Wrestling #MeToo #SpeakingOut

[DavidB6937]

I'd be surprised if it had a huge impact. Unfortunately I think because of the timing of the pandemic a lot of them will get off quite lightly. I'd guess the main thing we can hope for is some proper company changes going forward. But I'd be surprised to see a huge wave of change come out of this now.

[BomberPat]

What we've already seen too much of is the assumption that the problem was a few isolated wrong'uns. 

I've expressed concerns about a lack of transparency with a couple of promotions and their safeguarding procedures, and generally the response from fans has been "I'd trust them not to book anyone named in Speaking Out, if you can't, don't buy a ticket". But that's missing the point. The abuse that led to Speaking Out didn't happen because wrestling was just unfortunate enough to have hosted an awful lot of dickheads at one time, but because it created an environment where those dickheads can act with impunity.

While I'm confident that most of the high profile cases won't be getting bookings again any time soon, if people treat it as "they're not booking David Starr, so they're doing the right thing" and don't expect or call for any further action to reform the scene, we'll just be going through all of this again in another couple of years.

In the short-term, we'll see the decent promotions do better by it and make an effort, and the shithouse promotions be shithouses. 

Edited June 16, 2021 by BomberPat

[kamicazze]

if ever something needed a documentary on it to raise awareness this is it. Not for us, as us being on here makes us aware. For the people who take their children to these wrestling schools, the familys who watch these wrestlers at holiday camps & just to shine a light on the issues that have happened. 

That said - it feels like it could fall the same way as many things in modern society where there's a massive uproar, followed by it being forgotten (BLM, Sarah Everard to name a few) about until the next thing to be upset to cause that uproar a few months later. The proof will be in the pudding later this year. 

[Keith Houchen]

18 minutes ago, kamicazze said:

t feels like it could fall the same way as many things in modern society where there's a massive uproar, followed by it being forgotten (BLM,

You’re not a football fan, are you?

[Hoptimus]

In hindsight the speaking out movement may have benefited from having not started the movement until this time this current year as shows are about to return back. 

I guess the reason why the movement had got so much traction on social media was due to the down time during the pandemic. 

Looking on Twitter I see a lot of hurt from a lot of the women in the business reliving the outpouring of the abuse received and telling all. 

There seems to be upset that all is in vain and nothing will change. 

It got me thinking about is there enough of the internet audience to care and want to be proactive to make a difference?

In what way make a difference? So in a sense they need to become activists in the fight. 

So it would mean a bit of disruption at live events. Maybe having chants at abusers during matches to draw attention to the talent for their actions that the family show audience will not be aware of. 

Leafleting the line of an independent show they are attending. 

Bombardment of social media when promoters make announcement of abusers on their events highlighting it. 

Having enough like-minded fans to care and to galvanise and get organised to mobilise their activist hopes of changing the industry. 

[Michael_3165]

5 hours ago, Hoptimus said:

In hindsight the speaking out movement may have benefited from having not started the movement until this time this current year as shows are about to return back. 

I guess the reason why the movement had got so much traction on social media was due to the down time during the pandemic. 

Looking on Twitter I see a lot of hurt from a lot of the women in the business reliving the outpouring of the abuse received and telling all. 

There seems to be upset that all is in vain and nothing will change. 

It got me thinking about is there enough of the internet audience to care and want to be proactive to make a difference?

In what way make a difference? So in a sense they need to become activists in the fight. 

So it would mean a bit of disruption at live events. Maybe having chants at abusers during matches to draw attention to the talent for their actions that the family show audience will not be aware of. 

Leafleting the line of an independent show they are attending. 

Bombardment of social media when promoters make announcement of abusers on their events highlighting it. 

Having enough like-minded fans to care and to galvanise and get organised to mobilise their activist hopes of changing the industry. 

Whilst I do appreciate your stance on this, I really don't believe enough people give a shit to go to that much effort. We are a relatively aware group on here, but the average punter isn't likely to know about the issues nor give a fuck about it if they do. Maybe I am just way too cynical but that's the impression I get in the UK in 2021. I'll gladly be wrong though. 

[unfitfinlay]

5 hours ago, Hoptimus said:

So it would mean a bit of disruption at live events. Maybe having chants at abusers during matches to draw attention to the talent for their actions that the family show audience will not be aware of. 

That won't help at all. You'll still be supporting them financially, it'll probably look like part of the show to the rest of the audience and, if you are too disruptive, they can just kick you out. Might even get a kicking as well.

I'll treat it the same as any other boycott. I'm aware that I'm unlikely to effect real change but at least I'm not giving the cunts any money.

[Tamura]

Lots of shows on a Candian tour by punk band The Casualties were cancelled after the singer was exposed as a rapist, as a direct result of grass roots activism.

https://nowtoronto.com/the-casualties-become-a-casualty

Things are potentially a bit more complicated due to COVID as some venues will be happy just to have bookings of any description making it a bit more difficult to apply pressure. But if you never try, you'll always fail.
 

[Carbomb]

13 hours ago, unfitfinlay said:

That won't help at all. You'll still be supporting them financially, it'll probably look like part of the show to the rest of the audience and, if you are too disruptive, they can just kick you out. Might even get a kicking as well.

I'll treat it the same as any other boycott. I'm aware that I'm unlikely to effect real change but at least I'm not giving the cunts any money.

I think the only way to really affect a promotion with direct activism is by picketing outside the venue with clear signs and leaflets, to dissuade people from buying. But I don't know how effective that would be, not to mention some of the more shady ones won't have any scruples about beating picketers up.

[TimmyB]

7 minutes ago, Carbomb said:

I think the only way to really affect a promotion with direct activism is by picketing outside the venue with clear signs and leaflets, to dissuade people from buying. But I don't know how effective that would be, not to mention some of the more shady ones won't have any scruples about beating picketers up.

Picketing an event will just stop people attending all wrestling shows. The general public won't know one promotion from another and a bad experience will just put them off from going again.

[Jesse]

I don't believe that's true, both in the sense that the majority of people attending wrestling shows aren't first-timers who don't know anything at all (not directly in wrestling but having worked in events & marketing for a decade I'd expect 60 to 80% of ticket buyers are previous purchasers depending on how fast your event is growing) and also most people can absolutely differentiate between brands.

That said, even if you were to concede the truth of that - that protesting and pushing back against the wrestling industry allowing known abusers and keeping the conditions & standards that allows those abusers to prosper will kill attendance completely I would still rather that happened and wrestling in this country died on its arse than shrug and go "Well, the industry will die if we don't let people get abused"

[Tommy!]

2 hours ago, Carbomb said:

I think the only way to really affect a promotion with direct activism is by picketing outside the venue with clear signs and leaflets, to dissuade people from buying

 

[Hannibal Scorch]

7 hours ago, Carbomb said:

I think the only way to really affect a promotion with direct activism is by picketing outside the venue with clear signs and leaflets, to dissuade people from buying. But I don't know how effective that would be, not to mention some of the more shady ones won't have any scruples about beating picketers up.

Progress had union picketing outside the Ally Pally shows but my mate had paid for the tickets months before. Was it equity? Poor example mind as one of those leading it was David Starr.

[Jazzy G]

Why picket outside ticket offices when most sales are online now anyway? 

[Jesse]

I think it's more that you picket outside shows - not to dissuade people from attending that specific show but because it's the most direct way to get in front of the eyeballs of people currently spending money there. You're unlikely to get them to not attend this one, but it's a more direct way of highlighting things many current fans won't like but maybe aren't engaged on Twitter to see.