I would be lying if I said that I was not disturbed in watching video clips from the WWE (formerly the WWF). I watched the WWE in the mid 90's and have since stopped, due to the obvious change of the nature of the program. Watching it recently, however, has sent my stomach into knots. What ultimately worries me is the propaganda being sent out to children, which could teach them that it is acceptable to be violent.
The WWE has evolved from wrestling into a fantastical world of testosterone, filled with sex, bullying, and anti-homosexual scenes. It emphasizes male aggression towards each other and women. At times, the show becomes nothing more than a strip-show, and women are constantly demoralized and treated as mere property of the violent men. The show even announced that an unconscious woman enjoyed being sexually assaulted after one of the fights.
The violence involved in the scenes is known as “Happy Violence”. This is where the attacks performed on each other would easily kill or severely injure the opponent in reality. But due to acting and practice, these moves inflict almost no damage to both individuals. It is not uncommon to see young adults acting out and injuring themselves while mimicking this “Happy Violence”, thinking that there is no risk involved.
Exposing young children to the WWE is a poor decision for parents to make. A child's mind is constantly developing and learning from the environment. In presenting this show a child may become confused and understand the actions taken in the show as socially acceptable.
