politics out of control....

Metis

Metis

Joined
Feb 18, 1999
Messages
742
so i'm at the gym and i see a guy wearing a FMA tshirt from a nationally known style. i approach him and ask "so, you train with 'X', that's awesome, i've admired that style for some time."

we start talking and i tell him that i trained in style 'Y' when i'm able, but now with the gas prices a 2.5 hour drive each way to train is getting to be a luxury.

at this point he stops talking and just glares at me. then he says "yeah, our training group is local, but we can't have anything to do with those who follow style 'Y', as they have no respect for style 'X'".

then he puffs his chest out is some sort of macho display and walks off.

maybe i'm clueless, but it is really that bad out there? to the point that people who train in Filipino styles have to pick sides and not associate with eachother?

i did some forum searching and it seems like things are heating up among certain schools, but this just seems a little crazy to me.....
 
The one thing about martial arts in general that I hate. Life's too short.
Terry
 
me too (a filipino.) but segregation and grouping is found everywhere. in fact, the term applied in living memory to the US and south africa.
 
I'm a Filipino as well and I don't think this kind of behavior is an exclusive "Filipino" trait. It's very much tribal in nature, wherein one group defines itself as being different and maybe even against another group. English football fans, baseball fanatics, etc., all exhibit the same "us vs. them" mentality. It's natural for us as a species.

Petty politics is all over martial arts. In FMA it's just a little more virulent
 
i've been told that it was a Pinoy trait. my teacher is Batangueno (Barako), and it is always "family first".

he actually had a storefront school at one point, but closed it to keep his style 'more hidden' and hold private, invite only classes.

ah well, i'll just stick to what i know. he taught me to love the blade. and i make a mean chicken adobo now. :)
 
Pigeon-holing and prejudice occur in ALL avenues.

I have spent many years working dogs in bite-work, and over those years, have seen the same thing occur in this sphere as well... The PP (Personal Protection) crowd bad-talks the French Ring (Sport which includes biting) crowd, and the Mondio Ring (Another sport) people bad talk the Sch. group.

I have always been of the school that if you really believe in and enjoy the work or sport you practice, you are comfortable enough to see good in other like-wise avenues, rather than always looking for bad.
 
It's a human trait. I've seen the same sort of things between users of Microsoft, Apple and Linux operating systems. I've seen it between fans of different kinds of music. We've all seen it between (and within) different religions.

We (humans) just naturally seem to fall into groups, and when we do, lots of times it people seem to just naturally trash talk the other groups. I don't do this, which makes me obviously superior to people who do ;-)

A favorite quote of mine (from the author Glen Cook): "Politics is what happens whenever 3 or more people get within shouting distance of one another. It's what sets us apart from the beasts."
 
Joel Stave said:
It's a human trait. [...] "Politics is what happens whenever 3 or more people get within shouting distance of one another. It's what sets us apart from the beasts."
Click to expand...
Similar behavior has been seen in young lions defeating an older male and taking over his pride and in chimps, eradicating a neighboring group's males. It's been seen among chimps within a group with individuals allying against other individuals for dominance.
 
I know. And almost all communal organisms show aggression between groups (even ant colonies get into wars). But we've brought back-stabbing, gossip and innuendo to a high art form, which is why I love that quote.
 
Back in the old days here in Stockton, not uncommon to have a free for all involving rival Academies or a drop in challenge match against the storefront martial arts schools. Logo t-shirts are a realtively new thing around here too thanks in part to Danny Inosanto's influence circa 1980's. Prior to that, you trained in your street clothes as Angel said in a real fight you won't be fighting in uniforms or sweat pants and track shoes.

Matador-
 
There's always that type of mentality in martial arts, it's not even dependent on the origin of the style. It's part politics, part ego, part loyalty, and protection of one's own community. It's definitely a hindrance in th MA world, but I suspect that it thinking like that will never disappear. I know of Silat practitioners who weren't allowed to train in the same system, just because of who their teacher is.
 
Dojo Wars all over again.:thumbdn:
Why, oh WHY are we repeating the mistakes of the 70's?
 
...because it's what we do. Those "mistakes of the 70's" were repeats themselves, and not the first ones either. I've read accounts of differing sword schools in feudal Japan badmouthing each other. I'd be willing to bet that if you go back far enough, you'd find Ogg's Rock-Bash stylists badmouthing practitioners of Ook's Stick-Poke style.

I just smile and nod when folks start spewing the "my style/school/teacher is better" thing, then change the subject. It seems to be the most efficient way to handle it.
 
Joel Stave said:
...because it's what we do. Those "mistakes of the 70's" were repeats themselves, and not the first ones either. I've read accounts of differing sword schools in feudal Japan badmouthing each other. I'd be willing to bet that if you go back far enough, you'd find Ogg's Rock-Bash stylists badmouthing practitioners of Ook's Stick-Poke style.

I just smile and nod when folks start spewing the "my style/school/teacher is better" thing, then change the subject. It seems to be the most efficient way to handle it.
Click to expand...

All very true unfortunately.:(
But they're ALL wrong, because Stabman-fu is obviously the greatest style ever, because I do it!:D
I thought the UFC had put the issue to rest, showing that one must have elements of all ways of fighting but, alas, such was not the case. Too bad, but it does keep the funny arguments going, so that's cool.:)
 
All you can do is ignore it. People like that will do the same thing regardless of the subject is.
 
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