 |
WWE Champion Jinder Mahal, who made racist remarks at a live taping of WWE Smackdown // Via Wikipedia Commons |
Yuvraj Singh Dhesi, a WWE wrestler (and current champion) better known as Jinder Mahal, made racist remarks against his opponent, Shinsuke Nakumora, at a Tuesday night taping at Oracle Arena in Oakland. Mahal mocked cultural Asian speech, saying Nakumora always "rooks" (instead of "looks") the same. He then told Nakumora, "They [the fans] call you Mr. Miyagi," referencing the Japanese karate master from "Karate Kid." He also accused the Bay Area audience of being xenophobic.
But it didn't take long for the Oakland fans to voice their discontent with the situation. They booed Mahal after his insensitive "rooks" comment, and after the Mr. Miyagi reference, the fans chanted in unison, "That's too far One fan could even be heard on T.V. yelling, "That's too racist."
My response to this situation is mostly shock. What's most concerning is that the WWE is scripted, meaning Mahal's monologue had to pass through and be approved by multiple people before making it to the Oracle Arena ring. Sure, Mahal plays a "villain" role on the show, meaning his job is to be disliked by the crowd, but there are many other ways for him to attract heat from the fans.
It is unfortunate how racism has become so normalized in society that it is now being openly displayed on a family program ("Smackdown" is rated PG, meaning it is typically appropriate for most children). According to WWE.com, of the 11 million weekly WWE viewers, 17 percent are under 18 years old. With such a heavy youth fanbase, the WWE should be promoting equality, diversity and acceptance, not demonstrating racism.
Mahal's words don't necessarily cross any legal boundaries, as his freedom of speech is protected by the First Amendment. However, there are limitations to the First Amendment that one could argue were violated by Mahal. In Chaplinsky v. New Hampshire, the Supreme Court established that "fighting words" — defined as "words that by their very utterance inflict injury, [and] speech that incited an immediate breach of the peace." But seven years later, in Tarminiello v. Chicago, it was established that denouncing political or ethnic groups is not, in fact, "fighting words," as "[The] function of free speech under our system of government is to invite dispute," the majority from the case said. "It may indeed best serve its high purpose when it induces a condition of unrest, creates dissatisfaction with conditions as they are, or even stirs people to anger. Speech is often provocative and challenging."
So while Mahal didn't cross a legal line, he certainly crossed a moral one. While it is great that the Oakland fans called him out for his wrongdoing, it is frankly embarrassing that the WWE let this slip-up happen in the first place. We need to be actively denouncing racism, not demonstrating it on public platforms.
Sources:
No comments:
Post a Comment