The USA's 250th birthday to be celebrated with Octagon UFC/MMA fight, possibly on the White House South Lawn

[ThatRobGuy]

Trump announces White House UFC fight date: his birthday​

President Donald Trump on Sunday revealed for the first time that a planned UFC match at the White House won't occur around the Fourth of July.

Does that make it better or worse in your estimation?

I couldn't tell if people were upset about the fact that it was UFC, or the fact that an entertainment event was being done for the USA's 250th Birthday on a national holiday.


As far as an entertainment event being put on for a birthday celebration for a White House resident, there actually is some precedent for that.

If you include elaborate B-day celebrations for presidents that became entertainment spectacles (both in and out of the white house property), that's a noteworthy list

President / First Lady	Year	Venue	Performers / Celebrities	Notes
John F. Kennedy	1962	Madison Square Garden, NY	Marilyn Monroe, Ella Fitzgerald, Maria Callas, Diahann Carroll	The legendary “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” performance; fundraiser attended by 15,000.
Lyndon B. Johnson	1966	White House	Andy Williams, Pearl Bailey, Julie Andrews	LBJ’s birthday events often featured major stars; this one marked his 58th.
Ronald Reagan	1981–1988	White House & private venues	Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Bob Hope, Elizabeth Taylor, Marvin Hamlisch	Reagan’s birthdays often blended Hollywood and politics; Sinatra led a 1981 celebration gala.
George H. W. Bush	1989	Washington Hilton	Lee Greenwood, The Oak Ridge Boys	Country and patriotic music were staples of Bush’s events.
Bill Clinton	1993–2000	White House	Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Fleetwood Mac	Clinton’s birthday and inaugural events often merged; music was a key part of the celebrations.
Hillary Clinton	1997	White House	Sheryl Crow, Billy Joel	Clinton’s 50th featured pop and soft-rock favorites.
George W. Bush	2004	Crawford Ranch & D.C. fundraisers	Brooks & Dunn, Lee Ann Womack, Michael W. Smith	Low-key White House celebrations but large country-music-filled fundraisers.
Barack Obama	2011, 2016	White House	Stevie Wonder, Usher, Jennifer Hudson, John Legend, Beyoncé, Jay-Z	55th birthday party in 2016 included a star-studded lineup and “Happy Birthday” tributes.
Michelle Obama	2014	White House	Beyoncé, Stevie Wonder, John Legend, Ledisi, DJ Cassidy	Lavish 50th birthday bash; private concert and dance party in the East Room.

 

[iluvatar5150]

Does that make it better or worse in your estimation?

I couldn't tell if people were upset about the fact that it was UFC, or the fact that an entertainment event was being done for the USA's 250th Birthday on a national holiday.


As far as an entertainment event being put on for a birthday celebration for a White House resident, there actually is some precedent for that.

If you include elaborate B-day celebrations for presidents that became entertainment spectacles (both in and out of the white house property), that's a noteworthy list

President / First Lady	Year	Venue	Performers / Celebrities	Notes
John F. Kennedy	1962	Madison Square Garden, NY	Marilyn Monroe, Ella Fitzgerald, Maria Callas, Diahann Carroll	The legendary “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” performance; fundraiser attended by 15,000.
Lyndon B. Johnson	1966	White House	Andy Williams, Pearl Bailey, Julie Andrews	LBJ’s birthday events often featured major stars; this one marked his 58th.
Ronald Reagan	1981–1988	White House & private venues	Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Bob Hope, Elizabeth Taylor, Marvin Hamlisch	Reagan’s birthdays often blended Hollywood and politics; Sinatra led a 1981 celebration gala.
George H. W. Bush	1989	Washington Hilton	Lee Greenwood, The Oak Ridge Boys	Country and patriotic music were staples of Bush’s events.
Bill Clinton	1993–2000	White House	Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Fleetwood Mac	Clinton’s birthday and inaugural events often merged; music was a key part of the celebrations.
Hillary Clinton	1997	White House	Sheryl Crow, Billy Joel	Clinton’s 50th featured pop and soft-rock favorites.
George W. Bush	2004	Crawford Ranch & D.C. fundraisers	Brooks & Dunn, Lee Ann Womack, Michael W. Smith	Low-key White House celebrations but large country-music-filled fundraisers.
Barack Obama	2011, 2016	White House	Stevie Wonder, Usher, Jennifer Hudson, John Legend, Beyoncé, Jay-Z	55th birthday party in 2016 included a star-studded lineup and “Happy Birthday” tributes.
Michelle Obama	2014	White House	Beyoncé, Stevie Wonder, John Legend, Ledisi, DJ Cassidy	Lavish 50th birthday bash; private concert and dance party in the East Room.

lol, "entertainment spectacle" is doing a bit of work there, eh? I don't think anybody would complain about entertainment. I like MMA, but there's a bit of a difference between Stevie Wonder or John Legend, and a bunch of dudes beating each other silly.

 

[GoldenBoy89]

Does that make it better or worse in your estimation?

I couldn't tell if people were upset about the fact that it was UFC, or the fact that an entertainment event was being done for the USA's 250th Birthday on a national holiday.


As far as an entertainment event being put on for a birthday celebration for a White House resident, there actually is some precedent for that.

If you include elaborate B-day celebrations for presidents that became entertainment spectacles (both in and out of the white house property), that's a noteworthy list

President / First Lady	Year	Venue	Performers / Celebrities	Notes
John F. Kennedy	1962	Madison Square Garden, NY	Marilyn Monroe, Ella Fitzgerald, Maria Callas, Diahann Carroll	The legendary “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” performance; fundraiser attended by 15,000.
Lyndon B. Johnson	1966	White House	Andy Williams, Pearl Bailey, Julie Andrews	LBJ’s birthday events often featured major stars; this one marked his 58th.
Ronald Reagan	1981–1988	White House & private venues	Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Bob Hope, Elizabeth Taylor, Marvin Hamlisch	Reagan’s birthdays often blended Hollywood and politics; Sinatra led a 1981 celebration gala.
George H. W. Bush	1989	Washington Hilton	Lee Greenwood, The Oak Ridge Boys	Country and patriotic music were staples of Bush’s events.
Bill Clinton	1993–2000	White House	Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Fleetwood Mac	Clinton’s birthday and inaugural events often merged; music was a key part of the celebrations.
Hillary Clinton	1997	White House	Sheryl Crow, Billy Joel	Clinton’s 50th featured pop and soft-rock favorites.
George W. Bush	2004	Crawford Ranch & D.C. fundraisers	Brooks & Dunn, Lee Ann Womack, Michael W. Smith	Low-key White House celebrations but large country-music-filled fundraisers.
Barack Obama	2011, 2016	White House	Stevie Wonder, Usher, Jennifer Hudson, John Legend, Beyoncé, Jay-Z	55th birthday party in 2016 included a star-studded lineup and “Happy Birthday” tributes.
Michelle Obama	2014	White House	Beyoncé, Stevie Wonder, John Legend, Ledisi, DJ Cassidy	Lavish 50th birthday bash; private concert and dance party in the East Room.

It’s still just as stupid and Idiocracy-esque but at least now it’s only honoring our dumb Idiocracy president and not the rest of the country on the Fourth.

 

[ThatRobGuy]

lol, "entertainment spectacle" is doing a bit of work there, eh? I don't think anybody would complain about entertainment. I like MMA, but there's a bit of a difference between Stevie Wonder or John Legend, and a bunch of dudes beating each other silly.

Isn't that just splitting hairs over the style of entertainment though?

For the people who don't care for this, I have my doubts as to whether or not they would've responded any better to the idea of a Kid Rock concert.
(and I don't know that they could do a concert of the Village People doing YMCA -- which seems to be his favorite song -- over and over again on a 2 hour loop while he does the Trump dance)

 

[iluvatar5150]

Isn't that just splitting hairs over the style of entertainment though?

No more than differentiating between a reading of Shakespeare and a live sex show.

For the people who don't care for this, I have my doubts as to whether or not they would've responded any better to the idea of a Kid Rock concert.

It's a spectrum. Some things are more high-brow than others. I'd raise an eyebrow to Kid Rock playing a show at the White House the same way as I would ICP, even though they endorsed my preferred candidate.

 

[ThatRobGuy]

It's a spectrum. Some things are more high-brow than others. I'd raise an eyebrow to Kid Rock playing a show at the White House the same way as I would ICP, even though they endorsed my preferred candidate.

Perhaps that "need for high-brow" stuff is the thing that's putting off some of those blue collar union workers?

What actually constitutes "high-brow" in this case?

If we were talking about the difference between Limp Bizkit performing "Nookie" and the New York Philharmonic performing a Beethoven symphony, then perhaps it would be a clearer distinction.

But not sure I see the that kind of dichotomy between Beyonce and Kid Rock.

 

[iluvatar5150]

Perhaps that "need for high-brow" stuff is the thing that's putting off some of those blue collar union workers?

I'm sure it is. But that doesn't mean we ought to obliterate those distinctions and pretend as if everything is the same.

But not sure I see the that kind of dichotomy between Beyonce and Kid Rock.

Yes, the gap between Beyonce and Kid Rock is more narrow, but this thread isn't about Kid Rock. It's about a UFC fight.

 

[ThatRobGuy]

I'm sure it is. But that doesn't mean we ought to obliterate those distinctions and pretend as if everything is the same.


Yes, the gap between Beyonce and Kid Rock is more narrow, but this thread isn't about Kid Rock. It's about a UFC fight.

I don't think anyone has to pretend they're exactly the same... the same way golf/tennis isn't the same as football/hockey. (the former is obviously a little more low-key, and the latter is obviously more in the realm of "contact sports")

The issue is that people are trying to portray it as one being "classier/fancier -- therefore better" than the other, and it's that latter part that gives some the impression of elitism.


In essence, scoffing at the form of entertainment the blue collar and/or conservative people like as "not worthy of being at the white house" certainly isn't going to win that cohort back over.

 

[GoldenBoy89]

Was bikini-clad mud wrestling not an option?

 

[BCP1928]

The left goes on and on about supporting the working class. But when it comes to sports the working class love, look at how snooty they get.

Where do you get the idea that the working class loves cage fighting? Some do, I suppose, but it really seems like kind of a niche thing, compared to football, baseball, basketball, auto racing, etc. In any case, what the working class really loves is better pay and working conditions--and would gladly give up being cage fighting fans for it.

 

[ThatRobGuy]

Was bikini-clad mud wrestling not an option?

The implication being "mud wrestling is another thing those backwards, under-educated, redneck, conservative hill-folk like to watch"?


Is this really about the fact that it's a birthday sporting event instead of a birthday concert? Or does the UFC thing in particular have a little more to do with Dana White's and Joe Rogan's political leanings?

 

[iluvatar5150]

I don't think anyone has to pretend they're exactly the same...

Oh?
"Isn't that just splitting hairs over the style of entertainment though?"

the same way golf/tennis isn't the same as football/hockey. (the former is obviously a little more low-key, and the latter is obviously more in the realm of "contact sports")

The issue is that people are trying to portray it as one being "classier/fancier -- therefore better" than the other, and it's that latter part that gives some the impression of elitism.

In essence, scoffing at the form of entertainment the blue collar and/or conservative people like as "not worthy of being at the white house" certainly isn't going to win that cohort back over.

You're conflating a bunch of things and it's hard to tell whether you're serious or just being provacative. I agree that some of the elitism surrounding entertainment and the arts needs to die.

However, some appreciation for classiness and decorum should not die and I don't think it's inappropriate to try to keep certain spaces elevated. There is a strong push among the MAGA crowd to not just do away with elitism, but also to lean hard into a deliberate crassness and incivility. I don't think we need to debase ourselves just to protect their fragile egos.

 

[GoldenBoy89]

The implication being "mud wrestling is another thing those backwards, under-educated, redneck, conservative hill-folk like to watch"?

No the implication being I’d much rather watch bikini-clad mud wrestling. Lol

Is this really about the fact that it's a birthday sporting event instead of a birthday concert? Or does the UFC thing in particular have a little more to do with Dana White's and Joe Rogan's political leanings?

I don’t really care either way. I won’t be tuning in to the Donald Trump birthday celebration.

Are you?

 

[ThatRobGuy]

I don’t really care either way. I won’t be tuning in to the Donald Trump birthday celebration.

Are you?

Not if they charge the typical UFC ppv prices lol

I enjoy watching it, and I have expendable income, but their PPV schedule became so frequent that it felt excessive shelling out $80 every 3-4 weeks for an event.

 

[GoldenBoy89]

Not if they charge the typical UFC ppv prices lol

I enjoy watching it, and I have expendable income, but their PPV schedule became so frequent that it felt excessive shelling out $80 every 3-4 weeks for an event.

Maybe they’ll broadcast on cspan lol.

I don’t hate UFC but I honestly haven’t followed it in so long I don’t even know the fighters anymore. It seems like all the big personalities of the past are gone.

 

[ThatRobGuy]

You're conflating a bunch of things and it's hard to tell whether you're serious or just being provacative. I agree that some of the elitism surrounding entertainment and the arts needs to die.

However, some appreciation for classiness and decorum should not die and I don't think it's inappropriate to try to keep certain spaces elevated. There is a strong push among the MAGA crowd to not just do away with elitism, but also to lean hard into a deliberate crassness and incivility. I don't think we need to debase ourselves just to protect their fragile egos.

I am being serious...

I do think, at least to some degree, it has to do less with the actual activity, and more to do with the perceptions about the fan bases and how "sophisticated" (or not) they're perceived to be.

So for instance the type of entertainment fans may discuss at a wine & cheese party is somehow "better than" the types of entertainment that fans would discuss a backyard bbq. Sort of the "Frasier vs. his Dad" dynamic.


I'd probably say the most poignant example would be the difference between how F1 racing and NASCAR are perceived. (despite being quite similar) The major differences in those are the "prestige" of the brands that sponsor them, and the income level of the people who attend.

 

[BCP1928]

I am being serious...

I do think, at least to some degree, it has to do less with the actual activity, and more to do with the perceptions about the fan bases and how "sophisticated" (or not) they're perceived to be.

So for instance the type of entertainment fans may discuss at a wine & cheese party is somehow "better than" the types of entertainment that fans would discuss a backyard bbq. Sort of the "Frasier vs. his Dad" dynamic.


I'd probably say the most poignant example would be the difference between how F1 racing and NASCAR are perceived. (despite being quite similar) The major differences in those are the "prestige" of the brands that sponsor them, and the income level of the people who attend.

No, it's not always about you and your imaginary victimhood.

 

[Servus]

Where do you get the idea that the working class loves cage fighting? Some do, I suppose, but it really seems like kind of a niche thing, compared to football, baseball, basketball, auto racing, etc. In any case, what the working class really loves is better pay and working conditions--and would gladly give up being cage fighting fans for it.

Considering I made that post back in August, I really don't remember.

 

[RileyG]

Trump announces White House UFC fight date: his birthday​

President Donald Trump on Sunday revealed for the first time that a planned UFC match at the White House won't occur around the Fourth of July.

Ummm….i’m not entirely surprised.