Cruelty as entertainment

I found a fictional profile of a wrestler in a scan of an old WWF magazine. In the hobbies section, the writer of the magazine editor wrote this, speaking in the voice of the wrestler:

"Driving around in my car, while laughing at homeless people and the 9-5 working class bums."

Now, what kind of sick mind comes up with something like that for the sake of entertaining the readers?

What year was that? I dunno, sounds like a spoiled and entitled sort of thing to say. Were they reaching for teenage audiences?

Yes, there was a time in America when everyone wasn't so sensitive and there was actually a sense of humor without the personal stabs that everyone seems to read into things these days.
There are a lot of '70s shows and movies that wouldn't be produced today because of that.
Take Blazing Saddles for instance.

Makes me wonder, once Aliens begin to integrate with our society, will we lose movies like Mars Attacks! ? (it's offensive to Martians)

Cruelty as entertainment is the most traditional form of entertainment.

like the Roman Colosseum

Not to mention the idea behind the classical Greek tragedy wasn't to bring the audience down, but to make them feel good. The idea was that watching the misfortunes of others made the viewer feel better about their own lives.

Like some of today's TV talk and reality shows (Dr Phil, Jerry Springer, Hoarders, etc)

(check out lyrics to Peter Gabriel's "Barry Williams Show" )

"Driving around in my car, while laughing at homeless people and the 9-5 working class bums."


he make a joking comment, that he talking his fame. he was homeless once, or he employed a 9-5 worker once. he doesn't mean by this, he talking about himself.

Early television:

"To the moon Alice!" (domestic)

in 60's, there were too many greek tragedy tv shows or episodes.

in the early 60's, the next version of " lassie " tv show. when the next generation's viewers, you see the drunken winehead that appeared on the show. I don't mean timmy. he goes to college and the drunken winehead, lassie goes to rehab.

june lockheart, her husband dies in the show, lassie get too much for her. june has go to bars, get lassie that winehead off the bar stools. lassie tell everyone, she lost her paw in civil war, that how lassie got free drinks. june had to put in the wanted ad to sell lassie or take lassie to aaa meetings. june was drunken, too, only reason, went to the bars. right, to get lassie, right! why, the producers of the show, get this plot in the show, not the bar scene, for June's problems keep the winhead.

lassie was make more money than june , and June's contract was over, need to first episode of the tv show. then, june went on and starred on , " lost in space ".

so, june on the episode, june sell lassie to a family. with a boy and a girl, ( really were midgets, they get passed off as becky and leory ( a white leory , had a black leory washing the bathrooms and cleaning offices. tv wasn't ready for a black actor, yet. ) what happen the family, the father was forest ranger, rick, ( like to go out in the woods, peed off tree's barks. but that another stories with allegiantion from actor deers on set, that was pending on the lawsuit at the time. ) at any way.

what happen, the family ( I forgot the plot's story) left lassie or lassie change after she drink a bottle of morgan david wine in a tree's stub, ( lassie was drinking off the set, and brought the bottle on the set that day. ) fell a sleep toxic under the tree's stub. lassie miss her ride.

for a season, lassie travels through the united states, searching for forest ranger, rick and his family. once again, to be united with again , with them again. I was 6 years old, when I watched this reunion on tv, I cried.

the greek tragedy like most of these 60's tv shows, off set, lassie's contract told her that she couldn't drink on and off the set was in production.

if, not cruelty in entertainment, to animals, what it is!

I think there's a lack of empathy inherent to the example I gave. I mean, it's like kicking a dog when he's down and injured or pissing on a drunken person because he can't defend himself properly. Homeless people and the workers in the street put their backs into their living and should be respected, not made fun of.

Consider the source perhaps, mind you we do live in a very cruel world where there is no such thing as bad publicity!!