piranesi

Unfortunately today there are two more rich powerful rapist stories ahead of this one. Trump and Cuomo. It's a real bottleneck up there.

Blasting your headlights into a foggy woodland at the end of an empty cul-de-sac and turning your engine off is a great way to test whether you are still scared of Jason Vorheeses even in your 50s. spoiler: you are still scared of Jason Vorheeses.

The Octopus Marquee Independent Film Festival...Made for humans...made by humans...but never ever made of humans (except the actors they are in there but, you know, not mangled up in machinery except that one old projector runner in 1956 but he was really drunk and very skinny.... )." Not as catchy but it will play!

SLim Jim will lead the way. Even if it's just a business decision. Sometimes something is so big that "good for business" and "good" actually overlap a little. "Slim Jim: Made by humans...Made for humans...made near humans...but never ever ever made of humans."

Trying to distract myself from things. This was a nice way. Here's my ten best Criterions In The Heat of the NIght All About Eve Wings of Desire To Be or Not to Be Female Trouble Tokyo Drifter Repo Man The Killer Midnight Cowboy The In-Laws

People quitting their job when their boss is revealed to be torturing and pimping girls out is not exactly anarchy. But whatever gets you over the line comfortably, pal. Say high to the bosses for me when you get that big law promotion. Ladies and Gentlemen, there is no need to worry. The very rational and infallible system is in good hands and will continue without but a ripple. Professor Dog is on the case! You will be tested on this later!

Most people are not wrestling fans so for the vast majority of people out there this will just lead to them muttering "Fuck those sick freaks. I hope they hang him and shut the whole company down." We here are discussing this in depth because we are the few who have invested some portion of our lives, our joy, our writing, our thinking, our childhood, our adulthood (such as it is) about this business as an art or at least a great skill set. But we all know and have known deep down that it is not a savory business. It's maybe the least savory that doesn't involve human trafi....ooops. We have to admit that while there are some very nice people who have been in wrestling and really great people who have liked it or loved it and made it part of their lives, it is also likely the when you look at the people who "thrived' in the industry., Got to the top. the precentage of psychopaths to humans gets...less good. we all know that. And we all have accepted it. Over and over becausd we didn't hit the line or at least it didn't hit us this hard. Someone mentioned Moolah early int he thread. i've known about that scum sucking piig for decades. But I or we never hit this line. Well we hit it now. It seems really clear that we hit it. So now we don't have a choice but to make a choice. It's not my fault. It's not yours. But that doesn't mean the line isn't there. If we didn't hit it before (well I do feel bad personally about not hitting it before) but we're only human. But No contract language, no fiduciary responsiblit, no speech about "how things actually are" no Wolf of Wall street "someone's gonna do it" affects that line. It is immutable and unforgiving. And we're there now. We can't not make a choice. The line doesn't disappear because a lawyer or contract law CONSUTLTANT says to ignore it. We can pretend we don't have a choice because "that's ho things actually are." but that is also making the choice. There is no way to go past today and not have made the choice. Not your fault. Not my fault. But the line doesn't care whose fault it is. It just is and what's on the other side is all of us admitting out loud "Yes, the richest psychopaths can and will do anything they want to any of us whenever they want and we accept that because they tell us that's the way things actually are." Or we can fucking destroy a few little companies and a few little billionaries and maybe...just maybe the line will start to show up for them too.

"How things actually work?" Dude that is the wrong fucking thing to say right now. How things actually work is that rich old men can rape anyone's daughter whenever they want and very rarely does anyone even mention it. That's "How things work." Enjoy that, man. Cause you win. You're right. that's how things work. But I don't care about entitites, logos, LLCs, contracts, legal fuckinng bullshit. If all goes the way it shoudl there won't be a company for the Wall Street Journal to cover. If there are crimes the Wall Streeet Journal should cover it. If there is financial fallout, the Wall Street Journal should cover it. But if everyone does the human thing, the Wall Street Journal won't have to cover anything but the destruction of the WWE over the next few days. Anything else means that a lot of people are choosing "machine part" as their life identity. Is that going to happen? Of course not. Because that's not how things work* (*Machine part # 56784839) Right now when I google WWE I see two things both in bright colors and nicely outlined windows: "VINCE MCMAHON ACCUSED OF BRUTAL RAPE AND TORTURE" and "TOP PICKS FOR THE RUMBLE!!!!!! WILL DOINK SHOW UP?>??????" You can't do both of those or be part of both of those at once and call yourself a rational moral human.

"You knew what the job was when you signed up." A lot of people in the media, Netflix, websites etc. are going to get that one as well when it comes time to write their glowing review of the Rumble or whatever. But that's a lie to. No you didn't. They did not in that invterview say "BTW the comapny your covering is run by a sadistic rapist and you're just going have to kind of be willing to you now do the job anyway." So don't buy that one either. You know the job now. And you so now you have that choice. It's not fair. It sucks. But it's also not avoidable.

I want to clear one thing up. I'm not blaming anyone who didn't actually do it (journalists, wrestlers, fans). All I'm saying is that a lot of people are going to get a talk today from a very serious faced "front office guy" and it's going to go one of two ways: - "Listen you don't have to do anything. We are going to take care of this. He's gone. But you remember you have a moral and legal obligation to fulfill the contract you signed and to the WWE Universe." or like this - "This is a family. These accusations are lies and you have a moral and legal obligation to your contract and the WWE Universe and to the man who gave you this opportnity to live your dream and make a living doing it. Now get out there and show them that we are a FAMILY!" Either way they all have a choice to make. Not an easy one. not one I have to make right now so who am I to judge? The talk will be meant to give them just enough morally ambiguous wiggle room for their deeply felt fiduciary responsibility to the company that pays them and the industry that supports them to get through the Rumble so there isn't any permanent harm...to the business. For journalists. Cover the story. And if the WWE is your beat. You have a choice to make too when this all over. Podcasters, whoever. Am I going to damn you for making the choice? No, I can't. I have no authority to enforce any of what I'm saying. I'm nobody. Nothing bad will happen to anyone who makes the wrong choice. There's no harm or force to my words to these people at all. But will I judge them? Of course I will. Do they care? Of course not. But here's the cool thing. No one needs to cover or talk about this company to make a living. And if everyone there, each individually, makes the right decision, and if eneryone at Netflix and ESPN and whoever else has a financial stake in this operation makes the right choice, there's no company to cover by Sunday. Is it fair to feel like this about WWE and not the film industry, music industry, etc.? Man, I don't know. I don't know where the line is between human and inhuman and I don't have the moral authority to declare it. But in this one case, one that I didn't go searching out, but that smacked me in the face when I opened the news....I feel like I can say with confidence that this crosses that line. We can all see it. It's really clear. When you hit the line, whether it's because of something you did or someone else, you have a choice. It's not an easy choice but you have to make it. Human or machine part. It's an easy choice in terms of $$$$$. Weirdly I fell like it should also be an easy choice in terms of your soul or ability to look at yourself, talk to your family, raise your kids, and not hate yourself forever. Is that worth the 6 figures (minus travel expenses) or the 5 billion (poor poor stockholders! how many jobs!)...oh yeah, let's not forget they'll throw that into the speech. The threat. (You walk out on this company and thousands of jobs are as stake). that threat...I don't know man, it just sends into a rage. It sends me into a rage when they leverage that threat over some tax or something...but it really really pisses me off when they leverage that threat to justify continuing a system which commands that "they" (the top) can do anything to any one of us whenever they want and if anyone says a goddamn thing about "well then someone might lose some of those jooooobs ya'll so worried about." Jobs. that don't even pay anymore. No benefits. No pension. You can't threaten people with jobs anymore. They all suck and not a single one of them is worth your soul. Not anymore.

You’re right. I mean I don’t think k there’s a covering law that determines how I’m gonna feel about every professional wrestler at every level. And I don’t know that there’s a covering law for how every fan at home should react. I’m not gonna judge anyone for watching. I’m just saying I can’t. Now I will judge people who are close enough to it to have a choice. At least in the sense that if say Roman Reigns quit tomorrow I would genuine;y respect him more and if he goes out there and cuts [romo and just rolls on, I will respect him less. Now if he quits and also accidentally causes injuries to some ecexcutives, I will subscribe to his patreon.

It’s either that on,y psychopaths become that rich and powerful because only a psychopath could do the things you have to do. or that once you hit a certain level you go literally mad because everyone around starts treating you like a Pharaoh. Lesnar and Laurinitis for their part are just gluttonous savage pigs.

Okay I think I figured out how to word this. A lot of people in a lot of very big posh corporate offices and driving very nice cars are going to make a decision tomorrow. I know what I would do. None of those people will be ruined if they make the other decision. And if all of them make the right decision and some fortunes go goodbye maybe a lesson will be learned by a few more of those big shots (perverse sadistic preening motherfuckers) at the top.

I'm dragging myself here, not all of humanity. I 100% knew deep down it was this bad for literal decades. Same with the film industry "back in the golden years." I feel guilty because I now know how bad someone has to be before I even care enough to just not keep watching for fun. I feel guilty because I, and many other people, do this kind of thing all the time. Every single act of corporate, government, police, cruelty that happens at this point is because we let it slide for decades of "just do it or someone else will." SOmetimes something shakes you out of it for a second. So, sure, I'm going through that. When I come down from this sick feeling maybe I'll like Bernard Shaw again or I'll watch some football or something and get back to "the way it just is." But I hope I at least retain enough of this to draw a few more lines. Like I'm not looking for perfection here. The line I'm picturing isn't the line of perfection. I'm just looking for how low it goes before we just really aren't human beings anymore but machine parts in a machine run by the worst of us.

I think I'm actually ready to say Fuck Bernard Shaw and throw in Wolf Blitzer.

It's like blasphemy but it is also a very reasonable opinion.

One thing that could save the entire industry is if we find out tomorrow that a bunch wrestlers beat the shit out of Vince and quit. I'm just saying. THink of how many jobs are at stake? This of course is parody and sketch through my mirthful and whimsical online profile.

Oh shit. You thought I was calling you a "gold medal hero" sarcastically? Damn. I could see how that would suck! Sorry about that.

I';m probably very stoned but I'm also really feeling like an asshole for how long I was fine with this. Like if you were (insert wrestler name here) would you go to work tomorrow? To do anything but see if you could find Vince and hurt him?

You are great. But I would really love to see Brock Lesnar stripped of that medal. Too much to ask. I mean it was only a few gang rapes of one or more people. Probably not that many actual individual people. (this is not directed at you but at whoever is reading this at some company and still working with WWE) Me I'm clearly insane. What I am asking people to do cannot be done. But that's the choice. We all know it and we're all going to make the choice to just roll on rollin' on. Because there never was another choice. Unless maybe there is? Like we could all start by jsut declariing "this company doesn't exist anymore because no one will work for it." Like that feels sane to me. AM I that far gone?

There should never be another wrestling press scrum. This company should be burned to the ground.

Gold Medal hero. Stay tuned to NBC for the Olympics!!! and then it's WWE SMACKDOWN!!!!!

You don't know that dog's whole story.

Guys it was a great post. He'll probably get hired at CNN because he's the first one to scoop the smart business strategy here. I celebrate the guy. he's on his way...all the way to...Sinclair Media!!!

His answer then should be "All the people who are asking me about this are fucking ghouls." But that would be an unfair thing to ask of but one soulful gentleman like Brandon Thurston. "We're just normal men. Innocent men." - some nazi probably