Columns - Online World of Wrestling

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A Brief Compilation of Racist Stereotypes in Wrestling
August 4, 2006 by Mario Carter

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Hello, my name is Mario Carter. I have been a long-time watcher of professional wrestling and patron of OWW.Com. This column is about some examples of wrestlers who have had to portray themselves to be buffoons and professional wrestling's despicable record on creating stereotypical gimmicks. These gimmicks have done nothing but to make that wrestler look ridiculous in front of millions of people and possibly damage their careers. Whether it's portraying a pimp, speaking in broken grammar in a foreign accent or riding a lawnmower to the ring, these gimmicks are simply disgusting and professional wrestling should move away from these horrible generalizations.

The stereotypical gimmicks that have been handed to African American wrestlers have included such wonderful portrayals from being a pimp, a warrior who hails from the deepest darkest part of Africa and just a general buffoonish character. Flash Funk and The Godfather both played simple-minded cretins who would shuck n' jive down to the ring in garish clothing accompanied with their streetwalkers. They then defeated their hapless foes with The Diss That Don't Miss and the Pimp Drop respectively. Tony Atlas who could once proudly say that he was one half of the first African American World Tag Team Champions with Rocky Johnson returned to the then WWF to portray Saba Simba who apparently went back to Africa to perfect the stereotype of being a spearchucker. Shelton Benjamin who is a highly talented wrestler had to be saddled with a failed comedienne/actress who was affectionately known as "Mama." She made the great trek across the Mason-Dixon Line from Orangeburg, South Carolina after a long day of painting her ten inch fingernails and putting the extensions in her hair so she could help make Shelton Benjamin look foolish by needing to cheat against wrestlers he could have ordinarily cleanly defeated.

The plight of Hispanic stereotypes has also given me some great concern. Until recently from being broken apart, the Mexicools was one of the most repulsive stereotypes in wrestling. Someone or some people on the writing staff had the disgusting idea to have three talented Hispanic wrestlers degrade their proud heritage by riding lawnmowers to the ring with sombreros with bottles of tequila. It was truly appalling the first time I happened to see that horrific display. In the early 90's, the then WWF made Tito Santana nothing more than a ridiculous joke by saying that he went to Mexico to become a bull fighter because that would help him because a better wrestler. I suppose they'll then show vignettes of Rey Mysterio running across the Mexican border so he can improve his speed in the ring. Although I know that everyone who is a wrestling fan will admire Eddie Guerrero, even those will admit some of the things he did was stereotypical such as those "Lie, Cheat and Steal" vignettes he did with Chavo Guerrero. It has always irritated me when I saw the people in attendance with those racist signs that said "Eddie, mow my lawn." I thought they were tremendously ignorant. In WCW, the utterly xenophobic, incompetent and ignorant Vince Russo once had Hispanic cruiserweights compete in a battle royal where the winner would receive a pinata. Fortunately, this horrible person has proven incapable of doing anything well and will not be trusted to be in a position of power again with his equally repulsive friend Ed Ferrara.

Stupid and ridiculous have always been the way that Asian wrestlers have been portrayed in the WWE. No Asian wrestler has never been able to speak clear English because they are too busy trying to mispronounce their R's. Funaki's gimmick has been that he cannot speak English and that he is trying to interview someone not unlike another stereotypical announcer by the name of Charlie Minn. Kenzo Suzuki was an utter moron who couldn't string a sentence together as John Cena found that it was funny to make fun of him for that. Tajiri who is a very good wrestler began to gradually get sillier and more ridiculous from when he first arrived in the WWE as apart of the Invasion angle. It would benefit well not only for diversity to include more Asian wrestlers that are taken seriously but I believe that the fans would enjoy the diversity of wrestling style but I suppose Vince McMahon can always do some of his trademark hilarious skits where he can try to make sushi with Funaki and he happens to scalp Tatanka!

The examples that I have given have been only a few examples of wrestling's egregious stereotypes. It is repulsive but it will continue to happen. Sometimes the fans will behave stupidly by feeding into the stereotype such was the case was with Muhammad Hassan. Hassan would say dreadful things about this great country but he did say important things such as the bigotry that Arab Americans have experienced since September 11, 2001 and how probably most of those ignorant fans were prejudice against Arabs. Also much as I like J.B.L. because of his millionaire gimmick, I don't believe he should say racist things against Hispanics in order to get heat from the fans. This column is more than about reporting stereotypes but about expressing a desire to see wrestlers of color not have to degrade themselves but to flourish on their talents and can proudly reflect on their legacies.

By Mario Carter

Douglas Hagen wrote:
Mr. Carter, it seems to me that you have either entirely too much time on your hands or your sensibilities are hopelessly offended by every little thing that passes in front of you. That being said, gimmicks, all gimmicks are based on something, and yes, race is a popular root source for gimmicks. I will not lend credence to your article by agreeing that the Mexicools gimmick was racist. When I first saw it, I had to say to myself, "Now that is stupid!" Not a thought of racism crossed my mind, but there is truth in the gimmick as a good amount of Hispanics do partake of the landscaping industry and lest we forget, true Tequila is only made in Mexico. Hmmm.

Eddie and Chavo Guerrerro seemed to truly enjoy their gimmick of Lie, Cheat and Steal and the fans, even me, ate it up as I thought it was funny as hell when they did their outtakes.

Why did Shelton Benjamin get a "Mama" as part of his gimmick" Because Benjamin through no fault of his own is an All-American nice guy and he just looks too friggin' nice and nobody would ever believe him to be a heel. "Mama" helped push the gimmick and now that Benjamin is identified as a heel do you notice that "Mama" is gone" But truth be told, fake 10 inch nails and hair extensions are pretty common among black women.

But let me guess, it's completely acceptable for Booker T to portray a "black man with an attitude", or "gangsta style" or whatever you want to call it. Isn't it stereotypical of the WWE to portray Booker T as a street thug and why aren't you against that" Doesn't that offend your delicate sensibilities"

While I hadn't forgotten about Tito Santana, you're mere mention of the name in relation to this article caused me to dredge up a memory. Jesse Ventura with the statement of "The Flying Burrito". Every time I heard that, I had to laugh so thanks for the memory.

True Asian wrestlers, historically are not well-adept on the microphone using English. Let them speak in their native tongue and I bet they could put on a heck of speech, granted, the vast majority of the American audience wouldn't understand a word they say. Any Asian wrestler who speaks fluent English (on the mic) without an accent ruins the mystique of the wrestler and one might as well call him Bob. Tajiri would have been well-suited to play a gimmick much like The Great Muta, not say much but let the skills fly in the ring. Granted, I think the WWE ruined the Tajiri gimmick by making him more comedic when he should have been a true Japanese Buzzsaw.

There are numerous examples of race being played as a gimmick in the wresting industry, from Teddy Long's "thuggin' and buggin'" days to Kamala the Ugandan Giant to Baron Van Raschke and they are money makers and if the almighty dollar wasn't an influence, most of these guys probably wouldn't do these gimmicks. Yet, as long as wrestling pays and the wrestlers have to eat or attain wealth they will continue to portray these gimmicks as the company sees fit.

In closing, your article is based upon aesthetics, your personal preferences and not all people will agree with you, me especially and I really think you should calm down as these wrestlers are portraying what they have been paid to portray. It's voluntary and the wrestler can always walk away. Calm down Mr. Carter, get over it and don't let your delicate sensibilities be offended by this posting.

Doug Jacobs wrote:
Good article! I agree with your comments and believe the current WWE writers should be ashamed of themselves for the mis-use of the roster. Ethnic stereotypes have been the backbone of pro wrestling characters and storylines for decades, but I think WWE's writers have unsuccessfully tried to take it to the next level and have been trying too hard with ridiculous, although occassionaly entertaining, storylines and stereotypes.

In the 70s thru the early 90s, the ethnic stereotypical characters had traits that ranged from anti-American values (Iron Sheik, Bolsheviks, Ivan Koloff, etc.), to characters that had strong beliefs in their heritage and co-existed in western society (Bruno Sammartino, Chief Jay and Jules Strongbow, Pedro Morales, Tito Santana, etc.), and then others were just plain savages, giants, or brutes (Joe LeDuc, The Wild Samoans, Ernie Ladd, Abdullah the Butcher, Kamala, etc.). There were even devil worshippers for a short while too (The Zambuie Express, part of Kevin Sullivan's Legion of Doom/Army of Darkness). These traits were the norm for characters back then and some still are today.

For the late 90's and current times, you point out Flash Funk, The Godfather, Eddie and Chavo Guerrero, The Mexicools, Funaki, Tajiri and Muhammad Hassan. While all of these characters are/were completely outrageous and wrong at times, each was memorable and promoted healthy discussions, and even if you didn't exactly agree with what they represented, they are parodies or exaggerated versions of real people in our American society.

There have only been a handful of positive ethnic stereotypical characters.

Bruno Sammartino, an Italian wrestler that portrayed a hard-working everyday man, became the longest reigning WWWF Champion in the early 60s and once again in the 70s. Bruno retired in the mid 80s and has publicly disapproved of current WWE storylines due to sexual content and language.

Ron Simmons, an All-American football player, was the first African American to be World Heavyweight Champion for a national wrestling organization in WCW in 1992. He has earned much respect for this accomplishment. He most recently played the role of a fan favorite named Faarooq, a beer drinking bounty-hunter in the APA, while in the WWE. He has since retired from in-ring action, but still represents the WWE via promotional work.

Junkyard Dog, an African-American wrestler, that found huge fame in the Mid-South and the WWF back in the 80s, used his jive-talking skills to entertain the adults and danced with children in the ring after matches. He was a traditional babyface and was loved by fans all across America. JYD has since passed away in a car accident, but his legend lives on.

Slick, another jive talking, foul-mouthed, street savvy African American, was a Manager for such wrestlers as Butch Reed, The Twin Towers, and the One Man Gang/Akeem. Slick became a Born-again Christian in real life. Inspired by his faith, Slick changed his gimmick and became Reverend Slick. He now tried to inspire people to be confident in themselves and even tried to help Kamala, the Ugandan Giant, to discover his self-respect. Reverend Slick has since became a minister.

Nikolai Volkoff, born in Croatia, after almost 20 years as a Russian communist character, after the Cold War ended in the Soviet Union in the late 80s, he changed his character in 1990 and adopted America as his new home country and became a citizen. When he faced Sgt Slaughter, who was at the time supporting Iraq and Saddam Hussien, he inspired acceptance of foreigners that wanted to become legal naturalized citizens of the USA. He is currently running as a Republican for State Delegate in District 7 of Baltimore, Maryland.

Of the the most recent ethnic wrestlers on TV, Bobby Lashley, Sonjay Dutt, Orlando Jordan, Low-Ki/Senshi, Maven Huffman, Jay Lethal, Norman Smiley, Samoa Joe, and even "Boogeyman" Marty Wright, all have had successful runs as regular characters without really any storyline regarding their race.

The American audience is constantly evolving, except for a few small towns here and there, due to the easy access to video games, movies, broadcast and cable television, as well as information in magazines and the internet. Our culture has been desensitized by all the content and exposure to the media, so it makes sense that it becomes harder for writers to entertain the American audience without creating some really far-out, over-the-top, and possibly offending characters. In the near future, I can see these gimmicks getting much worse than they are now, but if you disagree with the content in wrestling, you can easily change the channel or turn off the TV.

August Baker-Ahuna wrote:
I enjoyed this article very much. I believe you missed one culture that is expressly stereotyped since the first Wrestlemanias I've watched: Pacific Islanders. From Samu and Fatu (who happen to be my all-time favorite tag-team champions in both WCW and WWF) to the recent portrayal of WWE's Umaga, pacific islanders have all been portrayed with complete disregard. Possibly great wrestlers such as Eddie Fatu (Umaga) and Matt Anoai (Formally Rosey) were portrayed as gang personalities under Three Minute Warning, which is a change from typical stereotypes of pacific islanders. Eddie Fatu, Samu and Fatu (aka The Barbarians), the Headshrinkers (WCW), Dwayne Johnson (When he first entered into WWF) all fall under the general tab where their character had to be followed around by a translator, wearing some sort of "lei," and end up ranting in their native tongue...in most cases, samoan...which also happen to be the nationality of most pacific islander wrestlers. As for Samoa Joe, he i s the only non-stereotypical pacific islander personality. I have talked to people of Pacific Island Decent about these stereotypes and the basic consensus is: it's comical. Is it just me that sees these characters as irresponsible writers" I think so, but I do find myself laughing when UMAGA swears in samoan ON TV and doesn't get censored.

Marc Mattaliano wrote:
Listen, dude, you have to realize a couple things. As damaging as stereotypes can be sometimes, they tend to be rooted in some kind of reality. As you can see from my name, I'm italian. You think I didn't grow up eating pasta and pizza all my life" Because I did and still do regularly, and just because it's a stereotype that italians eat those things, that doesn't mean I'm going to hide it or not eat those things specifically because it's a stereotype. In your defense, you do make some good points. Occasionally certain wrestlers that happen to be portraying stereotypes tend to look silly as a result. Like you, I wish some "wrestlers of color," as you put it, would take on better more serious character roles in the ring. But what are you trying to say" That there are no tribal men in Africa, that happen to carry spears" That no black man has ever been a pimp" That there are no mexican gardners that use ride-on lawnmowers" That asians don't have problems pronouncing R's in English" That no arabs are terrorists" And besides which, how come you're only mentioning the particularly "damaging" instances here" What about the fact that whenever a new black wrestler comes in, he always seems to have a random hip hop beat as his entrance music. Is that not damaging enough for you to mention" What about Mark Henry and Nelson "Viscera" Frazier Jr." I thought Mark Henry was perfectly fine just being The World's Strongest Man. I sure respected his power, no doubt, it was undeniable how powerful he was. He could have been dominating competition this whole time, just like he's been doing the past couple months. But for a while, if you rememeber, he was "Sexual Chocolate," this ridiculous romantic character that would chase after any female in a two mile radius of the arena, no matter how old or young, big or small. Believe me, I don't care about a black guy being romantic, but chasing after Chyna and Mae Young specifically" Come on now, you don't see that as a "damaging" stereotype" When King Mabel got abducted by The Undertaker and turned into a demonic character for his Ministry, I was psyched to see a huge black guy like Viscera being in a science-fiction type role in the wrestling industry. How often does a big black guy get to portray a demon, whether in wrestling or not" But what is he now" The World's Biggest Love Machine. How come you didn't mention that" I mean, according to your views here, WWE is apparently saying that all blacks are nothing more than sex crazed maniacs, but you didn't see fit to mention that. Why"

And hey, while we're on the subject of stereotypes, I noticed you only mentioned the blacks, hispanics and asians, races typically victims of bigotry. But what about gay people" What about flamboyant ass Rico hanging around with Billy and Chuck" You didn't see that as "damaging"" What about when Golddust was sending romantic love notes to Razor Ramon to mess with his head, you didn't see Dustin Runnels being all sexually ambiguous to be "damaging" to bisexuals" Yeah, I figured if you did enough work to pull up Tony Atlas, you'd probably remember Goldust and Rico. Oh, and here's another great one. I notice you also didn't seem to mention the Full Blooded Italians anywhere. When James Maritato was specifically in WWE as Nunzio, he was like a mafia boss, ordering around his thugs! When he was in ECW, he was Little GUIDO! As far as i know, people say the word "guido" to italians as a racial slur. Yet I've never seen a black wrestler called "Big Nigger" anywhere, have you" But see, that's just it. I don't give a damn about Little Guido, I half liked Rico, and I really liked Goldust. Little Guido wants to have five o'clock shadow and run his nails against his chin to flip someone off, let him go right ahead. He's portraying a typical mafia greaseball, but you know what" I don't care! He's italian, and yes, every italian isn't like him, but guys like him do exist. And he's portraying those particular people, not necessarily me. I don't happen to look or sound anything like him myself, but there are people out there like that. The only difference between you and me is that I'm not placing a major focus on them and making them feel bad about themselves by labeling his style as "damaging." And trust me, if I did look and sound just like Little Guido, then I'd be proud of who I am and I wouldn't let anyone make me regret being myself. Same as if i was flamboyant as Rico, or as flashy as Goldust, or as pimped out as The Godfather. I'd be proud of myself instead of hating myself.

Face facts, bro. At some point, people in this country got really sick and tired of the whole "politically correct" thing. They got tired of having to tiptoe around their words and pick and choose what they say so that those few oversensitive people wouldn't get their feelings hurt. I'll bet you're the type of person that just wants to vomit when you catch a clip of Mind of Mencia or Chappelle's Show when scanning the channels, aren't you" Those guys make fun of all stereotypes and do it proudly, because people who seriously support and encourage stereotyping others to make them feel less than human are stupid anyway, and for us to give a damn about them is just as silly.

Oh, and lastly....allow me to address some things you said specifically. "Someone or some people on the writing staff had the disgusting idea to have three talented Hispanic wrestlers degrade their proud heritage by riding lawnmowers to the ring with sombreros with bottles of tequila." I remember the Mexicools' whole run in WWE, and I don't remember them once brandishing bottles of tequila. Sombreros, possibly, but I don't remember any tequila. That's you adding that racial stereotype this time, pal, not them. "I suppose they'll then show vignettes of Rey Mysterio running across the Mexican border so he can improve his speed in the ring." Again, that's you making the stereotype, not them. Rey's proud of being mexican, you are obviously not proud of him being mexican.

Like I said, I'll gladly grant you, wrestlers of various backgrounds should probably try and give themselves more interesting characters instead of just falling back on their racial or sexual background, that's where you and I can agree. But I think in order to keep stereotypes from being "damaging," the parents of younger fans need to be more open with their children about what they see tv and what it all means. Why is it that I can watch wrestling myself and see The Godfather be a black pimp, Tajiri mess up English and Muhammad Hassan be an angry arab terrorist and not think blacks, japanese and arabs are like that in real life" Because I was raised right and I know the difference between fantasy and reality. Why is it that I can play games like Grand Theft Auto and shoot everyone in sight, and steal money from gangsters of every other race but my own, but I don't do that in real life" Because I know the difference between fantasy and reality. I know what's real and what it isn't. I know every black man isn't a pimp, I know some japanese can speak English fluently, I know every italian isn't a greasy, slick mob boss, I know every mexican isn't lazy and drunk on tequila, and I know that every arab isn't a terrorist. I know these things aren't always true, but sometimes they are. WWE has people represent these stereotypes, but they're under the impression that we know that the people portraying these stereotypes aren't really those people inside. Glen Jacobs isn't the psychotic Big Red Machine, Mark Calloway isn't the Lord of Darkness, Mark Copani isn't really Muhammad Hassan and Dionicio Castellanos isn't really Psicosis. They're characters, and as characters we can see another side of society that is only half-real and think about it and change as a result. I'll grant you, sometimes they make bad decisions. Pulling out Hassan as a character probably wasn't the best choice for storylines at the time, but they tried it. They wanted to push the envelope and ended up pushing too hard in some cases. Have you seen Hassan on tv lately" Or Saba Simba" Or Shelton Benjamin's Mama" Or Kenzo Suzuki" Of course not. WWE realized their mistakes and have since gotten rid of those characters. So complaining about them now is kind of pointless, wouldn't you say"

See, dude, I've learned to judge individuals by their own actions, and how their own actions affect themself, as opposed to pigeonholing every human being into a group and judging them by how their actions affect their specific group. You should learn to do the same.

Kyle gurrent wrote:
Good column as most of these stereotype columns are. I myself cheered for Muhammad Hassan when he first appeared. I thought finally someone will be able to speak out on one of the world's largest television markets about the degrading western society, post and pre-911. But when he first appeared on television (to my surprise!) he was booed off the stage before even being able to talk, simply because he was an Arab that said ''He hates what the United States has become''. I sincerely thought wwe creative was trying to help educate the majority of American wrestling fans (who are keyfab lovers). But all this showed me was that not only where ''most'' American wrestling fans the dumb hippie's of America (I say most as so I do not intend on offending the smart wrestling fans reading this). But also that I thought too highly of wwe creative and all they wanted to do was throw an Arab in the ring so the people could throw stones at him like a circus freak. As for your problems with the Hispanics and black stereotypes, I fully agree with the disgusting display of the mexicools riding on lawnmowers to the ring and the other blatant racist display's that are inflicted on asians,hispanics,native americans,indians,somaons, and many others.

However, having said that, there is one thing that I disagree with and that is that Shelton Benjamin comment, first of all, all the wwe creative did in this situation is state what the stupidly sad majority of wrestling fans thought in the first place. And that's say that they believe that every black mans moma is a overweight, loud mouth, Hippe, in flip flops, they weren't trying to influence, insult or convert anyone into their train of thought, they were just stating what most ''Americans'' in general think. They think that every black man with dreadlocks is a jive talking ''sucker'' (no pun intended); they think that every Asian has a speech problem; they think that every Mexican mows lawns for a living and they think these things because most Americans are stupid. That's not a joke, that's not an insult, it's the truth, and just so it's clear, I say again, ''MOST'' Americans (not all) are stupid, Don't believe me" Check the weekly polls on msn.com, 75% Americans don't even know where Japan is, its f****** sad! . Thank you, for your post and I'm glad that the extremely talented writers here at oww.com are very smart and don't fall into the category I just mentioned. Stay smart and please don't become a racist, this world needs people like us.

Joey Sandling (14 years old) wrote:
I respectfully disagree with your article as if they were given that role to play and did find it stereotyped them , they would refuse to play it

Example : In Early 2000 Nicole Bass was told she would play the part of an intelligent female wrestler, however she was then told she would play a ''bimbo blonde'' and well then she sued the company for various things.

So I say lighten up , i do agree if you feel annoyed or pissed at some of the ''WWE Storyline Characters'' send an email or letter to WWE headquarters. But Respect for the column

Nick Currier wrote:
I think that you are reading too much into this. These gimmicks are not meant to be racist they are meant to draw fans. I was a huge fan of the godfather and I know many others who were too. Also the Mexicools were easily on of my favorite tag teams on smackdown. By using the word stereotype you are saying that the WWF was implying that all blacks are pimps which is completely absurd I think you need to relax a little because those accusations, I think, are unfounded.

BRUCE MOREIRA wrote:
Mario, get a rip. Sterotypes are a part of life. I'm a male from the UK, and wrestling for years has portrayed any British wrestler to be A) a posh tea drinking queen lover or B) a cockney street fighter. Now just to let you know, I am neither of these, many people arnt. However I can find you a hell of a lot of people who are. Sterotypes are generally pretty accurate. How have I come to find this" I'm a big traveler, and i can tell you many of the impressions given off by the french are that of Renee Dupree. And if u speak to a Japanese person who ain't from the US i'm pretty sure he may speak with an accent or hell maybe with broken English. Now in England we parady Americans as being fat and stupid, and well....i think you can see where I'm going.

Now I'm not saying thats its right that every Black man is portrayed as a homeboy or a pimp, but seeing a chrachter who might happen to be black play the chrachter of 'mr 9 to 5' aint very exciting now is it. And to go as far as to say its racist, i think thats just over thinking, both champions are black and hispanic, many high rising wrestlers are from all different backgrounds, and the don't think the Boogyman or D Von dudely are jive walking or picking cotton either. Comidians make fun of sterotypes all the time, and when wrestling, which most of the time has its tounge in its cheek uses it, you get ur 'knickers' in a twist.

O. Jackson wrote:
I think this was a very good, well thought out article. I agree with you. This is an issue that has gone on as long as pro-wrestling has existed. However, I think what's going on is not so much racism as it is the manifestation of what we think behind closed doors. Let's be honest for a minute. It may not be everyone, but the majority of us think in stereotypes. What the WWE is doing is simply exploiting those stereotypes and pumping out versions of them. Case in point: Armando Alejandro Estrada. Whether he actually is of some Cuban descent, I don't know, but from his profile on this very website he's Palestinian. Now, I don't know about you, but I happen to be slightly familiar with the locations of both Cuba and Palestine and they are no where near each other. The message sent by the existence of the Armando Alejandro Estrada character is that if you slap a suit on him, give him a few cigars, have him say every other word in Spanish and roll his "r"'s a rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrridiculous amount, then any guy can be Cuban. A similar message is sent with the FBI. Apparently in the wrestling world, it isn't enough to just say you are full blooded Italian. You have to prove it by prancing around the ring acting like Goodfellas extras on acid. Possibly one of the worst victims of the wrestling stereotypes is Kamala. It's amazing the number of people who shrug off the technological advances we've made in America in the last 15 years, but think that people in Africa still roam around stabbing Cheetah's for dinner with a loin cloth on a bone through their nose. And the generalizations don't stop at people of color. Look at Eugene. Just take a guy with a really bad case of bed-head, tell him to look confused, talk about midgets, button his jacket wrong and presto magico- instant handicapped guy! Are you kidding me" It's hard to get much lower than that. Even down to Rico. Although he's a man who has commented on several occasions about how happily married (to a woman) he is, but his wrestling career has been turned into a gimmick, forcing him to spend more time portraying our cultural interpretations of a gay male than actually getting in the ring and fighting. And as far as Eddie and Chavo are concerned, I agree with you. Yes, those vignette's were funny and we all loved them but let's face it they always showed (insert Steve Irwin accent) the 'ispanic in 'is natural 'abitat; cleaning pools, stealing, and saying orale every 5 minutes. The list goes on forever, but the fact is, this is Sports Entertainment not Moral Education. I think you'll be hard pressed to find anyone tuning into any wrestling program to get their weekly fix of "moral Wheaties". We're looking for entertainment, and usually the friction caused by these characters entertains us. I don't think wrestling execs are necessarily doing it with malicious intent, but the fact is the entire wrestling world circles around stereotypes. -

Crook wrote:
I agree with many of your points, normally stereotypes in wrestling are horrible. Your points made with Flash Funk (aka 2 Cold Scopio), Rocky Johnson, Kenzo Suzuki, Tito Santana, Super Crazy, Psycosis, and although you barely mentioned it, Tatanka, were very valid points indeed.

However, I don' think stereotypes are ALWAYS a bad thing, when done correctly. The Godfather, for example. His gimmick is the only thing that ever got him over, and it was a FACE, not even in a bad way. Besides, there's probably just as many (if not more) white pimps than there are African American pimps. And Eddie Guererro, are you kidding me" The Latino Heat gimmick made him a star. Before, he was recognized as a really good cruiserweight. When he and the WWE came up with Latino Heat, and later, the "Lie Cheat and Steal" gimmicks, sure it may have been a little degrading. But even when Eddie was a heel, the fans loved it. Part of that is because of the internet age, we know Eddie wasn't like that in real life. He was playing a character, and he played it perfectly. Not to mention, he was funny as hell.

The one thing I think we all have to remember is that, regardless of how acceptable society becomes of race, creed, religion, etc. there will ALWAYS be racism. It's unavoidable. There will always be ignorant jackasses who are too stupid to accept people for what they are. And we must remember, wrestling is a parody of life. They're gonna hit nerves you don't like. They're gonna say things that make you cringe, like Triple H telling Booker T a few years back "Your type of people don't win my belt". Usually, however, whatever sort of racism you do see in wrestling is meant to make the heel look like such an ignorant asshole, that the guy being "persecuted" becomes a sympathetic figure, not just for whatever race he represents, but too any half-intelligent person watching wrestling.

Final thought: If it exists in real life, it will ALWAYS exist in wrestling. That's all there is too it. But I do appreciate, and agree with, the spirit of your column.

Aaron H. wrote:
Mario, you are forgetting something very important. Did you see ECW: One Night Stand 2" I think Mick Foley said it best in a vignette prior to his tag team match. "Everybody in the WWE does things they don't want to do to make it to the top." The people you talked about in your article all worked their asses off. They may not have liked their gimmicks, but they were willing to do anything to make it to the top.

Derek wrote:
I have read your article, and I must say you take plenty too personally, to easily. Let's go over some, shall we"

Tony A - got into drugs, got into trouble and was fired for it. Let's be frank. HE was suppose to be HULK HOGAN in the 80's. When he returned in the mid 90's as Saba Simba, Vince didn't call him, he called Vince begging for the job.

The Godfather gimmick got over with the fans. JYD was one of the most popular performers of all time.

Would you say that it was racist for SD Jones to have been squashed by King Kong Bundy at WM1"

So you see, your thesis does not hold up to a formidable argument. Only exception to your argument was the gangs of the late 90's.

Doyle Williams wrote:
Your column had some agreeable and disagreeable topics to it. I mean, I can agree, characters like Kamala and the Mexicools, in the beginning, are quite politically incorrect. But the show is "sports entertainment", not "politics"! I mean, to have a Black pimp and an African practically living in the Stone Age are two VERY different things.

Characters like the Godfather and the Guerreros do portray stereotypes, but who doesn't. If you look at the whole WWE, most characters get over best portraying what you know and feeding reality and storyline into that. Just as all Blacks are not pimps, all Southerners aren't hillbilly as Dusty Rhodes was, or as redneck as "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. And how many times have blondes been portrayed as sexed up (Stratus, Sable, Torrie, etc.) and also as bimbos like Maria! The McMahons also portrayed very snobbish, Conservative individuals, with Stephanie coming off as the usual "daddy's little girl". Hell, all muscle-heads are even typecast as quiet enforcers or brutal soldiers. But just because HHH was a blue-blood, does that make all Greenwich folks blue-bloods.

But the truth is, sometime a stereotype is what defines that character. Many characters aren't charismatic like Hogan and HBK, or cocky prettyboys like Edge and Randy Orton, or crazy like Sabu or Jeff Hardy. So they use what they got. Batista and Test got into the mainstream as musclebound thugs. Eddie Guerrero got into the mainstream as a lying, cheating, stealing Latino. And so on and so forth.

Sure, I admit, the WWE crosses the line very often, but the race line is crossed like that anyway. MadTV, the Chappelle show, Mind of Mencia, they all cross those borders because the dollar is all that matters!

[Forgot to Sign my Name, Again] wrote:
Mario,That was a great article nice facts and a few argueable points.Now I am A black man and I have to say I am not ashamed to be thought as a gangsta jive talking person by most because it would make the character succeed. Also some characters tie th real life it is no secrtea that Steve Austin Is a redneck but if you watched an old episode of punk'd you can see that this is not a gimmick this is really Austin. I think of Gimmicks like these as expressing their real life ethnic background. As I recall D-Von has a reputation for saying phrases in prayer because he grew up in a family with strong religous beliefs.Also I think That J.B.L is a natural White Man's Gimmick thinking America is supreme to every other country (thus His remarks to Eddie,Rey,Mexicools and Sylvan) another thing is that after he won the United States Heavyweight Title he was throwing a celebration ceremony with an urban youth band from N.Y. He kicked out from ringside and said "haven't I done enough for you Inner city youths""Now if you ask me that is just not cool! (thanks Carlito)

Johnny C wrote:
Well written article but i have to disagree, first off you didn't mention anything about the southern, redneck, hillbilly gimmicks. I've lived in Georgia my entire life and im a White Calcasion Male and i dont speak with a southern accent nor have I ever worn a pair of overalls, I wasn't offended by Henry Godwin gimmick or the hundred other Redneck hillbillie gimmicks. What about Booker T/King Booker he just became the first black World Heavy Wheight Champion in the WWE and he did it with a snobby king gimmick. Also I threw the years I've heard several hispanic people talk about how proud they are of there Mexican hereatige and the Guerreros talk about how proud of thier name they are, It warms my heart when i hear things like that it makes me proud of who I am.

Brandon Buckner wrote:
I recently read an article on this site that made me stop and want to reply to it. At first I was going to just simply put a rebuttal at the bottom of the column when I realized I had more to say on the subject then just a few lines. The article in which I am referring is writing in which the author obviously is bitter at the roles taking by minorities and how he feels it reflects each of their races in a negative manner. Let me just say from the beginning nowhere in the article mentioned is their one word of such wrestlers as Dwayne Johnson, AKA The Rock, Booker T, Ron Simmons, or Bobby Lashley. All respected African American wrestlers who never had to use a racial "gimmick" in order to get over and become champions, save Lashley who's title run is coming soon. Now I realize Simmons and The Rock were in a racial faction, however, the angle on that one was opposite the argument the article I am debating had in mind. The Nation of Domination was about black power, black pride, and was one of the better angles in the last twenty years in my opinion. They were over huge, not by being "spear chuckers" but by being proud black men with a chip on their shoulder. All the above men mentioned are/were great champions not because of their skin color but because of their ring skills and dedication to the sport.

The author of the article in question "Racist Stereotypes in Wrestling" brought up the names of such wresters as Tito Santana and the Mexicools. While the Mexicools were disturbing to really analyze and try and defend would be ridiculous let me just say this, wrestling is entertainment. Anyone who takes what happens on Raw, Smackdown, Impact, etc., etc., seriously is being overcritical of what the product is. Nothing in the WWE is taboo, whether it be God (by which I am referring to the recent HBK/God tag team), sex (any show, any night) or race. Let me just say this, the most obvious wrestler I think of whenever I think of Mexican wrestlers is the late, great Eddie Guerrero. Eddie was the personification of Mexican Cool, he did nothing in my opinion of Mexicans that portrayed a negative light. The talk, the walk, the cars, it all was just awesome, period. I recall at one point Eddie was so big he came to the ring with one of the most over divas of the time, Chyna. He took Mexican culture and made it cool, made it cool to be Mexican, and made it over huge by using that angle because people loved him for it. Rey Mysterio keeps that tradition alive today, the same way Eddie did, not by being a Mexican wrestler, but a wrestler who happens to be Mexican. The plight of the Mexican wrestler has been long overdue, but as long as guys like Mysterio and Konnan, his angle in TNA currently is of Mexican pride, as well, are around, the Mexican community are represented well.

Asia has always produced some of the most talented wrestlers in the industry. Recently, however, there has been a trend that even I can't justify in making them out to be nothing more than clowns and idiots. When I think of Asian wrestlers, I don't think of these idiots that you see today, but of the past greats that were larger than life. Men like the Great Kabuki, Masa Saito, and the Great Muta. Men who were champions of the greatest promotions in history, from the NWA to the AWA to the WWWF. Whenever I get asked who I would have like to seen wrestle live the first person I usually say is the Giant Baba, a true pioneer of the "giants" in professional wrestling. Asian wrestlers come from a long, storid line of great heroes and icons, and with time hopefully the next generation, men like Jado and Kaz Hayashi, will keep the tradition alive.

Sterotypes have been part of wrestling forever, and will continue to be. I am from the a white male from the south. For all the debate and discussion this article may bring, let me just bring up this point to justify myself if my opinions seem biased in any way. Think about the sterotypes that have represented us over the years. Hillbilly Jim, The Godwynn's, The Dudley Boys (including D-Von), Stan Hansen, The West Texas Rednecks were all the "sterotypical" southern wrestler. Oh yeah, and just in case anyone has forgot, what about that bald, finger-waving, beer-drinking, anti-authority "rattlesnake" from where else than Victoria, Texas, oh yeah, that guy. If ever there was a persona a southern male looked at and said, "I wonder if this guy portrays the rest of us in a positive light"" it had to be Stone Cold. However, having said that, guess what, along with every other wrestling fan at the time, I thought he awesome, still do. The redneck from hell was the reason to tune in for years, and since his departure a huge gap has NOT been replaced. Having said that, if ever a section of the United States has had the negative sterotype placed more squarely on them it has to the southern region. We have been portrayed as ignorant, stupid, bilegerent alcoholics for generations, and the trend will continue because it is what it is, entertaining.

In conclusion, my point is this, lighten up fans. Wrestling is what it is, entertainment. So long as a topic is controversial, an angle will get a rise out of the crowd, or a sterotype will get attention, it will be used. Without controversy and debate, what would we have to talk about" Not near as much as we do now, and as much as we love to hate the Mexicools and Saba Simba, it gives us reason to watch. Entertainment, good or bad, is exactly what it is, entertaining. My points are controversial, and with reason, I don't let my fantasy world of wrestling reflect how I live my life personally. While I enjoy wrestling and the aspects of it, the good guy vs. the bad guy, oppression vs. tyranny, etc., etc, I also watch wrestling to escape REALITY for a while. Thanks for reading.

Steve O wrote:
you know as well as i do that all stereotypes are based on fact. your gonna sit there flatfooted and tell me that not a lot of black people dress like pimps now days. i suppose you would also tell me that most white people can dance. look there is simply trends among races that rise to popularity and begin to be seen in mainstream media. i am a white dude from arkansas. you would probably first think of a redneck hillbilly who listens to country (i do indulge in some dirks bentley, who doesnt). i would be better compared with jeff hardy or edge than i would with trevor rhodes or steve austin. in that particular instance this stereotype was wrong. am i offended. no. because 80% of the people around here match that description. i do agree with you on hassan getting a raw deal though. he was one of the more interesting characters in the wwe. bottom line: stereotypes are derived from the media and should not be taken so seriously. so the mexicools drive out in lawnmowers. they are embracing the stereotype for comical reasons. its funny everybodys laughing and your sitting in the corner pissed. i would hate to party with you man i seriously would.

Cruz Barnard wrote:
I dont think that sterotypes are that big of a deal in wrestling today. I will say this though, the treatment of Muhammed Hussain was ludicris! Hussain had the ability to eventually win the WWE Heavyweight and World Titles, but he was held back because of his heritage. Most people hated Hussain when he was in the WWE, but I felt sorry for him because he was being mistreated by the WWE and mis-understood by the WWE fans. Did you know that he refused to do most of the stuff that the WWE made him do" That is the only Racial Sterotype I have a problem with.

Ike Eisen wrote:
Gimmicks in pro wrestling aren't created in a vacuum. They reflect what's going on in the world at large. And if you think the American promotions are the only ones at fault for it, check out the stuff in Mexico and Japan. It's a tradition for foreigners ("gringos" and "gaijin") in both countries to be cast as invaders out to dominate the natives. So yeah, it cuts across national boundaries.

I think you're confusing a gimmick that's "racist" with a gimmick that DOESN'T WORK.

So the Mexicools drive Juan Deere lawnmowers and dress up as janitors/gardeners. They stated in their debut they were out to reclaim pride in their heritage, and their whole ring entrance was a parody of Latinos living and working in the US. Eddie's lying, cheating Cheech Marin impression" Yeah, it started as a stereotype, but the guy introduced stuff that transcended racial barriers - outwitting and outsmarting his opponents. Both the Mexicools and Latino Heat worked, because the crowd accepted the gimmicks (take note: these guys were playing to large LATINO crowds. Did anyone from this crowd protest the parody").

John Layfield plays a rich, conservative, white Republican perfectly. I don't see anyone calling JBL's act as a false stereotype.

We go back a few years to when Kaientai were doing the INDEEEEEEED gimmick. Some folks call the bad English dubbing racist, but that's being overly sensitive. Once upon a time, Asian martial arts films WERE badly dubbed, sometimes so badly they actually made the flicks good. Taka and Funaki GOT OVER by having the WWF "dub" their promos. The crowds were CHANTING ALONG with them. They actually put out a cool T-shirt (Evil. Indeed.) that you can wear outside of a wrestling event. It's not that different on the indies. New Jack" Homicide" Pinoy Boy" Sonjay Dutt" They use their ethnicity as part of the gimmick. But they get pops, so no one's calling them out on reinforcing stereotypes.

But when the gimmick FAILS" People scream RACISM! STEREOTYPING!

Saba Simba is considered racist because quite frankly, the gimmick flopped. Tatanka uses a similar ethnic gimmick, and it worked.

Akeem the African Dream flopped because it was light years ahead of Eminem as a white man in love with black urban culture. Fast-forward to John Cena, another white guy into hip-hop. White men doing rap and going gangsta is mainstream, and Cena's making money for WWE. The Iron Sheik and Mohammad Hassan's clicked because they reflected the hot news of the day.

So get off your high horse about gimmicks being racist. You're only saying that because you don't like them.

Red wrote:
I would have to say that Yes, wrestling is full of stereotypes. Life is full of stereotypes. When you stand at a bus stop, likely your going to see an elderly white man, not so old you think he can't drive, but over 50. somewhere in your mind, that is a stereotype. I've walked through my neighborhood, and seen "rednecks" on riding mowers, latino neighbors on riding mowers, teenage black girls on riding mowers. All of these things, in some way, can be seen as stereotypes. Depending on where you are in the country, depends on what YOU view as "STEREOTYPE". I was raised in Washington, D.C. I am a white female. No.. We're not all either stuck up, nor cracked out, nor Ho-like. I listen to country music, but am nothing like Gretchin Wilson. My point is, stereotypes are, in fact, based on truth. there are alot of people who match the examples I have used perfectly. then there are those that don't. they would be another stereotype. think of your advocates. be they for animals, children, women, homeless, whatever the cause, they have stereotypes. EVERY person on the planet can be fit into some sort of stereotype. Some choose to fuss about the "obvious" ones, which then puts them into ANOTHER stereotype. Most people fussing about stereotypes, are very passionate in their position. does that mean you will be less passionate, because it puts you into a "group" of other people, whom you may not agree with" Pro Lifers and Pro choicers are opposing sides of the same issue. Yet, {stereotypically} both sides are Extremely Passionate about thier particular view. doubt they would appriciate knowing they're in the same group of people as the "other side" Yet, it's the truth. Like it. Hate it. Want it. Need it. It just IS

Jose Alvarado wrote:
I was born in the States, though my parents came here from Mexico. I bring this up because I'm what most of my race would call a "coconut": "brown on the outside, white on the inside." I don't fit most of the stereotypes and I'm not too fond of being grouped into them either. Still, I think political correctness is pretty lame, so I've no problem with Eddie showing up in the low rider and calling his woman "Mamacita". I used to chime in with Konnan's "Yo, yo, yo, viva la raza!" rants. Hell, I think Born In East L.A. was one of the damn funniest movies I've ever seen and there were plenty of cheap stereotypes courtesy of Cheech Marin himself. Despite this, I find myself agreeing with Mr. Carter quite a bit. Seeing Psicosis and Super Crazy degrading themselves by coming to the ring on damn riding lawnmowers and Konnan and his LAX acting like backstabbing cholo thugs with finishers like the "cop killah" are among the stupidest and racist things I've ever seen. I think the wrestlers themselves are just as guitly as some of the writers of this crap for agreeing to go along with it all. It seems right now that the cheap stereotypes seem to be limited mostly to Umaga and his manager Estrada in the WWE, and the LAX in TNA, so it's not as bad as it could be right now, but I'd really wish it could be minimized a whole lot more.

B. Skoveng wrote: I would like to point out some other gimmicks/storylines that improved/degraded the business:

* Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock -- Austin and Rock had a very strong love/hate relationship over the years, both friends and enemies, allies and rivals, you name it. But I wonder if anyone saw the irony here, given what they undeniably were: Austin was a beerdrinking, trashtalking Texan redneck. In my opinion, that goes well as the description of your average Ku Klux Clan member. And what do you know! The Rock was half black! Because Rock's father, Rocky Johnson, was black. However, in the sense of stereotypes, only Austin's redneck attitude was the only this that the two of them made fun of, and even Austin himself made jokes about it. And even took pride in it. Never, I repeat, never did they make any jokes or other ill-fated comments about Rock's ethnic background. I applaude the WWE writing staff for this, as they were for once smart enough to not ruin a good product with their usual idiocy.

* Orlando Jordan, Chief of Staff -- You mentioned JBL's racism against the Hispanic. Allow me to point out that his right-hand man, Orlando Jordan, was black. He portrayed what is known as a 'corporate black'. In more understandable terms, a black person acting white. I give credit to Jordan for pulling off such a believable act, but unfortunately, it victimised him.

* Triple H vs Booker T, WrestleMania XXI -- Here is one of the worst storylines I've seen. I guess everyone is familiar with the bavkgrounds of both men, so I don't waste time repeating it. But I say it was a given that this thing gave away quit obvious openings for racism. Not only is Booker T darker than some of the other blacks in the WWE; in appearance, Triple H is an arian. Blond, blue-eyed white sadist" That's more like description of a Gestapo officer than a wrestler. It even got worst when Triple H said that throughout all his comments, he had never said the word 'black', but how many times did he say 'those kind of people'..."

* John Cena, Dr. of Thuganomics -- Let me first precise that Cena is NOT the Dr. of Thuganomics. Thuganomics was originally a gimmick done by Tazz, a colored Brooklyn, NY native with some of the most impressive feats WWE and ECW has seen. When Tazz did it, it was somewhat stereotypical, but it was good. Handing it over to Cena was flat-out, straight-out dumb! But let's take a look at one specific event which has made me think; in the build-up to Vengeance in 2003, John Cena, who was just starting on his rapper-gimmick as a heel, took on Orlando Jordan, who appeared as a fairly standard babyface grappler. During the contest, Jordan was saved by Undertaker who gave him some advise later on. Now, we have Jordan, black man trained by a black man (Rocky Johnson), getting help and advice from Undertaker; white Texan doing a biker gimmick and trained by a white man (Don Jardine), to beat Cena, a white man from Massachusetts doing a rapper gimmick and trained at Ultimate University (which sounds very corporate if you ask me) (Note: Yes, I know this was very overdone analysis of their backgrounds, but I'm just trying picturing your own statements). This feud was ok since Cena was white, but maybe Jordan could've carried the rapper gimmick better..." Ok, it would've been stereotypical and more racistic (2 white men against 1 black man), but Cena's continuance of the white boy rapper gimmick is awful! It wouldn't be much of a surprise that Jordan doing the rapper gimmick could have been the salvation of his career.

* (King) Booker (T) -- This is just a side note, but think of this for a moment; King Booker, or Booker T if you like, is WWE's first-ever black World Heavyweight Champion. Why did it have to take four and a half years before this happened" Heel or not, Booker has been in the business for a long time, and he held the very same title belt five times in WCW, and went through that really disgusting storyline with Triple H that was mentioned here before, only to lose. What was WWE's problem of recognising Booker before now"

Now, it can all be traced to WWE's writnig staff. We have all been sighing in despair of this 'factory of crap stories', but they just keep on serving us, pardon the expression, feces. It can't be helped; they are mean, sadistic, judgemental and dumb. And we can't obviously do anything about it. So I guess we all just have keep our breaths and hold on, HOPING that one day, something good will come.

(Like THAT's ever gonna happen...)

Sam UK wrote:
What politically correct bunch of bollocks that column was! To cry like you did for hispanic wrestlers and their heritage is one thing but you didnt mention the highlanders (Scottish people) eating out of a bin or Irish people (Finlay) wanting to fight everybody. They dont eat out of bins in Scotland and nor do the irish love to fight. Mexicans do a lot of lawns in the USA though dont they"

Glostraffic1 wrote:
I m tired of hearing people of pale try so hard to make themselves and other people think that there racist stereotypes in wrestling and in general is not that serious. Theres always a black wrestler coming out to a hip hop theme song and he's always judged as a "jive talking", gold teath wearing,sex crazy,no good gang member NIGGER stereotype in a racist way, but how come when a white wrestler comes out to a rock n roll song its not like ahhh here we go another trailer trash, crystal meth smoking ,wife beating ,surfer dude nawly kickass white boy jive talking,KKK pointless piece of dog shit HUNKY or CRACKER . And i love Stone cold he's one of my favorite wrestlers but the fact that him being that no life character and he was noticed as being real and a proud redneck and people loved him , but when real black dude like New Jack from ECW , he was the whole gang type guy from the ghetto and he was real but didn't get the respect and fame that stone cold got. The only reason whites are always saying racist stuff isn't serious cause there always the one dishing it out not taking it .On tv making the bloods and crips all black gangs looking like a joke but if a white guy brought all his friends into a black ghetto he wouldn't be saying that and this column is probally not even going to be put on the website cause im talking about them. ]

Kyle Gurrent wrote:
Wow Glostraffic1, that was a very heated comment. Some things you said might have offended most people but not me, because I've heard them all before. Im glad that someone who felt very strongly about race wrote on here and I hope you stay reading (and not lazily stop) because this should help clarify a few things. First of all, the majority of the audience (American audience that is) falls into the Austin redneck category, so that is why they cheered for Austin but not for new jack. Having said that, not all wrestling fans assume that if a black guy comes out to rap music, he is a gangster. IN FACT, it's the American fans, which immediately think that, and if you're tired of stereotypes like that from the white dominate America I suggest you move, because it's not going to get any better, any time soon. Third of all, Im assuming that since you felt very strongly about racism against blacks that you are black. And if you are, than this is going to be easy to get across. Because I myself am black............. and Native American. Now hearing the Native American part at the end, did you keep reading or..........did you roll your eyes" Because if you rolled your eyes, then you yourself are a racist. And if you are a racist, than you should stop reading this and my point in writing this is meaningless. Because there is no getting through to a racist.

If you aren't a racist and you have no ill feeling towards biracial people like myself then you may continue reading. I noticed in your quotes Glostraffic1, that you kept your comments on African Americans brief but your comment on Caucasian (that's white for the racist readers) was nearly a sentence or two long. Implying that you have a lot of resentment towards the white race. My friend, you can bitch and complain all you want but if that's all you do then you're just feeding the racist's ego. The majority of Americans are stupid, rather they are white, black, Asian, Spanish, Indian (the REAL INDIANS), yellow, brown, bronze or blue. Stupid how" Stupid by not knowing the country's around them. Stupid by becoming a puppet of the media. Stupid by being one of the largest racist cesspools in the world (next to India of course,). And stupid by being hard headed, narrow minded nation of spoiled brats.

That's how America is stupid. That's why everybody jokes on America, not because of jealousy, but because of pity. Take this how you may but, no matter what your mom or your dad told you about white or black people, they were wrong! Simply because people can have various personalities and taste's that are not and cannot be categorized in one race. That's why when you talk about any race you have to say majority or minority. Because everyone does not think the same way. Not everybody white hated new jack, Im sure a ''minority'' of the white people liked him.

Then we come back to the American audience, who like yourself, ARE AMERICAN, you think differently and have gone and been through different things. SO, it is no wonder why the rest of the world didn't know WHAT THE HELL NEW JACK WAS TALKING ABOUT. You think some kid in Romania is going to know how it's hard in the streets for crip" THEY DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT A CRIP IS" The only people who would cheer or boo him were American. The rest of the world just scratched there head confused. Someone from a different country or background isn't going to know every detail about your ''hood''. I MEAN HOW BIG IS YOUR HOOD ANYWAY A BLOCK OR TWO" But yet again that American mentality 'assumed'' that there country is the center of the universe and everybody everywhere should know what a Compton or a Brooklyn is. No one will know your culture if they aren't from your country. Which is the reason why no non- American gave a damn about new jack because unless they had been to America or met an American they wouldn't know what new jack's gimmick was about.

In response to your 'On TV making the bloods and crips all black gangs looking like a joke but if a white guy brought all his friends into a black ghetto he wouldn't be saying that'' comment. First of all, not every black person is in a gang, or knows a person in a gang or lives in the ghetto. I have lived in shitty apartments when I was a baby, rented houses when I was in grades 1-5, and town houses. I've met all kinds of people, been to my homeland in Canada, I've been up and down the east coast of the usa, Im studying to go to a college in England, all while my mom has been busting her ass through the years. And I never, NEVER blamed any problems in my life on whites, blacks or any other race. The only people that people in the ghetto need to blame is their parents for not doing something better with their lives, and stop with the narrow minded, hand me downed, anti- white mentality, that unfornutely a lot of black AMERICANS have. Also, being from the Maritimes (that's the east coast of Canada) I've met allot of black friends and not one is apart of any gang, holds any grudge against any race, like you black Americans have against white people.

So to you Glostraffic1, and to every American reader reading, I'd like to say MOVE ON FROM THE 19th and early 20th CENTURY, SLAVERY IS OVER, AND ITS Ridiculous

THAT YOU ALL ARE STILL ARGUEING OVER IT!

wrote:

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