This weekend, a computer geek friend helped me navigate around the system to get a working subscription to American Netflix, which has far more content than the Canadian version. Tonight, I've been watching a documentary called 'Fightville' about minor MMA fighters in Louisiana. I'm not going to say it's worth watching. In reality, your time would be better spent doing just about anything. But as far as documentaries go, this flick is pretty real. I shows all the stuff Shi Zu has been talking about over the years, with MMA being an excuse for bullies and criminals to learn how to be more dangerous, it's definitely the case. None of the people who this documentary follows, not even the coaches, are in any way mentally healthy. They're fighting ghosts of juvenile trauma, and their sights are set on the fame and cash payout. It's sad. The philosophical dilemma is that, as they state outright, fighting is truth. And I can't help but agree, on some level. But who are you going to train to fight better? The people with some kind of need to hurt others? These guys in this documentary want to fight and hurt people. They enjoy fighting. To me, that's scary. I enjoy sparring. I don't enjoy really fighting. What's even more mind blowing is that there are people paying to watch. Not participate, just spectate. That's even more sick, in my estimation. There's lots to say about this documentary, but I'll just leave it as this... if you're going to waste ninety minutes, this is an opportunity to gain an inside perspective on MMA. Or you could go eat some peanut butter, and to hell with these guys
I know a few people who compete in MMA, one of these is a cousin I grew up with. He was into drugs, alcohol, and fighting for the sake of fighting. He ended up drinking himself into a coma one day and ended up becoming a diabetic. He is to the point where he has a insulin pump he has to wear. I am not agreing with MMA at all, however in his case he has used it to overcome many of his issues. He got out of the drinking and the drugs he managed to clean himself up has actually progressed rather far into the western American MMA ring. He went to a trade school and ended up opening his own plumbing and heating business, and is doing really good with it. He still fights he just has to take off his pump when he goes in. He credits martial arts with saving his life. The focus and drive he gained from them has put him on a course that has lead him to do better then anyone ever would have thought he could. When I asked him why he keeps fighting even with his medical issues he just said that when he is in the ring it is not about hurting the other guy, its about pushing himself past where he thought he could go, and he cant do that on a dummy. He is not in anyway a typical macho MMA fighter, he is very reserved now and completely different from how he use to be. He always talks about respecting his opponent and I have never seen him take a cheap shot to get ahead. It is a shame that the majority of the fighters and wanna be fighters in MMA cant get past their ego. I think that if there were more people like my cousin that the whole genre would be different, but there really isnt much profit to be made when people are not out to kill eachother.
ReplyDeleteI agree, for some people, MMA can make a part in their healing process. But their is a higher level, it doesn't really make someone better than the other person next to him, but if you really want to be at peace, be at balance within yourself, leaving the fight alone would probably be a choice to make when the person is ready. Their is many way to fight your inner demons without having to hurt others but like i said, it can be the path to choose for a certain moment. I like when Mike Tyson says he doesn't care about his belt no more, that he cares about his family and all, that is a good exemple of someone who been through shit and got out of it in some ways. But to realize those things, Mike had to go through shit, it's almost like their wasn't any other way for him to learn cause the pain was really deep, it took a lifetime for him to grew, but he did, and that's hardcore, real hardcore. I don't know your cousin but i wish him the best. Keep up the good work!
DeleteThanks Ryan for the documentary suggestion. But why paying for the rent if it's junk food? How about some free download?? I'm definitly checking that out but i ain't paying for that cheezeburger!
ReplyDeleteLol... Netflix is definitely fast-food entertainment. I understand what both of you guys are saying, and in fact you'll see the same thing very clearly in this movie. Kids who were getting in some serious trouble move into MMA, and it's like a safety-valve for their violence, while at the same time prompting them toward serious fitness. Yes, it is an avenue for saving some people. And Steve, I'm glad you brought up the Tyson example, because that's part of this reality. Here's a guy who had the boxing outlet where he could funnel most of his violence, and yet some of it still spilled over outside of the ring and got him into trouble. On one hand, it is attractive to have some kind of structure like this where you can put violent men, where they won't be so much of a direct danger to society. They pound the shit out of each other, and maybe even find some spirituality in that challenge to themselves. But on the other hand, it's such a huge entertainment industry, there's no doubt to me that it's helping to produce a more violence-oriented society. And that's the real unfortunate consequence. It would be lovely if we could give violent dudes a way to vent that is publicly safe, but when that means involves turning them into celebrity spectacles, athletes who are considered role models, and when it teaches deadly combat techniques to anyone who's interested in that bloodsport, I think that's pretty dangerous. Most criminals you might meet on the street now know the rear naked choke, for example. That's bad news. I don't think it's a good trade off for society, just so some bully thugs can be saved from making their way into the penitentiary. I don't know what the answer to this dilemma is, but I don't think it's to be found in training would be killers to be even more efficient and deadly
ReplyDeleteI just finished watching Fightville. It just shows you how much mma is all about yang, the way they put it is as if yin was for pussy's, they don't say it but their actions proves it. They talk about balance and you can see somethings lacking. I don't think these guys are necessarily bad people, but somethings missing in the picture. What i liked about the documentary is it kinda shows you how mma is without much special effect. Some of the fighters definitly have a lot of dedication, but you don't have to fight in rings or cages to have dedication in your training. They kinda fight their inner demons through the opponents, they kinda want the other person to feel their own pain. Aside from the documentary, when you watch a publicity/adverstisement or a montage from the guys behind the UFC, they portray the mma lifestyle as if it was the ultimate thing to live. Forget about becoming an astronaut or a doctor, forget about saving lives, saving lives is for pussy's instead go get a UFC championship belt, defend it forever, make tons of cash and grow them Dana White's pockets fat. But if the montage crew sucked, we would be able to see through the bullshit (even if we can see it already). The montage crew's are the one who make that ugly cheezeburger looks so nice, that pop so bright and those fries so right! So...FMK WORLD, let's kill the UFC MONTAGE CREW!!loll
DeleteRight on
DeleteOf course, what is is what is. The cat's already out of the bag, where this stuff is concerned. The dangerous techniques are out there, exposed, being very publicly exhibited and taught, to anyone who wants to know. And the MMA industry is so huge, it won't be going away, and it doesn't care how many insults anyone flings. To sit around and be upset about this situation is to impose one's own suffering, wishing for a reality that isn't. There are more constructive ways to respond, some of which we are already exploring through FMK
ReplyDeleteIt would be nice for you to make a philosia video sharing your thoughts on this matter, there needs to be more videos circulated on the web that discourage this type of organized violence.
ReplyDeleteI will do this when I have a moment. Maybe I'll even do it as a kind of film review for this Fightsville
DeleteWe got Netflix back a couple of weeks ago. Maybe we will check this show out sometime. I'm hoping to find more good movies on there. I think they have a lot less to choose from than what they used to have.
ReplyDeleteI spent some minutes watching Fightville. I cannot help feeling sick about it. The guy actually stated that MMA is real Martial Arts and that you cannot expect to win a fight practicing katas and stuff. I agree to an extent: forms are not necessarily practical in fighting. Does that mean I should not practice them? Bullshit! Forms can help you develop focus, coordination, power. There are so much more benefits to the forms they do not know about. They are only interested in hurting others. That's all they care about. They say a lot of mumbo jumbo too. Since I am not to the point of my life to absorb stupidity, I just turn it off. It's just not worth watching.
ReplyDelete