In August 2010, Linda McMahon won the Connecticut Republican Senate Primary. Linda McMahon is not just the former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment and wife of WWE chairman Vince McMahon, but a former character in the tweaked narratives on WWE television as well. Perhaps most importantly, she was also in an executive position during a period in which many WWE performers were consuming massive amounts of steroids, growth hormone, and pain pills. Some of the wrestlers died of heart failure, like one-time world champion Eddie Guerrero, while others, like Guerrero's good friend Chris Benoit, killed his family and then himself as massive amounts of testosterone coursed through his bloodstream and enlarged heart. Benoit's brain was also determined to be severely damaged from years of hard chair shots and multiple concussions. On the bright side, lest we get too grim here, McMahon also presided over the development of the WWE's "wellness policy" after these and other fatalities. Check out her testimony at the congressional oversight hearings on steroids in pro wrestling for a laugh. Better late than never, certainly. That said, former WWE wrestlers continue to take advantage of the WWE's ongoing offer to pay for drug rehab for any former performers. Scott Hall, aka Razor Ramon, is the most recent person to take a trip on the WWE's bill. All of this intro material is to set up the question of whether any of it should have to do with Linda McMahon's senate bid. Of course it will, in our current smear culture of politics. But I am trying to look at her qualifications critically. Much like our gubernatorial candidate in California, Meg Whitman, McMahon helped lead a major publicly traded corporation through good times and bad, leaving it in a pretty good state. She spearheaded the "Smackdown your vote!" campaign to encourage voter registration, and perhaps most admirably, while she was at WWE the company made yearly trips to Iraq to perform for troops during the Christmas holidays. At first it was, perhaps, a PR stunt, but over the years, the attention waned, as did the ratings. The company still made the trip. This is a great case...it mixes pop culture, spectacle, the profane, business, gender, economics, steroids, and the US government. Whatever the outcome of the fall election, McMahon at least has some kind of legacy, as shown in the video below.Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Of slime and smackdowns: Linda McMahon the candidate
In August 2010, Linda McMahon won the Connecticut Republican Senate Primary. Linda McMahon is not just the former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment and wife of WWE chairman Vince McMahon, but a former character in the tweaked narratives on WWE television as well. Perhaps most importantly, she was also in an executive position during a period in which many WWE performers were consuming massive amounts of steroids, growth hormone, and pain pills. Some of the wrestlers died of heart failure, like one-time world champion Eddie Guerrero, while others, like Guerrero's good friend Chris Benoit, killed his family and then himself as massive amounts of testosterone coursed through his bloodstream and enlarged heart. Benoit's brain was also determined to be severely damaged from years of hard chair shots and multiple concussions. On the bright side, lest we get too grim here, McMahon also presided over the development of the WWE's "wellness policy" after these and other fatalities. Check out her testimony at the congressional oversight hearings on steroids in pro wrestling for a laugh. Better late than never, certainly. That said, former WWE wrestlers continue to take advantage of the WWE's ongoing offer to pay for drug rehab for any former performers. Scott Hall, aka Razor Ramon, is the most recent person to take a trip on the WWE's bill. All of this intro material is to set up the question of whether any of it should have to do with Linda McMahon's senate bid. Of course it will, in our current smear culture of politics. But I am trying to look at her qualifications critically. Much like our gubernatorial candidate in California, Meg Whitman, McMahon helped lead a major publicly traded corporation through good times and bad, leaving it in a pretty good state. She spearheaded the "Smackdown your vote!" campaign to encourage voter registration, and perhaps most admirably, while she was at WWE the company made yearly trips to Iraq to perform for troops during the Christmas holidays. At first it was, perhaps, a PR stunt, but over the years, the attention waned, as did the ratings. The company still made the trip. This is a great case...it mixes pop culture, spectacle, the profane, business, gender, economics, steroids, and the US government. Whatever the outcome of the fall election, McMahon at least has some kind of legacy, as shown in the video below.
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The use of steroids has been an issue for a long time. Athletes have been continuously tested for the use of steroid to prove that they are not cheating. However, WWE is not real wrestling, it is violent entertainment. Since WWE is not a competitive sport, there are occasional where these actors are not tested for drugs. However, the pro-wrestlers abuse steroids for a more defined body feature for entertainment. Yet, they are over dosing on it.
ReplyDeleteAlthough people feel as if these drug abuse should be put down as illegal, there is no true way to fully stop the production of it. Steroids is produced by big manufacture and as long as these drugs are consistently being produced, people will have access to it with the power of money and connections. On the other hand, if steroids were to be banned, people who do end up having access to it will not have the knowledge of the correct dosage that should be taken. therefore, it can lead to death of many drug abusers
Thomi
ReplyDeleteAs Linda McMahon is runing for US senate, she is using her social capital from being the CEO of WWE. She has devloped many supporters over the years and she is now running for US senate. The true question is does she deserve to be a candidate? Does Linda McMahon reveal the traits of mertiocracy? As the blog has stated, Linda McMahon was CEO at the time when wrestlers were consuming steroids. As we all know that wrestlers do not want to be in the cateogry of being "scrawny" or not being the "top dog" because they beating their opponents. Therefore wrestlers start to socialize themselves with other wrestlers and want to be as built as they are. As we know WWE is a dramatic spectacle and that is why wrestlers perform, for the audience and all wrestlers want to be the one that everyone admires and wants to be like. Steroids start to become apart of wrestlers social world and we have to take into consideration that Linda McMahon did not do anything at the time when fellow wrestlers were dying from steroids. Linda McMahon later on produced a policy that helped control steroid use in the wrestling world but as a candidate running for US senate she should have taken the issue into her best interest to make that policy earlier and possibly save some of those lives, and she probably would have beeen in the category of meritocracy. Linda McMahon has done some deserving tasks such as having annual trips to Iraq to perform for the troops. But as a spectator, do you want someone who waits for a problem to become a society issue for them to start taking action as our leader? Linda McMahon has good intentions using her social aspect of being known from WWE and will probably be a true legend for starting this sport but overall we might need to rethink who we want to be our US senate.
-Thomasina Wallace (Kin 164)
I find it amusing, and difficult to take her message seriously. I'm not saying that I dismiss her intentions and qualifications, but at first glance, it seems like something out of a Saturday Night Live skit. With that being said, the question to be raised is how strong is the connection between running a successful sport entertainment business and having a role a such as US senate.
ReplyDeleteHer yearly trips to Iraq bring some character into perspective. Meaning, even though a large part of her business is for entertainment purposes only, making it out to Iraq does show a sort of "real" side to her.
Furthermore, I can see how her role in the "WWE wellness policy" could create social support for her campaign. At a time were we are at a point where steroid use cases in elite sports, such as Roger Clemens', becoming more and more common. Her push for her wrestlers rehabilitation, shows she is capable of coming up with positive solutions. McMahon, does provide a convincing bid for Senate. I am interested in seeing how all this turns out.
Look, I don't know Linda McMahon's motives for running for Senate. Typically people seek political power to make a difference. If she wants to make a difference, then that is great. But lest we forget the years and years of steroid abuse allowed by the WWE by its athletes(yes, pro wrestling is first and foremost a spectacle but these guys are athletes), even if the Hulkster had the athleticism and grace of a 3-toed sloth. Most of us see John Cena, Bautista, and Triple H (all headliners) and think, ok McMahon family, ignore the pink elephant in the room. But lets go back and remember Ravishing Rick Rude, the British Bulldog, Mr. Perfect, Hawk of the Road Warriors, all who apparently died prematurely due to ALLOWED steriod use by the then WWF. The Ultimate Warrior who was in my top 2 of favorite wrestlers was so vascular that it appeared as if his veins would pop from a slight increase in heart rate or blood volume. We can even look at Chyna who totally flipped the ideology of femininity.I believe rather than removing the pink elephant, the WWE continues to turn their head as long as the consumer dollars keep rolling in. The WWE is a corporate monster and the muscles are the spectacle that feed the beast!!! Men want to look like the wrestlers and women want to be with them. No muscles, no WWE, simple as that. Therefore, the athletes fall into the hegemonic trap... Hey, I don't blame them, everybody has their price. Will America forget decades of syringes and illegal anabolic steroid use because she entertained a few of our soldiers and set up a policy to benefit her campaign or at least counter any negativy thrown its way? I'm not trying to lambaste Linda McMahon nor would I want to support her as I am not sure of her meritocracy. I am a political nymph for sure, and I have brushed off the pink elephant for many years myself... in fact, I believe such neglection has become a paradigm in our sporting world. And that paradigm continues to grow with every NFL game we watch, each MMA fight we enjoy, and every WWE event we gander at. Try telling Linda McMahon that... I'll shut up if she pays me, everybody has their price.
ReplyDeletePeter Sias
(Kin 164)
First off, I would like to acknowledge the great editing job that was done in the youtube video. It is nice seeing clips that question hegemonic power as this one does. After all, it didn't just show us Linda McMahon's message (who has the money needed to make public advertisements), the way she wanted it to be presented. Instead we saw that message in a different context, and thus, with an altered meaning. I'm greatful for the existance of internet which now allows us to share our opinions through the creation of our own media experiences.
ReplyDeleteIn this video, Linda McMahon was making a claim based on meritocracy - she was able to create a successful business and get where she is today because of her "hard work" and "perseverance." But was she working hard for the well-being of her employees or was she working hard to make more money by encouraging audiences to consume WWE? The case with the steroids clearly shows it was the latter. Yes, she helped out with the "wellness policy," but honestly, did she have any other choice at that point? If she didn't, the negative publicity that comes with deaths of well-known wrestlers was bound to take its toll on the business. That is why I think it is important to critically assess whether, as a senator, she will do what is in her constituents' best interest, or do what is in her best interest instead and then market her idea as the optimal one. One might argue that Linda McMahon did not really work in marketing in WWE, but, as she herself put it in the testimony, since it is a marketing company, "everything you are doing in marketplace is marketing." In other words, that's where some of her best experience lies.
I also like how in another one of McMahon's advertisements, she makes a noble claim - she will not accept any campaign contributions from special interest groups. With this idea of not being "bought" by third parties, Linda McMahon markets herself using resources available to her as a member of high social class. After all, the reason she can afford to take only minimal contributions is because she has most likely already amassed considerable wealth working as a CEO of WWE. Any other candidate could have all the good intentions, but simply lack the resources to run a successful campaign without significant donations. As we look at candidates such as Linda McMahon, it is important to be aware that there are structural advantages like this one present when someone is already in a high-ranking position at the time that they try to get elected into office.
The use of steroids has been used since the ancient times. Greeks use to eat bull testicles to gain a little more testosterone before their Ancient Olympic event. The use of steroids is used until today. There are many athletes, pro and non pro, that use steroids that do not say anything. I like how celebrity athletes gets the most coverage if they take steroids but the ones that don't get much coverage don't. Like the ones that are on the team and just play and take steroids to just keep up with the team and not surpass the star.
ReplyDeleteOn another note about Linda McMahon's going into the government. I feel that if a person hasn't been in the government or politics before, should not be in high positions of government. True she was the CEO of WWE and handle lots of things in the business. But being in high ranks of politics shouldn't be one.
Linda McMahon running for office is no different from Arnold Schwarzenegger running for office. As we have learned in class, most Americans use there pub knowledge instead of doing research and making informed decisions based on research. That being said, it would seem to be a reasonable assumption that celebrities get elected into office because of their already established fame and not because of their credentials.
ReplyDeleteSeeing the list of Linda's qualifications was surprising. The fact that she is in an industry where health and wellness are a major issue it was good to see that she was making the effort to advocate for her athletes. Although she might have taken action a little late at least she is putting in the effort.
Chris Benoit is a tragic example of how serious injuries, including concussions can cause mental damage. In the case of Benoit, his illness and injuries not only put himself at risk to himself, but he was also a risk to his family and in the end they paid the price for his illness. Although some people may speculate that Linda and her husband could have done more to prevent situations like this one from occurring it is not fair to place the blame solely on them. The WWE is not the only sport where issues regarding health and wellness are becoming more apparent.
Just this season, the NFL has instated a policy that fines its players for hard hits. Chris Henry, a former wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals, passed away in 2009 after falling out of a moving pick-up truck and hitting his head on the pavement. According to an article on ESPN.com (2010) Henry suffered from "chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) -- a form of degenerative brain damage caused by multiple hits to the head." Henry is not the first and will not be that last to suffer from CTE.
There is evidence from watching sport today that there is more violence and brutality than in past decades. This may be great for spectators, but it is clearly taking a toll on the athletes. Linda McMahon is taking action and defending athletes by discussing the importance of health and wellness. She still may lack the qualifications to be a Senator, but the fact that she stands up for something she believes is rare.
Linda McMahon running for candidacy is just another example of the relationship between the media and politics. In the past ten years, there has been an increase in popular media figures running for political candidacy. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Gov. Jesse "the body" Ventura are popular media figures that have managed to make it in politics. Their media status, influence some aspect of the success of their campaign. I'm not saying that they were not capable of winning their campaign on their own, but being out in the public eye has its advantages. Linda does not necessarily have the best political background. Vince and her, regardless of being innocent or not, were connected to the scandal of the overuse of anabolic steroids by their professional wrestler employees.
ReplyDeleteThere has been so much controversy on the use of anabolic steroids. The use of Performance enhancing drugs has been documented as early as the 20th century Olympics. This subject is either viewed by the general masses as cheating or is just another way for an athlete to preserver to a whole new level. Personally, this topic has so much gray area that it still needs further research to be thoroughly understood. It is kinds of rough to distinguish something to be considered as cheating for example, a track runner being stripped of their medal because they took Advil to relieve pain before their race. Is it really considered cheating to want to perform at your best?