First, my goal is not to incite political debate and name calling here, however I acknowledge and accept that this thread may bring about some political discourse. If you choose to comment in that vain, please keep it civil. That being said, I (speaking/writing as an American) view Ronald Reagan and Hulk Hogan as the two most iconic celebrities of the 1980s. I would love to see a book written, mixing both a scholarly perspective and a pop cultural look at the 1980s, that examines the spirit of Reagan and America and how it tied in to the American patriotism expressed in pro wrestling- most vocally and boisterously expressed by Hulk Hogan and the WWF. The WWF and Hogan ran wild with the socio-political storylines of the day- most notably the Cold War and problems with Iran and terrorists. When the WWE tried to go there after September 11th with the Muhammed Hassan gimmick, the plug was quickly pulled. They (the the WWE) have been doing a bit of work with the current problems with Russia and Putin, but nothing even remotely on the scale of what we saw in the 1980s. Why? Has political correctness run amok? Given the current problems in the world (ie Russia, ISIS, Israel/Palestine), why havent we seen a modern day American hero rise up in the WWE, wave the Flag, and bring the same sense of Patriotism and American Allegiance that Hulk Hogan help to inspire? Also (acknowledging that this part might be more inflammatory), most political scientists when discussing the way Reagan swept in to office point to the general malaise and climate that existed in the US under the Carter administration. How far are we from that today under the Obama administration? Americans seem to lack confidence in our nation and our standing around the world. America has taken many blows for a long time. Are the majority of Americans ready for a new American Patriotism to take flight and a new President and/or political leader rise up the way Reagan did? To see the country truly stand tall and strong again? Im curious to hear what people think about this. It seems appropriate for a Hulkamania page. Again, my goal is not to incite uncivil discourse and I dont intend to offend anyone, but anyone can go back and look at American pop culture from the 80s and look at it today and see that things have changed. However, the 80s American Patriotism that was expressed in all avenues of pop culture was birthed by what came before. Thoughts? - Matt https://youtube/watch?v=lY1gXsL6E0U
Posted on: Tue, 16 Sep 2014 14:25:07 +0000
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