Letters

Cheating prevention failing

Dear Editor,

This semester the school decided to impliment new exam regulations to curb cheating. Well I have to say that even though they are supposed to curb cheating, people still manage to do it. I was writting a final and a saw someone cheating; this person didn’t even get noticed by the invigilators. I’m sure that this person knew that I had noticed, but she still managed to get away with it. I find it’s a disgrace that the school changes rules so that people don’t cheat, but they still are able to do it. In principal the new rules should work but people have gotten away with it. I just find that the invigilators should pay more attention to people so that they can face the music of being suspended. Whereas many of us study for finals these people just get away with murder. I just don’t think its fair they don’t get caught and have it on their permanet record.

Johanne Paquette
Urban studies

The Pride of Montreal fights back

Andy Ellison responds to remarks accusing his profession of being on downward spiral

Dear Mr. Brown,

I hate to burst your bubble but I thought you should know that professional wrestling is not real and neither is the Easter Bunny!

I am happy to know that you in fact opted not to choose a career in pro-wrestling, as your knowledge of it seems to be quite limited. Throughout the history of pro-wrestling, audiences have been exposed to this degree of sensationalism. I find it ironic that you take exception to this, since we do not hide the fact that our events are shows designed with the highest degree of entertainment value in mind.

As an event organizer, I entrust that people have the mental capacity to distinguish fiction from reality. If they are not able to, I feel that these issues can be addressed with a trained psychiatrist. As for the legitimacy and sport of pro-wrestling I would like to go on record to state that pro-wrestling will never reach this status and I hope you realize this should you ever consider wagering on any event. I doubt the day will come when pro-wrestling is listed in Loto Quebec’s mise-aux-jeux.

During my career as a pro-wrestler and promoter I have heard many terms used to describe wrestling, however, never before in my 15 years of experience has the word romantic been used as an adjective associated with it. I would rather leave this area to be concentrated on by Shakespeare, someone whom based on your scholarly background I am sure you are familiar with. I would hate to disappoint you but this romantic ideal you have conceived simply does not exist. I highly doubt you will ever see a match take place in a ring bathed in candlelight.

In closing, I would like to reiterate by stating that pro-wrestling is a staged event and should be taken as such. The purpose of statements given to the media and actions performed in the ring are props used to enhance the show’s dramatic effect and help maintain fan interest. Being a literature major, I would like to think you would understand the components of dramatic effect, had this been a class assignment, you would have surely received a failing grade.

Sincerely,
Andrew Ellison

Tragedy of Wrestling

***Letter originally printed in issue 13, Wed. Dec. 1, 2003***

“[Andrew Ellison] got to fulfil a childhood dream.” In any other profession, Andrew would be considered insane. Someone being butchered and bloodied is not something worth praise, and certainly not something that one should strive to do.

Wrestling is a tragic form of entertainment. The route that wrestling has taken, in great part because of the wrestlers, has been a downward spiral of increasingly violent action in exchange for true athletics. Andrew claims that his 14 stitches are a “real accomplishment”. That statement alone shows that Andrew has no respect for himself or his profession. He isn’t concerned about putting on an athletic performance, but instead about losing as much blood as he can.

Wrestling has become, quite simply, disgusting. About a year ago, I was planning to join a local promotion. However, when I saw and understood for the first time what wrestling has become, I turned away from it after five years of working, of giving my life, to get to that moment. On the show I saw, several wrestlers were hurt, three bled (one unintentionally), and even fans were put in danger when the champions were celebrating with glass bottles of beer in the ring and one bottle slipped and flew right at a fan’s head. Wrestling indeed.

Wrestling is an art form. If the wrestlers themselves understood it as such, it could become a real sport similar to, say, figure skating. Picture a show where two truly skilled athletes took to the ring and worked together with such grace and coordination that one could not help but be sucked into the performance. Wrestling is romantic. At least, it could be.

Because of the direction the wrestlers and the promoters have chosen to take, wrestling has become an event where people are prized for how much of their life they’re willing to give to the fans. Shame on you for encouraging it, Andrew. You could do so much better than cherish your scars. Wrestling is making you ugly, and the tragedy is that you don’t even realize it.

James Brown
English Literature

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