The Critique
“That All Too Risque Subject that is …. Muhammed
Hassan!”
This column is long overdue. It will probably piss
many people off… Hopefully some will agree with me,
but as always any and all feedback is welcome. Before
you continue, please know that in no way am I
attempting to be Anti-American. I hope many of you
can read this with a straight head and comment the
same way. Here we go….
When Muhammed Hussan came to WWE, I though that it was
tasteless and dis-respectful. And that is a lot
considering I am Canadian and most Canucks despise
Bush’s war against Iraq, including myself. But that
is another argument for a different platform. Back to
Hassan… I hated the character and the angle, but he
slowly grew on me. With his in-ring ability I became a
fan. Don’t get me wrong, Hassan was no HBK, Angle or
Bret Hart, but he showed potential inside the ring.
On the mic, the man was great. Look past what he was
saying and look at how he delivered it. A lot of the
fans and media need to realize that this man was
playing a part… He was acting. The higher ups at
UPN
certainly need to realize this. The least they could
do was tell WWE that Hassan could stay if he would
undergo a face turn in the not to distant future. I
wouldn’t have liked to see it, but that is the least
they could have done.
Instead, however, they pull him from TV. Which
subsequently makes everything he ever said about the
USA and the media 100% absolutely TRUE. The American
Media and the American Public ARE holding
Arab-Americans back! I don’t mean to offend you
readers by that last remark, but prove me wrong. UPN
has made Hassan a martyr for people who actually agred
with the filth he spewed forward on a WWE microphone.
But my other point is that when HHH produced a video
of Kane raping a dead girl, neither Kane nor HHH were
pulled from WWE Television. And to me (a wrestling
fan of 20 years) that was almost enough for me to turn
off my TV. But a man who has several other men in
ski-masks attack the Undertaker and choke him out is?!
Come on. Can anyone remember when the Undertaker
himself had a minion of guys who CRUCIFIED Steve
Austin?! Was he taken off TV? No… He got the WWE
Title.
How many times has a man been choked out on WWE TV;
whether it be with a wire in a quote – unquote
“terrorist” outfit or by a camera cable or a flag or
something else that was just handy to grab?! Too many
times to count. Was it bad timing? Sure it was. But
nobody could have predicted the horrifying events that
took place that day in London. Should the WWE, UPN or
Hassan suffer? Absolutely not!
Earlier this year, FOX produced the TV show 24, in
which Arabs were depicted as terrorists who were
willing to unleash a nuclear warhead on the U.S. In
one of the episodes, the terrorists actually bombed
and successfully shot down Air Force One while it was
in the air. To me (a Canadian) that seems it would
be more offensive to an American than a guy being
choked by WHITE MEN in ski masks! White men! They
were white! And anyone with half a brain could see
that!
But did FOX succumb to pressure to pull 24 from it’s
TV line-up? No. In fact I don’t think I remember any
controversy from that! But when it involves WWE the
ignorant public gets upset.
Y’know this may all be part of a bigger picture. And
this dates back to the PTC attacking the WWE for lude
and crude comments on their shows. If it happens on
JAG, or 24, or any other drama show; then it is OK.
But as soon as it happens on WWE (Sports
Entertainment) it should be banned and the character
responsible should be fired. Maybe WWE should stop
calling themselves Sports Entertainment and just call
themselves a Primetime Sports Drama. Maybe then they
will be given a fair shake.
Basically, anyone that found that offensive for any
other reason than the day it was shown; needs to take
their helmet off and give their head a shake. The WWE
has done more offensive and more tasteless things in
the past that went un-noticed. This is a tragedy that
a man will pretty much lose his job due to something
that the American media fears. AN AMERICAN MAN! And
I think that is what is being lost. Muhammed Hassan
is an Arab-American, but he is still an American! I
don’t know how you treat people down there in the
States, but up here, it doesn’t matter what color or
race you are, you get a fair shake… In fact up here,
we don’t have Arab-Canadians, Asian-Canadians, African
Canadians… Everyone is a Canadian!
Perhaps that is the problem. Perhaps the American
media is just too racist to see the light. Not to say
that racism doesn’t exist in Canada, but I have never
heard Canadians described in terms like I listed
above.
I know that I am ranting, but this topic opens up many
other avenues, and it just shows how angry I am. This
is a travesty that this has been allowed to happen by
UPN, the WWE, but most of all the American media.
Hopefully one day this will change. I for one,
certainly hope my kids aren’t writing a similar column
in ten years.
For now, this is The Critic, saying to UPN and the
American Media…. Consider yourselves CRITIQUED!
– Brad Freeman
