Staff Reports
Joey Swoll, a fitness influencer known for promoting positivity in the gym community, faced extreme backlash after posting a tribute to late wrestling star Hulk Hogan. He dressed up as Hogan in an old Halloween costume video, sparking outrage from left-leaning activists who obsessed over Hogan’s controversial past with racial slurs. Swoll claimed he didn’t know the full extent of Hogan’s mistakes during his initial defense of the tribute.
Critics called the post “tone-deaf,” ignoring Hogan’s fame and focusing solely on his missteps. Swoll tried explaining that people deserve credit for both good and bad acts during a livestream, but tensions escalated when he used the phrase “colored” instead of “people of color” – a mistake that became central to the controversy. The woke mob demanded total groveling, no matter how sincere his intentions.
In a desperate attempt to placate the outrage, Swoll issued an emotional apology admitting he “learned” about Hogan’s flaws and begging forgiveness for using outdated language. He even deleted the tribute videos and thanked the mob for “educating” him – a move right-wing commentators called pathetic. Yet the apologies only made things worse. Radical leftists kept attacking, proving they cared less about real progress than about destroying perceived enemies.
Trolls escalated their attacks from mere insults to sending threats to Swoll’s family, business partner, and girlfriend. The influencer shut down his accounts last Tuesday, declaring social media’s toxicity “no longer worth it”. His entire brand, built on body positivity and gym accountability, was destroyed by people more interested in power than solutions.
Conservative commentators called out the absurdity of canceling someone over a Halloween costume. Swoll’s apology was seen as a victory for bullies who weaponize outrage. “No apology” advocates argue that “cancel culture’s goal is to humiliate, not educate,” using every mistake as a scalp.
The incident highlights how the radical left twists any gesture of goodwill into a cultural crime. Even mourning a famous figure’s death becomes a political minefield. Swoll’s case proves that no compromise satisfies the woke mob – only complete surrender.
This surrender cult’s power grows when decent people cave to unreasonable demands. Swoll’s silence isn’t protection – it’s an admission that online radicals run the internet. True strength would have been defending his tribute, not deleting history to appease bullies.
Real free speech means tolerating differing opinions, not erasing them. The woke mob’s harassment must be confronted, not celebrated. Swoll’s exit serves as another warning: imaginary villains like “the mob” won’t stop until they silence everyone who dares disagree.
