The 90’s, a time I will forever remember as the best time of my life, produced some of the best entertainers including Mike Tyson, Dennis Rodman, and RuPaul to name a few. Mike Tyson was the world heavyweight champion, famous for record breaking knock-outs and absolutely absurd trash talk in press conferences. Dennis Rodman was the NBA’s certified bad boy, a defensive monster, known for putting his body on top players like Shaq, and Karl Malone, and coming out on top. My memories of RuPaul are the after thoughts of Saturday morning cartoons. [S]he received crazy endorsements, ratings, and popularity as a mtv juggernaut.
The interesting thing about all three of these men is that even though they were great at their craft, that is not what they will be remembered for. Wynn points out “Tyson is also often compared, both explicitly and implicitly but always unfavorably with Muahamad Ali,” (104) Ali who is today regarded as one the greatest boxer of all time. Tyson though arguably comparable to Tyson is much more remembered for his wild antics. He was the man who said “I will eat your babies,” who bit a piece of Evan Holyfields ear. Wynn made a point to compare Tyson to some of the 90’s rapper, most notably Tupac, who made a point to spit in the face of “the man.” Tyson admits to having too much anger in his system. His inability to censor himself because he is a aproduct of the ghetto, running the world without restraints.
Zine Magubaune writes “The Return of the White Negro” about Dennis Rodman and RuPaul. Magubaune argues “Dennis Rodman and RuPaul played a minstrel role. By calling them white negroes Magubaune affirms that they were heroes for white America. They represented what whites felt black culture was about and the deindustrialization of America.
These three individuals all played the same role for public. They came from middle America, broken homes, and poverty stricken neighborhoods, and were able to stick it to the man. The endorsement deals and channels these men showed up on were the channels everyday beer drinking men were watching. These men were saying fuck what you think, this is what it is, something all of us wish we could say at one point or another, and were all loved for that exact reason.
