make sense, I assume this is a typo?

 

[Mighty NorCal]

Yea, typo. mean to have an IF in there. And the double standard Im calling into scrutiny is the fact that there would MOST LIKELY (just for you) not be one bit of speculation as to if Henry was a racist, if he had said something like what hayes said. And personally, I find all these stories that are surfacing to be rather weak, and seem very contrived and overdramatic. Is it some type of coinsedence that no one has EVER heard of Hayes being a racist before this, but all of the sudden, now that this story has come out, all of thes "stories" are "surfacing" ??? True, or embellishment??? The only thing we have concrete, besides scuttlebutt, whisoers, and hearsay, is this one incident, in which he said something that wasnt even derogetory. So based upon that, I feel its fairly ignorant, overdramatic, and moronic to claim him a racist.

 

[jerko]

Sorry I am late to this thread but another "Hayes is racist" story popped up again regarding Obama. I don't know if he really hates people or if he just gets drunk and has a bad sense of humor, but the WWE, IMO, is a little hypocritical here by punishing Hayes. How many of their angles had a "racist", or at least, sterotypical tone to them? Nation of Domination? One Man Gang as Hakeem? Kamala? Daiviri and the Terrorist guy (forgot his name already). Virgil? A Samoan guy as a Japanese Yokuzuna? The "Wild" Samoans? Texas Redneck Dick Murdock? Cryme Time?????? Come on now. I know it's all an "act" but it all comes from above. WTF Hayes wore a confederate flag robe his entire career, I'm surprised that hasn't been brought up.

 

[JazzyJB05]

I'm not going to judge Hayes as being racist, i'm leaning more towards what NorCal is saying. but there are a lot of stories popping up about Hayes and some of his comments. And also, Smackdown and ECW have the majority of the minorities in the WWE. Look at the people who have been getting pushes and been champions and what not (vickie Gm, Teddy long, King Booker, MVP, and so on). If Hayes was a true racist then he would have left Smackdown a long time ago, being that racists can't stand seeing other races do well. And if you look at it, Raw is the show with the least diversity, you have what, Cryme Tyme as your black acts who have gone back to being Heat guys, and the only latino on the roster is SuperCrazy, who is a jobber?? So if anything, Raw would be the show most likely to get labeled as "discriminatory" as you have a white guy who tries to be "gangsta" getting major pushes and only a handful of minorities. And as for Booker, he left because of the politics of Raw, he was disappointed when they moved him from Smackdown. And don't wrestlers usually get to pick what gimmick they want to use? If i'm not mistaken, CrymeTyme chose the gimmick they have now................

 

[darksideon]

I don't think he's racist because if you are you wouldn't compare yourself to another race. If i hated mexicans i wouldn't say i'm more mexican than you, the problem is he said the n-word if he said black then there would be no problem at all. Plus i just got finished watching th wccw dvd and and after seeing that i like hayes alot more so i'm really hoping he's not a racist. P.S im black lol

 

[The Moonsault]

Truth of the matter is, when you have a job similar to what Hayes had, then you have to assert yourself in a manner where you'll be respected by everyone. Calling Mark Henry what he did was absolutely childish, and should have instantly costed him his job. If he was working anywhere else, there is no doubt he would have had been fired. It's ridiculous, and the end result is even more. A mere 60 day suspension? That's completely unacceptable.

 

[Crimson Bonez]

i dont no if he is racist or has some racism in him the mark henry thing being the most recent but yea i heard that thats y lashley left was because of him and when asked "Do you think Michael Hayes is a racist?" he said ..." i ...i .. i really cant answer that", ive also heard that there has ben problems with him and booker t, under the king booker gimmic and the other guy did make a point how it seems a majority of the black wrestlers on smackdown left lashley, booker, burke, but i was thinking with lashley that theyd send him to ECW to hone his skills give him dif. comp. and then move him to raw it happend but didnt last for long. and i was thinking before the announcement of the draft that either shelton benjamin carlito or elijah burke needs to go to smackdown because their under-rated in my opinion and should fued for the US title leading to the world heavy weight title but after the henry incident i dont no

 

[danaconda]

Here are my thoughts. Is Hayes a racist? No. Is he a product of his environment? Yes. Hayes was born a proud child of the south in the late 50's in Georgia and from what I have heard that was a kinda rough time when it comes to race relations in this country. I'm going to take a stab in the dark and say that for the first many years of his life that he heard the N word used a bunch. After years of this he then went started wrestling in the southern territories where from what I have heard the N word was used quite a bit. I believe that it was Bill Watts who said that "I knew that I could have a black as my champion, I just couldn't have a white guy save the black guy." That may give us an idea as to the climate that Hayes worked under. At this point in time it was accepted behavior. Add all this into the wrestler personality of believing your gimmick/never growing up/drinking/drugs like a fish and you have P.S. Hayes Is he a racist? No. Is he a stupid old southern drunk that should not have a job with the WWE? Yes, or maybe after some discrimination therapy (WWE offers rehab why not this) he could return.
I do love the Freebird days though!

 

[Hogans Ego]

Hayes should be fired.

He is a racist, this was just one of the few times his racist ass got called on it.

A white guy should not be dropping 'N' bombs, no matter how black he wants to be.

Hayes has gotten away with alot of shit over his career, and for a publicly traded company to have a racist once as it's vice president, he should be fired.

 

[TheOneBigWill]

A white guy should not be dropping 'N' bombs, no matter how black he wants to be.

You see, this is why threads like this shouldn't be created. Because you get brain-dead people trying to demand one "race/color" to not use another's "words." I don't care what color your skin is.. if the word is bad, then it shouldn't be used.. period.

However, noone is above the other, which means if one person can use the word and its viewed as "normal" then everyone should be allowed to use the word.

Does this mean that'll happen? No. Why? Because of how our world has evolved as a moronic group of idiots who can't overcome the power of words. Anyone remember the old saying "Sticks and Stone break bones - words will never hurt me." Well apparently that guy was the only one among us who was smart.. because in the end, a word is nothing more than that.. it only has good or bad meaning when we as a culture/race/color/individual give it meaning.

The "N" word as its so commonly refered to, is only as dangerous as one would make it out to be.. because someone used it in a violent manner to downgrade someone else. If it would've been reversed, and "blacks" would've called "whites" the "N" word.. would it be as dangerous and violent? Who knows. But the one thing I do know.. I see a ton of black people calling each other the "N" word.. so are they bad mouthing each other? I mean, how does one color make a word have both a negative and a positive meaning? Surely only us as human can be so idiotic to figure that out and make it possible.

On Topic/Michael Hayes: While I still believe a word is only as powerful as you make it, and nothing should be viewed as good or bad.. when you're in the position hes in.. words that DO have bad meaning, such as the "N" word should not be used. Dispite my own personal feeling that the word itself shouldn't be good or bad, but merely what it is.. a word.. the fact is, millions do see it as a negative.

So for that reason whenever someone, in power no less, uses the word in a downgrading manner.. such as Hayes has done, then yes he should be punished for it. Because its his ignorance that sets us as a nation, as a culture, as a race collectively.. back a couple dozen decades..

I won't tolerate shit like this, as its embarassing. Not just for whites, blacks, or any other race/color.. but in general. Its us as humans showing that throughout the years, most of us still haven't evolved into more mature and respectable creatures.

 

[Golden Standard]

Micheal Hayes proably not rascists but what he said to Henry was wrong and disrespectful. And should owe him an apology you do not call black people and i'm an african american my damn self, that word. Its a nasty and hurtful word that has a bad history to it. Out of all the words Hayes could have said he said that. Hayes is an adult so i expected him to handle the situation a little better then what he did.

 

[robbo316]

I've got to reply to all this crap I've just spent 15 minutes reading.
I have a multitude of black friends all over the world, my brother in law is black, my ex-wife is black, the 4 children I had with her are mixed race. All the black people I know call each other by the N word. I have had problems in work with black people, who use the race argument because they want to just sit around doing sod all. This observation is not directed at all black people, just a few that I have met, most of the guys I know work harder than I do. So what if somebody calls someone N*\@#r, this is actually a dictionary definition -

colored person. Also applied by Eng. settlers to dark-skinned native peoples in India, Australia, Polynesia. The reclamation of the word as a neutral or positive term in black culture, often with a suggestion of "soul" or "style," is attested first in the Amer. South, later (1968) in the Northern, urban-based Black Power movement.

So, in actual fact it is not in reality a racist slur, on black people. It has just been hijacked by groups like the KKK. It is very similar to the Nazi's, whose flag was hijacked from the Buddhist religion, and is now banned from usage anywhere.

Remember the adage - "Actions speak louder than words"-Michel de Montaigne
So, therefore I don't believe that Michael Hayes is a racist, just a p**shead.

 

[THE Madcap]

I've got to reply to all this crap I've just spent 15 minutes reading.
I have a multitude of black friends all over the world, my brother in law is black, my ex-wife is black, the 4 children I had with her are mixed race. All the black people I know call each other by the N word. I have had problems in work with black people, who use the race argument because they want to just sit around doing sod all. This observation is not directed at all black people, just a few that I have met, most of the guys I know work harder than I do. So what if somebody calls someone N*\@#r, this is actually a dictionary definition -

colored person. Also applied by Eng. settlers to dark-skinned native peoples in India, Australia, Polynesia. The reclamation of the word as a neutral or positive term in black culture, often with a suggestion of "soul" or "style," is attested first in the Amer. South, later (1968) in the Northern, urban-based Black Power movement.

So, in actual fact it is not in reality a racist slur, on black people. It has just been hijacked by groups like the KKK. It is very similar to the Nazi's, whose flag was hijacked from the Buddhist religion, and is now banned from usage anywhere.

Remember the adage - "Actions speak louder than words"-Michel de Montaigne
So, therefore I don't believe that Michael Hayes is a racist, just a p**shead.

Must be a pretty old dictionary then because the last time I saw n***** in a dictionary, it read "derogatory term for a black person", give or take a few words...

It's extremely difficult to explain why black people get offended when we hear that word and really, unless you've experienced it yourself firsthand you'll never know or understand how it feels to be called by a non-black, and before u say it, it's not an insult from a black person, the very fact that they are black themselves cancells it out.

Similarly, I don't know and never will know what an asian person feels like when called a p*** and thus I never will use that word, despite the fact that I have many asian friends who refer to themselves and others as a p***

 

[Joaquim Akaem]

I think in a social context, words like N** and suchlike are generally non offensive.
Most people wouldn't be afraid to use these words when they're out with friends or in private. It's just a case of being careful in more formal environments. Especially at work.

Michael Hayes was in a position of power and trust where he should have been 100% supportive of all the superstars. Fair enough, he is old, and set in his ways, but holding down the black wrestlers and trading them off is unacceptable. To what extent he did this, i'm not sure, but i think the Mark Hendry incident is just the tip of the iceberg.

 

[danaconda]

Must be a pretty old dictionary then because the last time I saw n***** in a dictionary, it read "derogatory term for a black person", give or take a few words...

It's extremely difficult to explain why black people get offended when we hear that word and really, unless you've experienced it yourself firsthand you'll never know or understand how it feels to be called by a non-black, and before u say it, it's not an insult from a black person, the very fact that they are black themselves cancels it out.

Similarly, I don't know and never will know what an asian person feels like when called a p*** and thus I never will use that word, despite the fact that I have many asian friends who refer to themselves and others as a p***

That still doesn't make the definition of those words any better or really justify the use. It just makes the use of the words seem ok to other races that are exposed to it (see Michael Hayes and suburban white kids).

On Topic: I am glad to hear that at least the WWE has gotten him some therapy and no longer allows him to drink.

Can we start a forum that titled should Mark Henry have knocked Michael Hayes out? And would Henry have been fired?

 

[stfu63]

Michael Hayes earned what he has; it seems others would rather ride his name for publicity instead of earning it on their own. When black people stop using the n word regularly then I would be offended by a white person using it. I have been around for 44 years and I don’t think I ever met a person white or black that doesn’t hold their own race in a higher regard. That said in his position he did not act in a professional manor, but he was punished, move on.

 

[robbo316]

I should point out the white version of n****r, which is honky. Do I get upset by someone calls me that? NO! its words, thats all. They have piss all meaning, I suppose what I should do when I get called honky by a black man, is run away and cry to mommy. What a crock of shit! grow up or live in a cave, it's your choice.

 

[baylaboy]

I think it's irrelevant whether he's actually a racist or not, he should know better than to use that sort of language. In this day and age it's unacceptable, especially from a person in his position. If he was in any other business he'd be fired, so he should probably count himself lucky.