I write this at the risk of losing readers, but I promise I mean well.
If one year ago you'd asked me to bet on which active WWE Superstar was going to run for office, it sure as hell wouldn't have been current tag team champion Rhyno. Well, besides the fact Rhyno wasn't on the roster, long-time star Kane would have been my pick.
Kane is a well-respected veteran in the WWE locker room, not just for his tenure (over 20 years) inside the ring, but his acumen outside of it. He's a known libertarian, an intelligent man, and hey-- he won a game of The Weakest Link!
However, this week, I saw a side of Kane, real name Glen Jacobs, that was a little disheartening.
The former WWF Champion appeared alongside fellow wrestler Dolph Ziggler on Fox Business this week on “Kennedy.” During the segment, it was “reported” that many of the Donald Trump protesters in Portland, Oregon didn't vote. Kane was there to speak about the situation.
The report isn't misleading as it is misdirecting, and Kane made sure to specify that. If you're getting arrested in relation to what is supposed to be a peaceful protest, there's not a lot of stock to be put into your political opinion or history – unless you're wrongfully arrested. That doesn't seem to be the case here. Kane spoke instead regarding his feelings about the protests in general.
“What are you trying to accomplish? You're going out and showing the world that you're genuinely angry. Guess what sunshine? No one cares. If you want do something constructive, get out of the echo chamber. Get off Facebook and social media where everyone is talking about the same thing you agree with,” said Jacobs.
I try not to get political on the site I manage, Fightful.com, but I thought this was fair – you know, based on constitutional rights and such. Whether or not I agree with the Trump protests or not is irrelevant. As is the argument that it won't change anything.
The Boston Tea Party. The Civil Rights match on August 28, 1963. The protests for women's suffrage.
Are the protests of today comparable to those? Maybe not to you. Maybe to others. The anti-war protests in the fall of 1969. Antiglobalization in Seattle in 1999. How about the labor movement? All of those people would have been called 'crybabies' on today's social media. All of them had gripes, all had voices, and all had people who could and couldn't sympathize
It doesn't matter if you agree with it, it's their right – YOUR right. If you tell people to just shut up, go home and not make their voice heard because you don't disagree, where does it end? The Second Amendment? Your stance on pro-life/pro-choice? Freedom of religion? All were hot topics during the 2016 election.
“Stop denigrating those you don't agree with and talk to your neighbor who voted for Donald Trump. What you'll find is is they're not a homophobe, racist bigot. They're generally a common, hard working, decent person who's fed up with permanent Washington overclass. People in Washington not watching out for their best interests, watching out for the rich and powerful. Sounds a lot like Bernie Sanders, doesn't it” said Kane.
Woah, bro. What?
Well, I mean, I guess you could draw that comparison in that neither of the two men were bought, sure. Both appealed to demographics that were and are sick of the status quo as it pertains to American politics. Outside of a few policies, the similarities end there. Sanders had no controversies. He ran a clean race without alienating minorities, was open about his financial past, and had a categorically different tax plan than the one Trump looks to employ which doesn't accurately reflect the statement in which Kane provided. Sanders has a wealth of experience. Chaos vs. calculation isn't comparable. We're talking a Michael Jordan, Space Jam in the fourth quarter with the time ticking down level stretch from Kane here.
Donald Trump is our President-elect here in America. That's not changing, and it shouldn't. He won fair and square, regardless of the rest of the world being a little confused about the electoral system. Those protesting the outcome have an uphill battle to fight. That's far from the only reason people are protesting. They're speaking out for their rights – the same ones Kane says they should suppress.
“It would be much more constructive would be if we talked about what brings us together and what we all want. You're not going to do that causing a whole bunch of property damage.” said Kane.
Hell yeah. Arrest those people. I'm down with that. It's against the law. It's also a fraction of one percent of protesters. Dolph Ziggler had a much more level-headed approach. If you're there for change, to raise your concern, have at it. If you're there to update your snapchat story, that's a less than desirable reason. Most importantly – don't tear shit up. That undermines the legit purposes that thousands of others are trying to convey.
Whether I like Donald Trump or not, he's given me personal cause for concern. He wants to “open up the libel laws” as it pertains to media. Well, those don't exist, but it paints a pretty terrible picture that someone could sue anyone in the media not over something false, but unfavorable. At least how our President- elect was referring to it. That's scary. We turn to the media for honesty, favorable or not. Had any candidate done that, I would understand the media protesting in fear of their rights. The brutal honesty of it, this election – to a common man like myself – was selecting between incompetence on one end, and knowing someone was bought on the other end.
If they're Muslim, Hispanic, Gay – just human. I see the reason why you'd protest. Keep doing it. Just don't ruin it for others by tearing shit up, regardless of what “The Big Red Machine” says. Whatever your cause, let your voice be heard. If you're Kane, let your voice be heard – even if it's really weird and generalizes a lot of people. It's your right. Protect those. When one domino falls, the rest usually aren't far behind.
Happy Thanksgiving!
