You know, it used to be so simple. There were known words for certain groups within society, some of which were not acceptable to the population at large. And now I discover that "troglodyte" is indeed on the list. I've led a sheltered life because I have never heard that word used in a racist fashion. I guess the KKK will add a "Torch the Troglodyte" day to their White Pride Festival. Actually "Torch the Troglodyte" is an interesting name in light of recent events. I'm surprised Hallmark hasn't jumped aboard. Accusations of racist behavior are extremely serious in this hyper politically correct society we live in. And these accusations should be made when evidence strongly supports the crime. So in reality, how racist is wrestling?

The WWF I grew up with had stereotypical characters. The Junkyard Dog always had a hard head. According to Bobby Heenan, it was to "protect the weakest part of his body" but I digress. Kamala was a Ugandan savage. The Samoans also had hard heads and were uncivilized monsters. Koko B. Ware loved to sing in his promos, and came off like a bad gospel performer on channel 79 at 6 AM on a Sunday. These were the days of over the top cartoon characters, and black wrestlers were putting on a poor minstrel show at the time. Because after all, you have to "grab them cakes." Right?

So let's look at today. The Rock is arguably the biggest star in wrestling, and while he isn't "100% African-American", I think the general public perceives him to be. The WWF has made no secret of its high hopes for Booker T. The Acolytes and Dudleys are featured tag teams whose racial makeup has never been an issue. K Kwik is the young rapper who wears chains and....well that might not be a bright spot, but at least there aren't any vignettes of him carjacking old white ladies. On the downside, Tajiri has been called a "houseboy" and Taka is portrayed as a bad character from "USA Dragon Theater". I would think these characterizations are much worse than "troglodyte", but that's just my opinion. Also, Steve Austin imitates Booker by speaking like him. When the Rock did it to Rikishi, it was just funny. But now it's racism. Interesting. Would I call "Stevebonics" highbrow humor? Of course not, but I hardly think it's a seriously racist crime.

The point is this...I can say certainly there is some degree of favoritism in the WWF. There's favoritism in every organization, from a small family business to a huge corporation. That same favoritism can be based on bloodlines, race, or other factors. And I think Vince McMahon exhibits favoritism towards people and angles that he feels will make him money. Getting behind the Rock is one example. Just as importantly, the promotion of his assets (the performers) is not done in a racist manner. I refuse to believe "troglodyte" is a racial insult. I don't know...maybe if I was a teacher and hung out on the playground and heard kids calling Jamal a "trog", I'd have a different perspective. But I tend to doubt that's happening, don't you?

When Vince first uttered the "T word", I thought it was hysterical simply because I hadn't heard that term in so long. I'm not ashamed to admit I played Dungeons and Dragons in elementary school (this was back when the Atari 2600 was high end technology). And I remember the troglodyte being one of the monsters that were trying to kill us. Not one time did I ever equate a troglodyte, or a goblin, or a troll with being black. But I'm glad that certain columnists are there to point out the not so obvious to me. Because if it's on the net, it must be true. Right? Maybe I'll just quit "axing" so many questions.