Benoit, Althusser, and Legacies
Jun 27, 2007 14:01:37 GMT -5
Post by Hegemony on Jun 27, 2007 14:01:37 GMT -5
I have refrained from commenting on the tragedy involving Chris, Nancy, and Daniel Benoit in any form the past few days, although I have certainly been following numerous discussion forums since the news broke. I feel the need to get this off my chest, however, and I hope that what I say does not offend any one, as it is merely my opinion.
The only way for me to get my thoughts around Chris Benoit the man and the performer is to think of cultural theorist Louis Althusser. Althusser is the pioneer of conceptualizing “ideology”, pointing to how culture works to maintain order and control over its citizenry. Althusser argues that there are Repressive State Apparatuses, or RSAs, such as the police or military that forcibly maintain the status quo, as citizens will be punished for breaking societal rules. However, Althusser argues that there are also ISAs, or Ideological State Apparatuses, that exert an even greater influence over citizens. These ISAs include the church, family, schools, media, etc. that socializes people into society and teach them what is and is not acceptable.
The innovative work of Althusser, whether one agrees with him or not, serves as a landmark in cultural theory. What makes this case pertinent is that Althusser the person was once reportedly giving his wife a massage and when he looked down he realized that he had strangled her to death, and he was subsequently committed to a mental hospital. This reprehensible act is irrevocably tied to Louis Althusser the person, but it does not take away the fact that his work before this act was extraordinarily important to cultural theorists and conceptions of how ideology works.
Similarly, I feel it is wrong to diminish the career of Chris Benoit the performer, as he was undoubtedly one of the greatest wrestlers of his generation. Nothing can truly take away his excellence at his chosen profession, and when mentioning the greatest wrestlers that I have seen in my lifetime I would certainly still include him in a very short list. Basically, I am saying that one does in fact need to separate Benoit the wrestler and Benoit the person in certain instances, just as is done when discussing Althusser’s theories of ideology.
However, I am in no way defending the actions of Benoit or Althusser as human beings. What they did is reprehensible and forever links their beings with unforgivable acts. I do think that it is too easy to label these men as “evil” as this does not get to any causes or rationale for these acts. I want to know why this happened, so as to potentially prevent things from happening in the future. Whatever the causes may be (steroids, concussions, stress, drugs, dementia, etc.) there may be much we can learn from this tragedy that dismissing Benoit as pure evil will fail to identify. And if any legislation or regulation is brought forth that can diminish some of the dangers of our favorite genre’s existence, than Benoit’s legacy may still indeed be one worth remembering, as this tragedy could potentially change the wrestling industry for the better. The key word being “potentially.”
Finally, I hope that this is not misinterpreted as some sort of defense of Chris Benoit, as it is not intended to be anything of the sort. As much as I may feel that Benoit the wrestler and Benoit the person should be considered as separate entities, I still can not find it in myself to watch any Benoit matches at this time, and maybe not for a long time to come. However, I think that there is no shame in watching and remembering the joy that Benoit the performer provided his fans for almost twenty years, especially in a confusing and turbulent time such as this. I hoped and prayed this would not come to pass during the Raw tribute on Monday, although it was my first thought when hearing the news around 6:45 pm that day. I shall refrain from commenting on WWE and their situation at this time, which is why I am starting a new thread and not adding to the one currently going on. I will say that my thoughts are with every one employed at WWE, as well as every one else involved in the wrestling industry, as this is truly a dark time.
RIP Chris, Nancy, and Daniel Benoit
The only way for me to get my thoughts around Chris Benoit the man and the performer is to think of cultural theorist Louis Althusser. Althusser is the pioneer of conceptualizing “ideology”, pointing to how culture works to maintain order and control over its citizenry. Althusser argues that there are Repressive State Apparatuses, or RSAs, such as the police or military that forcibly maintain the status quo, as citizens will be punished for breaking societal rules. However, Althusser argues that there are also ISAs, or Ideological State Apparatuses, that exert an even greater influence over citizens. These ISAs include the church, family, schools, media, etc. that socializes people into society and teach them what is and is not acceptable.
The innovative work of Althusser, whether one agrees with him or not, serves as a landmark in cultural theory. What makes this case pertinent is that Althusser the person was once reportedly giving his wife a massage and when he looked down he realized that he had strangled her to death, and he was subsequently committed to a mental hospital. This reprehensible act is irrevocably tied to Louis Althusser the person, but it does not take away the fact that his work before this act was extraordinarily important to cultural theorists and conceptions of how ideology works.
Similarly, I feel it is wrong to diminish the career of Chris Benoit the performer, as he was undoubtedly one of the greatest wrestlers of his generation. Nothing can truly take away his excellence at his chosen profession, and when mentioning the greatest wrestlers that I have seen in my lifetime I would certainly still include him in a very short list. Basically, I am saying that one does in fact need to separate Benoit the wrestler and Benoit the person in certain instances, just as is done when discussing Althusser’s theories of ideology.
However, I am in no way defending the actions of Benoit or Althusser as human beings. What they did is reprehensible and forever links their beings with unforgivable acts. I do think that it is too easy to label these men as “evil” as this does not get to any causes or rationale for these acts. I want to know why this happened, so as to potentially prevent things from happening in the future. Whatever the causes may be (steroids, concussions, stress, drugs, dementia, etc.) there may be much we can learn from this tragedy that dismissing Benoit as pure evil will fail to identify. And if any legislation or regulation is brought forth that can diminish some of the dangers of our favorite genre’s existence, than Benoit’s legacy may still indeed be one worth remembering, as this tragedy could potentially change the wrestling industry for the better. The key word being “potentially.”
Finally, I hope that this is not misinterpreted as some sort of defense of Chris Benoit, as it is not intended to be anything of the sort. As much as I may feel that Benoit the wrestler and Benoit the person should be considered as separate entities, I still can not find it in myself to watch any Benoit matches at this time, and maybe not for a long time to come. However, I think that there is no shame in watching and remembering the joy that Benoit the performer provided his fans for almost twenty years, especially in a confusing and turbulent time such as this. I hoped and prayed this would not come to pass during the Raw tribute on Monday, although it was my first thought when hearing the news around 6:45 pm that day. I shall refrain from commenting on WWE and their situation at this time, which is why I am starting a new thread and not adding to the one currently going on. I will say that my thoughts are with every one employed at WWE, as well as every one else involved in the wrestling industry, as this is truly a dark time.
RIP Chris, Nancy, and Daniel Benoit
