Wrestling

The study of signs within society anything that conveys meaning is a sign.
- Signifier+signified = sign
- Myth - underlying cultural stereotypes
Review of World of Wrestling
Barthe argues that this form of wrestling is not a sport and non competetive. There is no avoidance of defeat or run to victory as it is scripted and pre determined. The pre determined outcome often dictates how the characters are presented, are they the hero or villain or the under dog? Using codes that are socially known. There is also a form of justice that is known throughout wrestling, the villain often being the one who is unjust and hated breaking the rules etc. There is a strong relationship between the culutural understanding of justice and how we want to defend and get justice. In wrestling, as Barthe suggests, the world is very simple and black and white good vs evil. An ideallic world for some where good alwsys ends up triumphing and justice is served in some form, this allows a wide audience to engage with wrestling as it only requires a basic understanding of law and justice.