Does anyone think that the wrestler John Cena was created/used/financed by the USA Government to convince young Americans to join the military. This is how I see it:

1. John Cena is a typical All-American boy, whom looks like Matt Damon (attracting white youth).
2. John Cena's theme started out as a hip-hop gangsta street boy (attracting once again white youth and, supposedly, minorities), and even releases a Hip-Hop album.
3. John Cena becomes the wrestling champion.
4. John Cena's theme becomes this Respect/Loyalty/Marine shtick.
5. John Cena stars in The Marine movie, produced by G. Bush-backers FOX, where he kicks the bad guys ass and gets the girl.

Cena is perceived as a likable winner with the American flag stamped all around him, when USA is at an all-time low. I feel like he is used like the flag-raising soldiers from Clint Eastwood's Flags of Our Fathers. Does anyone else think that John Cena is used in Pop Culture to help recruite the youth into the military?

Sounds like an interesting argument there. Any idea if the troop recruitment levels have gone up since the film's release?

The movie made like $25 at the box office, so I doubt it.

I didn't know whether to put this topic in Movie, TV or Other section - it could be in all three forums I guess...

Well, it's not really the movie itself, it's the existance of John Cena in the Wrestling scene from 2002 til now. Basically, Wrestling is the highest-rated TV in America among youth. And of course USA is at an all-time low and ever since the start of the Afghanistan War to Iraqi War, the Govt. is really low on army recruits and they really are stepping up recruiting. So of course military will try to be glamorized in all aspects of the media to convince the youth that military/war is cool. It would be one thing if Cena was that Wrestling dude who had an army shtick, but not be anyone, such as Sgt. Slaughter. But John Cena is the Number One Champion in Wrestling - he is in the spotlight. The youth love him. I think he's okay, but not as likable as The Rock or Hulk Hogan. So they have shown how Cena has evolved from a hip-hop street rapper wrestler to a champion military shtick wrestler...Or in other words, any youth in a poor situation will see that one can evolve from the street to a man of respect if you join the military...And then one can be a "winner." Ideals/fantasies of young adults.

Is this how one explains Sgt. Slaughter as well? I think you're reading a lot into things. Wrestling's always had pro-USA guys, the fact one actually made a military movie doesn't seem more than a coincidence.

No, he's a tool of the WWE who tries their best to put him in any type of gimmick to get a crowd reaction. The Marine shtick is no more a poor gimmick for a face than the Patriot or Sgt. Slaughter. And when that gimmick no longer works, then you can easily turn a military face into a heel.

Jericho,
Sgt. Slaughter was nothing - he never was the champion - and he wasn't loved that much (he was much cooler in the G.I. Joe cartoon, but in real life, he was sort of depressing). The youth love John Cena - guys look up to him and girls love him. Sgt. Slaughter was an entertaining, chubby balding wrestler of the 80s along with others of that time. I just think it's a coincidence that Cena evolved during this whole USA war crisis which started post-2000. I'm not saying that there isn't military glamorizing in media up until now - it's always been done. I'm just saying that Cena's evolvement in USA pop culture is an interesting parallel to what's going on with the govt. and recruiting kids into the USA military, since that's a big problem right now, especially during the time of war when the govt. wants more and more kids to join. I just think Cena is just maybe a small percentage of the glamorization of joining the military right now - not the only factor, just part of it...

C'mon. Slaughter was big. Who else besides Hogan could really turn a good feud with Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff? And then what better way to get even more fan reaction than making Slaughter team with those two?

And, yes, Slaughter was WWE Champion in 1991. And has held other championships.

Wrestling.

The Bus,
Wrestling and American male youth are highly connected. PBS and American male youth are highly connected...only up until age 6! And then they discover that piledriving is more entertaining than Elmo...


Devilshalo, you are right that Slaughter was champion. Why did he become an anti-patriot pro-iraqi in early 90s? Was it in order to become infamously popular? I vaguely remember how he turned...

So John Cena is a tool of the US Government



ummmkay

Now that the movie is over and done with, the marine stuff has phased out of his character. Look at this past week's Raw.. zero camoflage.

I don't know about you but I'm joining the KISS army!

Wow. Just.. wow.

Well, John Cena is a tool. But that's as far as I would go.

Man, paranoid much?

Use spoiler tags next time.

I don't think Bush wants retards that watch wrestling to join the US Army.

I think Bush will take what he can get at this point.

Wait, the US Govt. created Cena? I didn't know we had that sort of technology. You really aren't giving enough credit to his mom and dad.

No, the government created this guy:



and this guy:

What a silly thread this is. Next they'll be accusing Michael Moore of Leftist shilling.

No. Just no.

The connection between wrestling and American male youth shouldn't last beyond the age of 11 or 12, when they really start to care what girls think about them.

This is terrible. This idea...