FanPost

The Blurred Line Between Morality and Art

WWE.com

I am not a judge.

I do not stand atop the crowded mountain known as the moral high-ground passing judgment on what is or is not morally and ethically acceptable, nor do I have any desire to do so.

I am also not a member of the ever growing gang of self appointed adjudicators, eager to make proclamations of ‘guilty’ or ‘not guilty’ as it pertains to proverbial hot topics or issues of the day.

Appointing oneself both judge and jury seems, to me, somewhat of an ethical conflict in and of itself, yet the ubiquitous court of public opinion remains as prevalent today as it ever was.

Initially I had not planned to write about the controversial segment that concluded Monday’s episode of Raw involving Charlotte, Paige and the memory of a young man found lifeless in a hotel room by his father after a lethal dose of heroin stopped his heart. I was more than confident the talented purveyors of this website would cover the situation appropriately – not surprisingly I was correct in that regard. I was also fairly confident a number of fellow Cagesiders would broach the topic with various points of view, which was also correct. I just didn’t feel the need to add another opinion into the mix.

Monday’s episode of Raw was particularly compelling. The show was produced in a manner that created the perfect blend of pro wrestling and sports entertainment, a rare achievement for WWE as of late. Each of the four tournament matches told compelling stories while, at the same time, remaining true to the larger narrative of the vacant WWE title. The actual wrestling that took place throughout the episode was perhaps the best collective display of wrestling on an episode of Raw in quite some time. Small doses of ‘entertainment’ content were then nicely mixed in among the gripping athletic presentation. The Undertaker, Kane and the Wyatt family continued their battle for control of WWE’s underworld. The New Day was, well The New Day. Triple H continued the search for his next man, as it were. And a contract signing between Charlotte and Paige was promoted in advance of their Diva’s Championship match this Sunday at Survivor Series.

These were the topics I had originally planned to explore this week before re-watching the controversial segment several times. After analyzing both my personal reaction to the events and the actual segment itself at nauseam, I realized there were still elements of the situation worth exploring in a public forum.

As Raw progressed it became clear that the contract signing segment was going to close the show. This was particularly compelling, as I was eager to see how the two talented women would frame the tried but true pro wrestling storytelling device. Placing such an emphasis on the Diva’s division amidst a WWE title tournament was both exciting and encouraging.

As Charlotte began to speak, her odd cadence immediately caught my attention. Something seemed off. Clearly the task of dictating the material she’d been given was weighing heavy on her mind before the time came for her to reference her deceased brother, Reid. Paige, though much more confident in her delivery, also appeared to be less forceful than her character is normally portrayed.

By now we all know what was said and the history behind the events referenced.

Declaring something as tasteless or disgusting is not something I feel qualified to do. Who am I to determine the parameters for what is decent and what is not? Attempting to do so establishes a dangerous precedent I’m not necessarily willing to protect or enforce.

From a pure critique standpoint the ethical evaluation of art has traditionally fallen into one of two polarizing categories, moralism or autonomism. The distinct philosophical differences between the schools of thought tend to be as equally dividing as the subject matter in question. Students of moralism determine the aesthetic value of art based on its greater moral value, or lack thereof. Conversely, those who practice autonomism believe the application of morality as it pertains to art should not exist all. In essence, morality is thrown out the window in the name of creating art.

I refuse to subscribe to either of these shortsighted points of view, choosing instead to recognize the obvious shades of grey that exist throughout the artistic spectrum. As a result, articulating my own personal emotions as I watched the events of Monday night unfold is the only rational approach to take.

As the segment concluded with Charlotte and Paige engaged in a vicious brawl the language beforehand was designed to instigate, a wave of uncomfortable awkwardness washed over me. Despite its relatively short length, enduring the segment proved physically taxing. So much so that I was forced to turn off my television and sit in the darkness of my living room for several minutes in an attempt to digest what I had just seen. These feelings of unease returned each time I relived the events.

Producing a visceral reaction to material is essentially the primary job of a pro wrestling writer or booker. Without the presence of such reactions it’s virtually impossible to create a substantial emotional investment in a hero’s success or a heels defeat. That said, it occurred to me that the source of my uncomfort was not a welcomed byproduct of well-placed heat, as was the case during the Sasha Banks/Bayley encounter involving Bayley’s superfan, Izzy. Instead, the genesis of my uncomfort was a subconscious sympathy for Charlotte and Paige having to participate in the segment to begin with.

I acknowledge and accept the fact that my reaction to the segment speaks to who I am as an individual more so than anything else. As both a father and a brother my immediate instincts were to place myself in the shoes of the bereaved. These feelings were undoubtedly influenced by the fact that I, like Charlotte, have experienced the tumultuous strain placed on a family due to the horrors of addiction.

Listening to Ric Flair discuss the situation on his podcast Wednesday morning did little to alleviate my misgivings, if anything, his comments only heightened the discomfort. Failing to consult with Flair prior to the execution of this angle was, in my opinion, in poor taste. Placing Charlotte in the difficult position to execute the segment was also, in my opinion, in poor taste. The very concept of the so-called Diva Revolution is supposed to be rooted in the premise of empowering women. Pressuring a vulnerable woman (vulnerable due to her current rookie status on the main roster)into a position where she is afraid to say no, for fear of possible creative or professional repercussions, goes against the very principle the movement is claiming to promote.

That said, how the art was produced and why the art was produced are two very different things that require two distinct critiques. The poor judgment shown by WWE personnel, specifically Vince McMahon, in the making of this segment should not impact one’s ability to consume or critique the actual material with an open mind.

Exploiting reality and the emotions spawned by said reality for the sake of advancing fiction is not a credible criticism of art. Exploitation films have long since existed in the world of cinema and their presence often adds significant contributions to the medium. Similar exploitative devices are also used throughout literature, music and the stages of Broadway to great fanfare and profit.

In pro wrestling the exploitation of human emotion is among the most important facets of the industry. The foreign menace heel is the oldest angle in pro wrestling’s history, dating back to Frank Gotch and George Hackenschmidt in the early 1900s. Exploiting the patriotism of an audience to generate heat is an effective storytelling device. Perhaps the most controversial representation of this device was the 1991 angle between Hulk Hogan and Sgt. Slaughter, who abandoned his drill sergeant gimmick for that of an Iraqi sympathizer during the Persian Gulf War. While that particular storyline is often dismissed among wrestling’s detractors and fans alike as an example of ‘wrestling being wrestling’, the fact remains, the angle bares striking resemblance to storylines produced in highly successful and critically acclaimed films or television shows like Homeland. Art is art, the medium in which specific art is produced or consumed by the masses holds no bearing on how that art should be critiqued- the same standards applied to cinema must be applied to pro wrestling, to do otherwise is nothing short of intellectually dishonest.

The lines between kayfabe and reality have never been as blurred as they are in today’s information age. As a result, it’s easy to fall into the trap of differentiating the exploitation of an audience’s emotions as opposed to an actual performer’s. Doing so, however, is somewhat of a pointless exercise. The emotion being exploited is less the point and the feelings that exploitation produces is more the point. Whether or not Sgt. Slaughter, a veteran of the United States Marine Corps, scornfully took part in the trader storyline or eagerly embraced the role should not be a factor when consuming or critiquing the artistic merit of the angle. The same is true for both Charlotte and Paige.

I’m very much looking forward to watching Charlotte and Paige wrestle one another at Survivor Series, however, I am no more excited about the match following Monday night’s angle than I already was. And so, from a promotional standpoint the segment could potentially be deemed a failure. On the other hand, the segment extracted real emotion from me. It gave me pause and forced a brief moment of self reflection. That is the job of art, to elicit emotion from those consuming it. To that end the segment can only be categorized as a resounding success.

Art can be beautiful and it can be ugly; it can make us laugh just as easily as it can make us cry. Likewise, art can be morally acceptable or it can penetrate into the more dubious alleyways of society. How we as individuals react to such displays provides the opportunity to learn something about ourselves. Wrestling, as it turns out, is not just wrestling after all.

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