On Fox & Friends Thursday morning, Fox Business Network host John Stossel undertook his annual ritual of promoting the idea that most homeless panhandlers are not “for real” by recycling footage of John Stossel fake-panhandling in 2011. While liberal blogs like ThinkProgress whined about the factual and logical accuracy of Stossel’s segment, and pinkos all over the liberal blogosphere cruelly mocked Stossel as though he were some kind of horrible person, they all conveniently forget that there’s a very good reason Stossel accuses the homeless of being fake. When you accuse homeless people of being fake, they don’t do this:
That’s Stossel in 1984, interviewing wrestler David “Dr. D” Schultz, and teaching Stossel what happens when you accuse someone who actually is a fake of being a fake. The incident was devastating to Dr. D’s wrestling career, but eventually, things worked out for him:
Following the John Stossell slap and subsequent lawsuit, Schultz was fired from the WWF/WWE. Schultz would always maintain that Vince McMahon, Jr. suggested that Stossell should be scared away. Schultz did that and more. After his termination Schultz found very few promotions that were willing to allow to him wrestle for them. Schultz was literally blackballed from the wrestling industry.In 1994 Vince McMahon was charged with promoting steroid usage among his wrestlers. Hulk Hogan was the star witness for the prosecution. Schultz would also emerge as a witness and testify against McMahon. The testimony from Hogan and Schultz did little to sway the judgement and McMahon was acquitted of the charges.Following his retirement Schultz relocated to Connecticut. He open up a successful bail bonds business and is regarded as a top bounty hunter in the United States.
Stossel reported “possible permanent pain and buzzing in his ears,” and sued Schultz, eventually winning a $425,000 settlement from the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE). Yes, the same John Stossel who opposes the Americans with Disabilities Act because he fears “lawsuit abuse” scored almost a half-mil for getting slapped twice.
Those slaps must have really hurt, though, because now, Stossel attacks people who don’t hit back, mainly because they don’t exist. According to Stossel’s report, the only fake homeless person he turned up was John Stossel, and what’s he gonna do, hit himself?
This is an opinion piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.
