Kevin Owens On Society Being More PC, Issues With Social Media, A Fan Telling Him He Should Get Cancer

– Kevin Owens discussed the issues with social media and his own experiences with harassment on Lilian Garcia’s Chasing Glory. During the discussion, Owens reflected on the current times and the way that social media can become a haven of harassment for those hiding behind anonymity, relating his own story of dealing with a persistent fan who says offensive things to harass him. Highlights are below:

On the changing times: “I mean, the world’s changed so much in the last — I mean, you know when I was ten, I wasn’t conscious about how the world was. But once you start, you know, you’re 15, 16, and as you get older. I kinda remember what the world used to be like, even 15 years ago, 10 years ago, and it’s mind-blowing. And you know, I’ll often hear people say the world’s too sensitive now, and people get offended too easily and this and that. But I actually kind of disagree, if anything I think now is better than it’s ever been. Because that’s probably how we should have always been. Because even when I was coming up in wrestling, I would hear people use terms that if they used [them] today, what? They would be — you know? And dare I say, I’ve used those terms too, and I’m ashamed of it. But back then it wasn’t even a second thought that it mattered. But my god, it did! Of course it did, and you only realize this now. And I guess part of it’s maturity, right? Now I’m 35, I’m not a dumba** 20 year-old kid. But I should have known better back then too. But society has evolved to where now we know better.”

On social media still being a haven for saying offensive things: “Yeah, well that’s because the cover of [anonymity]. You’re hiding, yes. And look, some people will probably say I’m wrong, and they disagree, and freedom of speech and all this s**t. But I disagree with — I’m not saying freedom of speech is not important, but I think there’s some lines that shouldn’t be crossed. You know what I mean? But social media is a great point. People will say anything under the cover of [anonymity].”

On his own issues with trolls on social media: “You know, I’m actually dealing with something right now where I’m being harassed by one specific person. And I’ve reported them to Twitter, and his account’s gotten banned, but he always comes back. And the last time I reported him, Twitter said there was no violation. And I thought that was so ridiculous, because one of their things is harassment, and he’s harassing me nonstop. And what he’s saying is not just against my character as a wrestler. He’s saying I should get cancer, my kids should see me die, stuff like that. And somehow, that’s okay. Which is wild. But that’s just social media, you know what I mean? Anybody can say anything they want, and most times a lot of people will just get away with it Scot free.”

On curtailing his own use of Twitter: “It sucks, because social media’s become such a huge part of everybody’s lives. Not everybody, but most people’s lives. The solution’s probably not using it. And you know, I’m saying this now, and I work for WWE who uses social media better than anybody else, probably. And it’s such a huge part of getting it to people that, you know, not necessarily everyone has access to WWE programming across the world, but everybody’s got access to the internet, stuff like that. So it’s so important. But I struggle with it myself, I wonder, maybe it’s better just not [to] be on social media. Because if that’s what I deal with… And you know, I’ll have these, I used to be very active on Twitter. And I used to enjoy it. But that’s gone down drastically because of my interaction with people like the guy I was referring to now. It’s just one of many, many, many people who ultimately, this guy, I’m sure if I met him in real life, he would sing a different tune. But he doesn’t know who I am.”

On where he thinks it comes from: “I think it just comes down to people who are unhappy in their lives. And as cliche as it sounds, I really do think it’s true. You’re unhappy in your life, I don’t know. You wanna get a rise out of something, somewhere, somebody, somewhere, just to feel like you matter maybe. And that’s when you go online. And some people will claim that ‘No, it’s just, it makes me laugh to see people get riled up.’ But man, if you’re doing that in real life, like that’s your source of entertainment is upsetting people in real life… I’m a professional wrestler, and most of my career has been about riling people up. But I do it at the shows that they pay to come, to let loose. And even at shows, some people will cross the line. But most times, people are just having a great time. And I’ve had fans tell me, they’ll send me tweets saying, ‘Oh, sorry if I got under your skin too much, but I was just really enjoying it.’ I’m like, ‘No, you don’t understand. If you’re telling me that I suck, I suck, I suck and I go up to you and I argue with you. It’s not because you’re getting under my skin. It’s because I want you to have as much fun as you can, and I see that you’re already into it, so I’ll go and get more out of you.'”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Chasing Glory with a h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.

Listen to “Kevin Owens – Learning to Overcome Self-Doubt” on Spreaker.