constructively from a social point of view ” ( Brecht “ The Street Scene ” 125 ).
However , as previously discussed , this characterization of the audience is also a staged representation , a role that the audience performs . This , I think , is the point where the entire spectacle can be opened up and seen as social criticism : a process of alienation , in which the concept of the audience itself is defamiliarized enough to reveal the absurdity of the social forces of hegemony that drive the spectacle . Unfortunately , the mode of defamiliarization can either unsettle the audience towards a self-awareness that works to resist the logic of xenophobia , or the spectacle can reinforce this logic — it all seems to depend on the audience ’ s attitude . All that can be said for sure is that professional wrestling points at these forces of hegemony ; it stages and performs them in often contradictory ways , a performance with the potential energy to either disrupt or reinforce them .
To conclude this essay , I would like to look at a ripple effect of this potential energy . As I ’ ve discussed , professional wrestling is a unique art form , in that it allows its audience to participate in the spectacle not only via applause or jeers , but in some cases , to actually interact with the characters . In early 2013 , Zeb Colter ’ s antiimmigration promos caught the attention of the right-wing political commentator , Glenn Beck , who feels that Colter ’ s persona unjustly “ demonizes the Tea Party ” ( MrCensorMe ) and its conservative American values . Glenn Beck ’ s criticism of Colter ’ s parody of right-wing politics becomes a prime example of how a wrestling storyline functions : by integrating significant sociopolitical reality into the staged storyline , the response from the audience ( in this case , Beck ) transcends the obvious fact that this is a staged
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