A.V. Opinions: The death of Hulk Hogan and what it says about us
In the last two weeks, I’ve seen a lot of condolences for Hulk Hogan, and just as much hate. The guy said and did some messed-up things. But seeing people say “I’m glad he’s dead” or “Screw this guy” feels like we’ve lost our humanity.
Hogan made mistakes. Big ones. But he also got baptized recently, which shows he was trying to change. Some of you might not be religious, and that’s okay. We don’t all have to be. But he was, and choosing baptism was his way of trying to become a different, better person. He even said it was the greatest day of his life, but somehow we forget about that part, and that doesn’t sit right with me. That doesn’t erase what he did, but it shows an effort to grow. Isn’t that the whole point of personal accountability? Faith? Therapy? Isn’t that what we say we want from people who screw up? The problem is, we don’t actually allow people to change. Once someone is canceled, they are canceled forever. No redemption. No path forward.
What makes it worse is the hypocrisy. The same people tearing him down are acting like they have never said or done anything wrong in their lives. They wear these halos like they’re perfect, but the truth is most of us have said ignorant, messed-up things. The only difference is, some people just haven’t been caught.
Also, there’s a lot of people who talk about wanting to get offline or take a break from social media because of how toxic it is. They say they can’t stand the negativity, the judgment, the hate. But then you hear them say toxic things themselves. Instead of trying to be positive or letting someone try to grow, they add more fuel to the fire. If you really want to make the internet a better place, why not start with yourself?
And here’s the thing that blows my mind. I think he’s mostly criticized for his politics and not his past wrong doings. Isn’t that weird? Some of the best conversations I’ve ever had were with people who had a different political perspective than me. Some of my best friends think differently than I do. When did we become so one-sided? When did we start treating politics like it’s a sports team? It’s really crazy to me. We’re not supposed to cheer for the other side to lose at life. We’re supposed to listen, learn, and maybe disagree respectfully. We’re all in this together.
Look, I liked Hulk Hogan as a kid. He stood for something. I haven’t followed him in years, and this isn’t about being a fan. It’s about decency. It’s about what kind of world we want to live in. One where people are allowed to learn and grow, or one where we bury them forever over past sins.
I know how to change this. It’s to love again. This isn’t about Hulk Hogan. It’s not about politics. It’s about letting people take accountability. Just because someone did low things doesn’t mean we have to respond with low things. I’m not standing up for Hulk Hogan. I’m standing up for change. For decency.
We all have different beliefs. That’s fine. We can disagree, even passionately. But we shouldn’t crucify people just because they think differently or because of who they used to be. Maybe the narrative now should be: I’m glad he got baptized. It looked like he was trying to take responsibility for his life. I’m glad he was trying to change. I’m glad he was taking accountability. We all have different views and opinions on what America should be. It feels like his name is being dragged through the mud more for his politics than for his actual wrongdoings and that’s a shame.
-Brad McBoom