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Dana White has criticized Ariel Helwani for his reaction to the Gina Carano controversy.
Gina Carano is widely regarded as one of the most popular combat sportspeople to have successfully transitioned to the acting profession. Among several other projects, Gina Carano, a women’s MMA pioneer, essayed the role of Cara Dune in popular Disney TV series The Mandalorian.
Despite receiving largely positive reviews for her work, Lucasfilm recently revealed that they’ve parted ways with Gina Carano and she won’t be a part of the series’ third season. One of the social media posts made by Gina Carano, which led to Carano being fired from her job, read as follows –
"Jews were beaten in the streets, not by Nazi soldiers but by their neighbors. Because history is edited, most people today don't realize that to get to the point where Nazi soldiers could easily round up thousands of Jews, the government first made their own neighbors hate them simply for being Jews. How is that any different from hating someone for their political views?"
On one hand, Gina Carano’s supporters claim that she was pointing out how demonizing someone for their political views gradually dehumanizes them and eventually leads to them being persecuted.
On the other hand, Gina Carano’s detractors claim that comparing being fired for one’s controversial comments to the treatment of Jewish people in Nazi Germany is extremely offensive.
Ariel Helwani posted a video on his official Instagram account, giving his take on the recent developments concerning MMA legend Gina Carano. Ariel Helwani stated –
“Hello, everyone, Ariel here. A lot of people have asked me my thoughts on Gina Carano, over the past 24-48 hours, certainly over the last few hours. And I’ve been struggling to find the words to fully express myself. Obviously, (it’s) a very complex situation. And I understand and appreciate why people would ask me my opinion on this – Because of the fact that she’s a famous former mixed martial artist, because I’ve talked about her a lot, because I have interviewed her a bunch, and I’ve talked about her impact on my career early on, because I’m Jewish. I can understand why people would want to know how I feel about this. But I’ve just had a hard time responding to a tweet or to formulating my thoughts on social media. So, I thought I would make a video to try to explain how I feel about it.”
“Obviously, I am very disappointed in what she posted. To be honest, I have not agreed with a lot of the things she has posted over the past year. This last post; essentially comparing being a Republican in America or having a certain political view to being a Jew in Nazi Germany during World War II is asinine. It is an absolutely crazy comparison to make. It is completely insensitive to think that Jewish people and other minorities as well – not just Jews, but in this particular post, Jews were the ones discussed – had to hide in attics, and in gutters, and be separated from their families; and murdered, six million of them. To compare that to what is going on in this country is just a very tone-deaf analogy to make, to put it mildly.”
“Now, I’m not one, I’m not into the whole quote-unquote cancel culture or anything like that, you know. I’m not here to talk about someone’s employment or anything like that. I’m here to talk about the comment, the statement, the analogy. As a Jewish person and as a human being, it just, it doesn’t sit well. And I wish she would have never posted that. And quite frankly, I wish someone would have talked to her about her social media posts over the past year; some of them not even political, just in general, they felt off to me. And I’m sorry that she has gone down this path. Now, I’ve known Gina for quite some time. Not gonna pretend like we’re the best of friends, but I do know her to be a very kind-hearted person, someone with a good soul.”
“And I kind of just feel like, you know, the internet, social media, the climate, has impacted her way of thinking in a very negative way. If you’ve followed her on social media for quite some time, if you know her, it wasn’t always this type of rhetoric. And, unfortunately, this is what it’s consistently been over the last year or so, maybe even a little bit before that. And that’s really unfortunate. I don’t wanna speak on the politics, even the mask stuff; I think you all know where I stand on all of that; the vaccine, all of that. But when I saw that post, that one hit me in the heart. And it hit me in the heart on a few fronts – Because I know Gina, you know, I’ve covered her for a long time. And to think that someone would compare having a certain political view in 2021 to what my people went through some 70-80 years ago is just; it’s just really disappointing. And it’s upsetting.” (*H/T Sportskeeda for the transcription)
Furthermore, Ariel Helwani suggested that Gina Carano ought to educate herself by visiting historical sites that contain relics of Nazi-era atrocities. Helwani added that he hopes Gina Carano gets her career and life back on track, given that she was fired from her job after her recent social media posts.
During a UFC media scrum, UFC president Dana White was asked about the ongoing issues concerning Gina Carano. White lent Carano his support, whilst simultaneously jibing at Ariel Helwani. White stated –
“Leave Gina alone. You know…Listen, we make mistakes. We all make mistakes, you know. For everybody to go in on her; I love how Ariel Helwani made it all about him. It was all about him. Such a d*uche. “ (*H/T Sportskeeda for the transcription)
Support from Dana White, criticism from Ariel Helwani, and Gina Carano’s future in the entertainment industry
Former MMA fighter Gina Carano has received praise and support from many in the MMA world, including Dana White. Alternatively, Gina Carano’s also been criticized by MMA personalities like Ariel Helwani.
Be that as it may, Gina Carano has opened up on the controversy. Carano told The Daily Wire –
"The Daily Wire is helping make one of my dreams - to develop and produce my own film - come true. I cried out and my prayer was answered…I have only just begun using my voice which is now freer than ever before, and I hope it inspires others to do the same. They can’t cancel us if we don’t let them."
Gina Carano has signed an exclusive movie deal with The Daily Wire, a conservative media channel, spearheaded by American political personality Ben Shapiro.
Also Read: What is Dana White's Salary?
