Parallax Views w/ J.G. Michael
Society & Culture
On this edition of Parallax Views, Vince McMahon, the former chairman and CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), was the most powerful man in all of professional wrestling (or, as he likes to call it, "sports entertainment"). Now though McMahon is completely out of WWE after horrific allegations of sex trafficking and abuse of a former employee, Janel Grant. It's not the first time controversy has follow McMahon or WWE. There's also the case of Rita Chatterton, a former WWE referee who accused McMahon of rape, and the ring boys scandal, in which WWE employees Mel Phillips and Terry Garvin (as well as Pat Patterson) were accused of being involved in a pedophile sex ring within the company.
In lieu of the latest accusations, I reached out to Josie Riesman, author of the book Ringmaster: Vince McMahon and the Unmaking of America, to discuss McMahon and the wrestling empire he built over the years as well as how it relates to issues like robber baron-style capitalism and labor exploitation. We'll also, of course, discuss the sex scandals mentioned above as well as diving into the early history of Vince McMahon, who initially grew up in poverty with an abusive stepfather. Moreover, we'll delve into the relationship between Vince and his biological father Vince McMahon Sr. and how the book is also about father/son relationships. Other issues discussed include:
- Vince McMahon Sr. (Vince's father) and the FBI tapes in which he threatens pro wrestler Dr. Jerry Graham
- The issue of "independent contractor" status in pro wrestling and how it could be seen as labor exploitation
- The wrestling term "kayfabe" and why Josie believe the concept needs to be studied outside of a pro wrestling cotnext; Josie's concept of neokayfabe, omerta in pro wrestling, and the "protect the business" dictum
- Tom Cole and the ring boys scandal
- Vince McMahon's wife, Linda McMahon
- And much, much more!
REPLAY (DUE TO HURRICANE MILTON): The RealPage Scandal, the Emerging AI Price Fixing Dystopia, and the Importance of the Antitrust Movement w/ Lee Hepner
A Critique of Anne Applebaum's Autocracy, Inc. w/ Samuel McIlhagga
A Critique of Rachel Maddow's PREQUEL w/ Brandan P. Buck
We Have Never Been Woke: The Cultural Contradictions of a New Elite w/ Musa al-Gharbi
Israel/Palestine, Christian Zionism, and the Effort to Build Bridges Between Palestinian Activists & Evangelical Christians w/ Gregory Khalil
The Hamilton Scheme: An Epic Tale of Money and Power in the American Founding w/ William Hogeland
The Mainstream Media's Coverage of the Gaza War & Anti-Palestinian Bias w/ Dr. Assal Rad
Havana Syndrome Hoax?: Mass Panic, Shoddy Journalism, Media Sensationalism, and 60 Minutes w/ Robert E. Bartholomew
The Problem of the Revolving Door Phenomena and Matthew Yglesias's Strange Defense of It w/ Henry Burke
Project 2025 as Pax Romana, Militarization & the War on the Poor, the Christian Nationalist Agenda, & More w/ Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis
Israel's Black Panthers: The Radicals Who Punctured a Nation's Founding Myth w/ Asaf Elia-Shalev
Techno-Authoritarianism, Balaji Srinivasan's Network State, and the Big Tech Oligarchs Backing MAGA w/ Gil Duran
Starvation Being Used as a Weapon of War in Sudan w/ Stan Cox
The RealPage Scandal, the Emerging AI Price Fixing Dystopia, and the Importance of the Antitrust Movement w/ Lee Hepner
The Last of the First Israeli Anti-Zionists: A Conversation w/ Moshe Machover About Israel, Jabotinsky's Iron Wall, Colonialism, and Matzpen
The OKC Bombing, Fed Shenanigans & Entrapment Plots, Right-Wing Hawks Co-Opting of Antiwar Politics, Peter Thiel & the Oligarchic War Machine, & More w/ Scott Horton
"Storm the Capitol" Turns the January 6th Insurrection Into a Board Game w/ Walker and Z. Behl
Judge Declares Google a Monopolist in Major Antitrust Victory w/ Emily Peterson-Cassin/Waffle House Workers Organize to Fight Unfair Labor Policies w/ Macy Stacher
Exposing the Grotesqueries of American Political Life Through Cartoons w/ Eli Valley
Venezuela's Election, Maduro, and What the U.S. Gets Wrong About Venezuela & Chavismo w/ Alejandro Velasco
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