From: kickda@studsys.mscs.mu.edu (Damien Kixk)
Newsgroups: rec.martial-arts
Subject: Re: Badass Karate (-Do?) -- note: lengthy post
Date: 12 Nov 1992 06:33:24 GMT
Organization: Marquette University - Department MSCS
NNTP-Posting-Host: studsys.mscs.mu.edu

In article <BxIq83.9pp@usenet.ucs.indiana.edu> 
   burdickd@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (Dakin Burdick) -- that's you -- writes:
>In article <1dna0nINN332@spool.mu.edu> 
   kickda@studsys.mscs.mu.edu (Damien Kixk) -- that's me -- writes:
>>
>>       And here comes a completely modern twist ...  Don't
>>  sell out!  Keep ma underground and keep it punk!  Check out
>>  the martial art history of Okinaowa ... strong tradtion of
>>  underground rebellion against an oppressive society.  
>>  Strong tradition of self-reliance.  What about ... Capoerica?
>>  ... that martial art that came from African slaves learning
>>  to fight while in shackles.  What about ninjitsu?  Could
>>  one possibly get any more radical than that?
>>       ... I feel that no true art should be made commercial.
>>  Keep it underground ... keep it "punk".
>
>Hmm.  I see a couple problems with your idea.  You ignore
>the benefits that have come out of commercialization of the martial
>arts.  Nowadays anybody can drop into a dojo/dojang/kwoon and take
>a couple lessons or watch a class, and because of that the martial
>arts are more generally accepted.  If you radicalize the arts (as
>seems to be your intention), you're going to worry a lot of the
>people who have to worry about radical warriors.  The Police come
>to mind, as does the FBI investigating armed radical bands.  Not to
>mention the fact that your instructor will have control of a very
>tight little clique of secretive martial artists separated from
>society as a whole and will certainly be tempted to take things
>to extremes (check out the cult posts this week).

       Yeah ... this was a came across a little much ...
  Just another angle I wanted to 'test' on the idea of
  not going commercial combined with the martial arts 
  having, in my opinion, a much more meaningful origin
  than that of a 'pop-martial culture'.  Delving into
  the quasi-political aspect which I think can be seen
  in the history of the martial arts and which I think
  has arisen from the strong tradition of independence,
  inner strength and a sense of purpose which has also
  been a big part of traditional martial arts.

 ... <stuff deleted> ...
>>       Which I think brings up the question of -- How can
>>  we truely speak of there being a martial art if not in
>>  the presence of a martial society?
>
>I'm sorry, but this is pretty ludicrous.  You don't have to
>be at war to learn the art of war.  And the point of the martial
>arts is to learn to live a better life, not go off to war and die.
>If you want to head off to Lebanon to learn the martial arts, be
>my guest, but I just got done reading an article about a Lebanese
>karate instructor (the "father of Lebanese Karate" as a matter of
>fact) who moved to California.
>
       ... ummm, I kinda want to respond to your "... is
  pretty ludicrous." position in some detail -- ie, at least
  with more forethought than I can give to such a response
  at this moment.  However, do you remember where, in what
  magazine etc., you read that article.  I would be interest-
  ed in reading it since you more-or-less cited it as a refer-
  ence -- also, would be interested in reading it since this
  is a question to which I have given some thought recently.
  Your help in locating this article would be appreciated.

-- 
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