The Death of Hulkamania
When I was younger, I never really got into wrestling. Sometimes I would watch. I knew who most of the big names were. But I was not really a fan. However, I loved Hulk Hogan. I had one of those stuffed Hulk Hogan dolls. I think I won it at the fair. I watched him in Urban Commando and Mr. Nanny. He was just part of the cultural zeitgeist. Earlier this week, the wrestler Terry Gene Bollea passed away. Across social media people are talking about it. Many are mourning the loss of a wrestler they loved. Others are pointing out his deep flaws, including racism and union busting. If I had been a more passionate wrestling fan, I wonder how I would feel about it. It is not easy to see someone, especially someone from your youth, become the villain. And in this case, I don’t just mean turning heel and becoming Hollywood Hogan. By a lot of accounts, Terry Bollea was not a great person to work with. He snitched to management when other wrestlers were trying to form a union. Re...