Hulk Hogan’s (Ironically) Dark Legacy
Let me start off by saying that my intentions behind publishing this is actually not to stir up more hate, or to pile onto someone who has passed on. That does no good to anyone in the long run. Regardless of how I felt about the man while he was living,I did not know this person, therefore my perception is entirely lacking in personal attachment. We all experience human beings differently and ultimately, death is one battle we will all lose one day.I do offer my condolences to his family. It’s final, it’s sad and its irreversible impact can never be subdued or ignored. Contrary to popular belief, I am not a heartless bitch. I struggled with the idea of writing this and debated the ethics of publishing something of this nature, Ultimately though, I kept coming back to the impact of this Hogan’s words, those who take up after him in defense and the harm created by telling Black folks to suppress their feelings and “look at the impact he made on the industry.”
Hulk Hogan did not have a slip of the tongue during a press run, he did not say the n-word in a song, Hogan was a self-proclaimed racist who intentionally aligned himself with people that thought the same things he did, especially towards the end of his life. He admitted to using the “n-word” in an interview with PEOPLE magazine. Hogan was caught on audio tape remarking that one of his biggest fears after a near fatal car crash was his family being reincarnated as Black. He said the n-word repeatedly, and then when discussing his own daughter’s love life, went as far as to say, “I am a racist, to a point.” He rhetorically posed the question, “aren’t we all a little racist?” But, no Terry, we’re not.
One could argue that some of those racially charged statements were made during a private moment and never supposed to be seen or heard by the public. They gained infamy following a leak of a tape that was made during an intimate moment. We probably all have things that we had said in the confidence of our homes that would not look great if they were shown to the world. Undoubtedly a violation of privacy, but it was also extremely fucking racist.
His retractions/ apologies always fell flat, void of emotion or remorse. In a statement on ABC news he said . “No, I’m not. I’m not a racist, I never should have said what I said. It was wrong. I’m embarrassed by it. But a lot of people need to realize that you inherit things from your environment.” An assertion this vague, this brief, breeds speculation that this was only brought on by the backlash the initial statements caused. In a separate apology for a different racist tirade, he told PEOPLE that his “it was unacceptable for [him] to have used that offensive language , there is no excuse for it: and I apologize for having done it” . An attempt to stymie the consequences of his actions, like being removed (though later reinstated) from the WWE Hall of Fame. He was a grown adult man when each and everyone of those statements were made and it’s hard to accept an apology from someone who kept making declarations like this throughout the course of his life. Whenever someone with a racist, (or “complicated” and “nuanced” as some outlets will try to frame it) history passes away, people will prompt you to put that aside and acknowledge all of the positive contributions the person made within their field.
Even when people make explicitly racist remarks, Black people are asked to give grace, to let it go, to accept that this person had a”good heart” regardless of their mistakes.When the news of Hogan’s passing broke, my timeline was flooded with sentiments like “you have to admit what he’s done for the industry” or “you have to acknowledge what he did for the business. ” Actually, no I don’t. Ironically, in the words of my grandad, “the only things I have to do are stay Black and die.”
I, myself, am a Gen Z, Black woman.Those are three core identifiers that impact the way that I navigate the world, and the lenses through which I see situations like this. I was born in 2002 and I also did not get into wrestling until I was older, way after Hulk Hogan retired in 2012.With that being said any Hulk Hogan matches, promos or otherwise I have seen retroactively, I did not see him perform on a week to week basis. I have little to no emotional attachment to him as a performer. He was never a hero of mine. People will always remember the way that you made them feel, and the way Hulk Hogan made me feel as a Black person, was straight up shitty. Hulk Hogan viewed Black people differently, and that has a direct impact on how I view him.
Hulk Hogan was a self-proclaimed racist. He told folks in private and it was no secret to the public. He threw around racial slurs like he was discussing the weather. Stop telling Black people that they need to separate the wrestler from the person. Why are you allowed to feel your emotions, parasocial grief and sadness at the loss of this person, and I am not allowed to feel mine, parasocial and muted indifference? To me, Hulk Hogan's legacy is just straight up a dark one. No ifs, ands or buts, brother.
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