Kayfabe

[onomatopoeia]

Kayfabe (pronounced kay - fayb; both syllables equally stressed ).



I had never heard of this word before this past Wednesday.

It applies equally to the audience: There are very young 'new ' wrestling fans who don't know that pro wrestling isn't competitive sports, but everyone else puts smarts aside for a while to enjoy the spectacle.

This word is overdue to become commonly used, (and frequently mispronounced by many), but it has so many real life applications. Most of the video links that @stinkynuts posts are kayfabe. A lot of pop music concerts these days are kayfabe, when the only live performance on stage is the dancing, (fan: she can't be expected to sing and chew gum at the same time).

Kayfabe might come up in discussions about politics, sports, (ex: the phantom injuries in Italian soccer), photo-shopped pictures, telephone, e-mail or text message money scams, or visually unconvincing trans women. Somebody posts a video of two people kicking the shit out of a mannequin, and people assume it's real, because it says so in the description.

 

[SchlongConery]

Kayfabe
Kayfabe might come up in discussions about politics, sports, (ex: the phantom injuries in Italian soccer), photo-shopped pictures, telephone, e-mail or text message money scams, or visually unconvincing trans women. Somebody posts a video of two people kicking the shit out of a mannequin, and people assume it's real, because it says so in the description.

Another spelling of the word for going along with appearing to believe unreal bullshit is @mitchell76 Or MAGA

 

[redshank]

 

[Sonic Temple]

Kayfabe (pronounced kay - fayb; both syllables equally stressed ).

View attachment 402230

I had never heard of this word before this past Wednesday.

It applies equally to the audience: There are very young 'new ' wrestling fans who don't know that pro wrestling isn't competitive sports, but everyone else puts smarts aside for a while to enjoy the spectacle.

This word is overdue to become commonly used, (and frequently mispronounced by many), but it has so many real life applications. Most of the video links that @stinkynuts posts are kayfabe. A lot of pop music concerts these days are kayfabe, when the only live performance on stage is the dancing, (fan: she can't be expected to sing and chew gum at the same time).

Kayfabe might come up in discussions about politics, sports, (ex: the phantom injuries in Italian soccer), photo-shopped pictures, telephone, e-mail or text message money scams, or visually unconvincing trans women. Somebody posts a video of two people kicking the shit out of a mannequin, and people assume it's real, because it says so in the description.

I didn't know of this until I watched the Dark of the Ring series. Amazing series btw and excited for their new season.

 

[Valcazar]

Kayfabe (pronounced kay - fayb; both syllables equally stressed ).

View attachment 402230

I had never heard of this word before this past Wednesday.

It applies equally to the audience: There are very young 'new ' wrestling fans who don't know that pro wrestling isn't competitive sports, but everyone else puts smarts aside for a while to enjoy the spectacle.

This word is overdue to become commonly used, (and frequently mispronounced by many), but it has so many real life applications. Most of the video links that @stinkynuts posts are kayfabe. A lot of pop music concerts these days are kayfabe, when the only live performance on stage is the dancing, (fan: she can't be expected to sing and chew gum at the same time).

Kayfabe might come up in discussions about politics, sports, (ex: the phantom injuries in Italian soccer), photo-shopped pictures, telephone, e-mail or text message money scams, or visually unconvincing trans women. Somebody posts a video of two people kicking the shit out of a mannequin, and people assume it's real, because it says so in the description.

It's been used to describe a lot of political conflicts for years.
Easily a decade-plus, maybe two by now.

It's a very useful word.

(You see "kabuki" used as well, and I think they each have a slightly different nuance in that kind of context.)

 

[The Options Menu]

Kayfabe is about staying in role at all times the public is present. The tale is that OG wrestlers would yell, "Keyfabe!", when a member of the public was around in space where they weren't necessarily expected. It has pretty obvious applications in other fields, like politics.

I'd also argue that most sex workers who participate on boards or social media are doing the same (if they are smart about managing there persona). "Keyfabe" tends to be most successful when it publicly exaggerates / simplifies a person's already existing personality traits. It doesn't make what a person is doing or saying "all fake" for wrestlers, politicians, or sex workers. It's works best when it's a minimal streamlining for public consumption. Staying in "Keyfabe" is often noted for the personality and persona to push and pull on each other (for good and often ill).

"Kabuki" is stylized dramatic theatre. An actor's role ends when they are off stage. Usually calling something kabuki implies that the participants are actors going through the dramatic motions. Once again the phrase has diverse applications. It strikes me that people engaged in kabuki are less sincere than people engaged in keyfabe-- Many people may play the same role in a popular play, but there is only one Hulk Hogan.

In Canadian federal politics many parliamentarians maintain some degree of kayfabe. The generally reserve the kabuki for things like swearing in the speaker, or hallway press scrums (where there are elements of stylized performance). Calling an entire political system kabuki typically has pretty dark implications.

 

[The Oracle]

'' Can you imagine how amazing a Heenan podcast would have been? ''

The first comment under the video...

 

[anon1]

The Chiefs/Bills game.

 

[shack]

It's been used to describe a lot of political conflicts for years.

The fake trump assassination attempt.

 

[Valcazar]

"Kabuki" is stylized dramatic theatre. An actor's role ends when they are off stage. Usually calling something kabuki implies that the participants are actors going through the dramatic motions. Once again the phrase has diverse applications. It strikes me that people engaged in kabuki are less sincere than people engaged in keyfabe-- Many people may play the same role in a popular play, but there is only one Hulk Hogan.

I agree they have different nuances.
I think both are useful.

 

[The Oracle]

The fake trump assassination attempt.

You're in the Jalimon camp with this one?

 

[shack]

You're in the Jalimon camp with this one?

I'm in the "very likely" camp.