Wrestling with Reality-How Modern Media Mirror Pro Wrestling

Note: This is merely a lecture that connects to a variety of content presented across our previous courses. It operates as a stand-alone survey, but please be aware of what you are joining. This particular course is designed to provide an opportunity for reflection or discussion. We hope it helps contribute to a greater sense of awareness, in some small way, so that we, as people, can approach more unified times. It offers an introductory overview of a complex topic. While the course is very "America-centric", the general concepts addressed have no borders. Although the class is rooted in the skills of media analysis, it should be deemed for entertainment purposes primarily. We offer other free courses for those interested in more concrete skills, as does the Udemy platform, and encourage you to sign up for those if that is what you seek. Half this course focuses on the history of professional wrestling, in the context of how it relates to modern media; so if that is uninteresting to you, you should likely skip this class. We say that because we value your time. :)

Course: Legendary rock musician Jim Morrison has been attributed with the quote, “Whoever controls the media, controls the mind.” Such words could be seen as an eerie warning; a prophetic statement; a simple observation; or even a paranoid delusion, depending on one’s perspective. But regardless of what degree to which his statement rings true, what most people would likely concede is that media certainly have an important, and quite powerful, position in society. In many ways, media contribute to the creation of our “social reality” more so than any other institution on Earth. Nowadays, in a media-driven world, it is as influential and important as it has ever been.

Not only is the media’s relevance at an all-time high, so is our engagement with it. Whether it be to tune into the nightly news, respond to a friend’s FaceBook post, or scroll through a timely Twitter feed, we engage with media daily. As a result, information exchange is occurring at rates that were likely unfathomable by past generations… and it has become multifaceted. We don’t only connect with media to see what’s happening, we tune in to see what other people are saying about what's happening.

Media are big business, but their success requires engagement. Thus, they want to hold their audience’s focus, which is in high demand and short supply. As media platforms expand and people’s time and attention spans diminish, holding an audience can be an increasingly difficult thing to do. Thus, the rise of the 'news narrative'.

In this class, we take a look at how modern media mirrors the approach to storytelling consistent within professional wrestling scripts. It is meant to be a whimsical survey of how stories are presented with a simplistic narrative that seems to be contributing to a social divide. The course is intended for general interest, with informative purposes, and can be used as a talking point for teachers, students, or discussion groups who wish to engage in a chat on socially relevant topics. It can also be used in connection with public speaking or persuasion based lessons.

We aim for it to be a lighthearted approach to pertinent topics. We hope it encourages people to see beyond the divisiveness that ostensibly pervades the modern landscape and recognize that the world’s truth rests not so much in the duality of black and white, but instead on the spectrum of color that paints the canvas we call life.