Brooke Harrington

They treat it like a consumer choice rather than as a civic duty. It'll be the death of this country.

Trump's ability to sort of hypnotize people--large groups of people--into believing THE most self-evidently absurd shit, into committing grievous acts of self-harm, remains unexplained as far as I'm concerned.

"He lets people be their worst selves" or "racists attract racists" doesn't cover it.

The most gullible bunch of rubes that ever called itself a nation.

I can see that and I'm so delighted to have crossed paths with a group of fans. I've been really struck by the open-heartedness and sincerity of the people who responded to my post.

Thank you--it's so kind of you to have posted that.

One of the many things I've learned from my inquiry about pro wrestling is that many fans have an acute sense of fair play! I love it.

I got a little spooked by some meanies and deleted my original post, but overall the dialog was wonderful!

Cool! I'm so glad you enjoyed reading it--I had a blast learning and the vast majority of commenters were SO great. I came away thinking "I need to get to know more pro wrestling fans!"

Thank you--that was really kind of you to stick up for me.

One of the many things I've learned from posting that question about pro wrestling is that many fans have an acute sense of fair play! I love that.

I got a little spooked by some meanies and deleted, but overall the dialog was wonderful!

Thank you--the whole experience was overall very positive! I got to learn from people I probably would not have encountered otherwise. All's well that ends well!

Nudibranchs are the most delightful little creatures.

Is the guy in the lower photo...Donald Rumsfeld?

Remember a few weeks ago when he flipped off an auto worker? Or yesterday, when he wore a baseball cap to the transfer of the military personnel he got killed in the Middle East?
Can't stop thinking about the *decades* of GOP whining about appropriate Presidential behavior leading to this moment.

What a delightful badass. Read the whole thread:

Tweet by Rep. Andy Ogles stating "Muslims don't belong in American society. Pluralism is a lie."

Particularly galling that he chooses Ramadan to flaunt his anti-Muslim bigotry.

They're smart in a very specific predatory way, not in knowledgeable, well-rounded human being way. It makes them optimized for personal gain & exploitation of others, but they lack wisdom & perspective.

That's the fundamental problem in US firms: predators are treated as leaders.

He's even less animated about murdering ~170 girls at school.

Right! Wasn't there a lot of audience interaction at the Globe Theater? I remember reading about that years ago...middle aged brain has robbed me of the citation.

"Red Sox fan"

Say. No. More.

Cubs fan here. 😊

Nah, it was a good post in that it achieved my goals of getting answers to questions I've had for a while--with the very nice added bonus of bringing me into contact with people I probably would never have had the chance to engage with otherwise.

You'll be pleased to know I deleted the OP. Cheers.

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This is why I'm a sociologist: I'm really interested in what makes people passionate about things, especially in groups, whether it's sports, religion, political protest, etc. Thanks for contributing to my learning!

No. It was that I was approaching pro wrestling the wrong way, by starting from the "sports" end rather than the "art" end.

I asked a question & learned new things: seems like you think that's evidence I'm kinda dumb & should be mocked, but I think it's a good approach & will keep doing it.

Well thank you: I had no idea the fraught territory I was walking into! I'm still glad that I posed the question, because I got to interact with a lot of people I would otherwise probably not have encountered at all.

OMG, is there anything pro wrestling *doesn't* do? Ferrets?

Like a little boy playing with his toys in the bathtub..."pew! boom! there goes the sub, straight to the bottom of the ocean!"

I'm really glad, because I was genuinely curious. It bugs me when I can't put myself in the shoes of other people, and pro wrestling is a major cultural phenomenon I just couldn't connect with...but now I have a much better understanding of how to view it (not as sport, but as art).

Do you watch other sports that have this effect on you, or is wrestling unique in this regard?

When I watch fans react to other sports, they also seem to have a wide range of emotions, but maybe it's the "every week" part that's missing for them in football, baseball, etc.

Misread this momentarily as "canine-soap opera ballet" and was like THERE ARE DOGS, TOO?!? After what I've learned today, nothing would surprise me about pro wrestling.*

* okay, I'm slightly surprised that there are so few worker protections for performers

Okay, well, if you'd like to read the thread, it contains more detail on my reasons for confusion and what I've learned from the many kind people who took the time to share their thoughts with me rather than implying that I'm dumb or elitist. I gained a lot of insight from the exchanges.

If I remember correctly, audience interaction used to be a big part of opera and the performances of Shakespeare's plays.