Posted on 07/15/2013 5:11:10 AM PDT by Kaslin
If you plan to mount a dummy on TV, its wise to not bring yourself down to the level of the dummy. But a wrestler did exactly that when he tried to defend Trayvon Martin by demonstrating a MMA (mixed martial arts) mount on HLN After Dark.
On July 10, HLN After Dark Host Vinnie Politan invited a black guest named David Otunga, a WWE Smackdown wrestler, to discuss the George Zimmerman trial. Otunga made a fool out of himself trying to disprove Zimmermans claim that he shot 17-year-old Martin out of self-defense.
Politan told viewers that he and Otunga wanted to demonstrate their interpretation of the way 28-year-old Hispanic Zimmerman claimed 17-year-old black Martin mounted him and began punching him and smashing his head onto the concrete in Zimmermans neighborhood on the evening of February 26, 2012.
First, Politan had Otunga demonstrate a position where Martin would have been mounted highnear Zimmermans armpits. This position would not have made sense at the time of the shooting because neither Zimmerman nor Martin could have reached for the gun holstered at Zimmermans hipfrom that position.
Next, Ontunga demonstrated a position more likely during the time of the shooting, given that Zimmerman told law enforcement he tried to squirm out from under Martin to move his head off the concrete and onto the nearby grass. Sounding like a fool, Otunga tried to show that Martin was in a position of weakness even though he was clearly on top of Zimmerman in a ground and pound position of strength:
POLITAN: Alright, David, the first [mounted] position. This is belly-button-to-belly-button, right?
OTUNGA: Otunga straddled a dummy MMA style and then conceded that from this mount, both Martin and Zimmerman could have reached for the gun. This backed up Zimmermans claim that it was only afterMartin caught sight of Zimmermans weapon and yelled: Youre going to die tonight! (indicating that he planned to use Zimmermans gun against him) that Zimmerman reached down for his gun and shot Martin in self-defense.
POLITAN: OK, and from that position, can you punch?
OTUNGA: Stiffly threw his arms straight out in the air and punched without moving his torso forward naturally. Not really good. Im barelythis is my full extensionbarely touching his chin there.
POLITAN: OK.
OTUNGA: [I] wouldnt have any strength trying to punch him there. Id want to be higher up.
POLITAN: OK. But in this position, the gun is exposed?
OTUNGA: The gun is exposed.
POLITAN: OK.
When you are sitting on top of your guyyou have him pinned to the groundall you have to do is lean your torso forward and punch away. Your victim is clearly in a position of weakness and, as a WWE fighter, Otunga knew that. He lied. He sounded like a fool and a wimp. He basically asserted: If you are in a ground and pound MMA style position of dominance, you are actually in a position of weakness.
CNNs Piers Morgan did a far better job of covering the Zimmerman trial on July 10, making Otunga look like an even bigger goon. (Just because you lean left doesnt mean you need to lean stupid, which is the direction Otunga chose.)
While Otunga was making an ignoramus of himself on HLN, Morgan was making some very good points on CNN as he discussed the Zimmerman trial with two black guests, talk radio host David Webb and New York Times columnist Charles Blow. When Blow suggested that Zimmermans story was inconsistent, Morgan countered:
If you believe Zimmermans version of events, hes pretty well concussed from the beating he says he got; hes not thinking straight, hes probably fired the gun and theres the fog of war that comes with all these things; we all know that; weve heard from all the witnesses, all saying different things; so it doesnt entirely surprise me hes not completely accurate and if you do take everything he says at face value, the question then becomes, is he entitled to use his weapon in that circumstance?
Morgan added: The screams are important in this case the prosecution suddenly seemed to concede that it was Trayvon on top and I just dont think someone on top is the one crying out for help; it just doesnt make sense.
Zimmermans claims were also supported by an eyewitness account as well as testimony from a forensic pathology expert:
On June 28, an eyewitness to the altercation who lived in Zimmermans neighborhood, John Good, testified that he believed he saw Martin straddling Zimmerman in a ground and pound or MMA position: Martin was on top, hurling blows down on Zimmerman. Good added that he thought he heard Zimmerman cry out for help.
On July 9, another witness for the defense, Dr. Vincent Di Maio, testified on the bullets trajectory: This is consistent with Mr. Zimmermans account. That Martin was over him, leaning forward, at the time that he was shot. He also said that the injuries on Zimmermans face and head were consistent with punches and the assault Zimmerman had described to the police. (Di Maio is a highly renowned and published expert on gunshot wounds and forensic pathology.)
So, what was Otunga thinking on July 10 when he tried to refute this evidence as well as basic fighting knowledge and common sense? At minimum, he was looking like a pretty boy who didnt know how to fight. But since hes a WWE Smackdown wrestler who does know how to fight, he just came across as a prejudiced oaf out to further taint the publics perception of an innocent Hispanic.
he is not a fighter, that stupid wrestling is acting
Could this article have been MORE badly written?
He was thinking, "I'm black, Martin was black, Zimmerman isn't black, and the people I'm talking to don't need the truth, they just need a theme."
Well, there is a degree of physical skill involved in pro rasslin but it is much more akin to acrobatics than to traditional wrestling.
When Politan invited a WWE “Smackdown” wrestler onto his show to discuss a legal trial, the wrestler wasn’t the only one making a fool of himself.
Trying to play on peoples ignorance.
Most people have never been in a position of giving or receiving a “ground and pound” so they only know what they see on TV.
On TV people that get the ground and pound are ok, they get up and fight another day, so it can’t be that bad right?
People aren’t smart enough to think about the difference between a canvas and concrete.
In real life, one good hit and you don’t get up.
It’s not the punch that puts you out, it’s driving the back of your head into the concrete that puts you out.
How dare you criticize someone who went to journalism school.
What a bunch of nonsense, I can’t believe people outside of their teen years that follow these fake wrestling acts and think they’re seeing anything but a carnival style geek show. lol at calling this person a fighter rather than a clown.
I suppose I have seen worse writing, but, yes, it was painful to slog through this.
“he is not a fighter, that stupid wrestling is acting”
No but he is a graduate of Harvard Law, making it even worse. He would have been better off staying at a Holiday Inn Express the night before . . .
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