FanPost

Shadow Shoots 2: 1-3-2012 - Rise Above What Now?


(After the first one, I've decided to take a more...kayfabish turn with this one. Kinda subverts the "shoot" nature a bit, but I'll still try to keep it relevant to smart fans like those of my ilk.)

It has come to my attention that there is someone who is extremely misguided. This person spouts out a faux-philosophical statement that he claims to live by, and yet, there are very few people who are buying it. As best as I can tell, this is for good reason. This person is also a sort of go-to guy for WWE management, a guy who stays on top despite his best efforts to remain static and uninteresting. Amazingly, there are still some people who love this person, but they are dwindling in number as they find out what kind of a person he really is.

That person is none other than John Cena.

John Cena started out as a thug who lived and died by the way of the streets. He rapped hard and fought harder. He was a man who channeled his emotions into the energy he needed to become the top man in the WWE. Later, he evolved into a soldier, fighting against the bad guys who wanted to destroy everything that people loved about the WWE. But over time, he became nothing more than a marketing machine, eye candy for the ladies and a role model for the kids. And yet, what kind of role model is he now, really? He's a shell of his former self, a quote generator, and worst yet...a hypocrite.

Now I know what you're thinking. "How the hell is John Cena a hypocrite? He's a fine, upstanding man. He spends more time with charities than any other WWE Superstar! And he espouses the philosophy of rising above hatred and adversity to achieve your goals! What could possibly be wrong with that?"

To that, I answer this way: remember that the Devil can often appear as an angel of light, seeking to manipulate the innocent with pure-sounding ways. But if you look deep enough, you can pick out the lies and thwart his plans. Now, it should be noted that I do not consider him a hypocrite in reference to his charity work. Rather, it's his philosophy that I have a problem with. "Rise Above Hate". The very statement itself is inherently flawed. In this world filled with people who do idiotic things in the name of what they consider righteous causes, how does one "rise above hate" exactly? Cena would like you to believe it's as simple as "live and let live", that as long as you don't let the hatred of others get to you and don't harbor hate toward others, everything will be A-OK for you. This is im-freakin'-possible! Hate exists, whether we try to wish it away or not. As long as humanity exists, there will always be some ignoramus out there willing to do something stupid out of hatred for someone or something. Hell, there's even a concept called "righteous anger", because it is perfectly okay to be indignant over a blatant injustice. How can one do away with a natural process, and one that can be constructively employed at that? Thus, the concept of "rising above hate" is a fallacy and a Pollyanna's fairy tale. Even the most optimistic of us know that hatred is not so easy done away with. But that's not even the biggest problem I have, and it's not even the reason why Cena is a hypocrite.

No, the definition of a hypocrite, as you probably know, is "someone who acts in direct violation of their stated principles or morals." How does Cena violate his principles? It's quite simple, really. John Cena doesn't rise above anything except his fellow superstars in merchandise sales. He doesn't rise above hatred because he doesn't stand against hatred. Now, before you run me out on a rail, allow me to explain. You see, "rising above hate" denotes taking a stand against hatred in all its forms. It means, paradoxically, hating hatred, essentially. Cena does not do this. In fact, he explicitly said just last night that he doesn't care if you love or hate him. ...Umm, excuse me for a second, but what? How is that taking a stand against hatred? How is that "rising above"? It's the ultimate in permissive behavior! And he's not even doing it because he doesn't care what you think; he's doing it because he thinks it's the better way to live! In doing so, he violates his own philosophy, because he isn't "rising above hate" at all! He's just saying "Eh, whatever" to hate! And on his own Twitter, he used the line "if you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything." Again, WHAT!? John, how can you say that when you're not really standing for anything at all? For all your talk about taking a stand against hatred and overcoming adversity, when the chips are down, you allow people to hate you. You give them the power and a carte blanche to pile hate on you. You tell them to do whatever the hell they want, to act however they feel toward you. And in doing so, you are feeding their hatred. They know they are getting to you, Cena. You can put up that permissive facade all you want, but you do care that they hate you, and worse yet, you are allowing it to happen. This is what makes the Great and Mighty Doctor of Thuganomics a hypocrite. You claim not to care, but you do. You claim to be above hatred, and yet you not only do nothing to stop hatred, you feed it with your inaction.

The way I see it, Cena, you stand at a three-fold fork in the road. There are three ways you can go from here. You can admit that you are a hypocrite, repent, and become a completely honest person who legitimately wants to conquer hatred by standing against it in every form. You can give into the hatred and reveal yourself for what you truly are. Or you can continue in the direction you have been going, and thereby fall into stagnation and destruction. The longer you delay, John, the more likely that this hatred you have allowed to grow and fester will destroy you. You must make this choice soon if you wish to keep any semblance of a soul. Heel, face...it doesn't matter which you become. If you want to continue to have a future, you need to come clean and decide what to do about your hypocrisy. Embrace it, or repent for it. Pick either of these two and survive. Any other outcome will ensure that you fall into shadows.

The FanPosts are solely the subjective opinions of Cageside Seats readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Cageside Seats editors or staff.