Corporate kung fu for profit, Inc.

[carly]

http://www.napma.com/index.cfm?CFID=346524&CFTOKEN=36579108&fuseaction=napma2.home&CFID=346524&CFTOKEN=36579108

[norther practitioner]

Thats funny, most sodas actually dehydrate you...lol.

[Mr.Binx]

Yeah, our TAC officers in boot camp actually told us not to drink soda because it catalyzed dehydration. Then before we would go out on a 5 mile run, the same TACs would put out tables covered in cans of ice cold soda. Weeded out the stupid ones real quick. I thought it was pretty funny. Evil *******s. :p

[eulerfan]

Focault said that any institution, regardless of its main objective when it was created, will ultimately have the main objective of self-preservation.

Like, your main objective in setting up a school is to teach. Inevitably, that objective will be keeping the school open. Teaching will become secondary to that.

Any institution.

Something to think about, anyhows.

[carly]

Teach in your backyard, park, garage or community center instead of in a school then.

[norther practitioner]

Selling drinks isn't selling out. Selling ranks is, I think it is funny that it is soda being marketed. You need a serious check to think that just because a school has a vending machine that it is a McKwoon/Dojo. You gotta pay the rent, and teaching out of your garage or back yard is hard when you need to pay the bills and teaching is your job. People look for a school, not a bunch of people kicking in someones back yard.

[fa_jing]

Thumbs up Eulerfan! I've been saying the same thing as Focault for a while. Only I called them "self-perpetuating entrenched interests"

[carly]

the best people I have met in the martial arts were all kicking in someone's backyard or similar, and it's the student's loss if that stops him from joining them.

[Laughing Cow]

I am with NP.

What if they were selling Fruit-Juice & sandwiches instead of Soa-pop.

I guess than we would have no argument going on.

Apart from that I agree with eulrefan, and feel sorry for a school that needs to supplement their income with vending machines, etc.

[norther practitioner]

Carly, but running a school is the business. Most people who train out of there houses are not usually "career" martial artists. It will be someone who has another job, and just so happens to be a martial artist. A career martial artist will need a "space" other than there home to teach 98% of the time.

[carly]

I haven't known many professional martial artists, the good ones I've known usually work at something else and teach and practice in their spare time.

[GeneChing]

I remember when Wing Lam brought a soda and a candy machine into the school. We went to pick it up at some Chinese guy's home. He had a garage full of vending machines. It struck me as really funny at the time. We put them in my Sifu's truck. I told them they should fill it up with health/electrolyte drinks and energy bars, but they went with soda and candy - cheap stuff you'd get at the Costco by the bin. I think they had one slot for the healthier stuff in each machine, which didn't move at all. Not at all. The sodas and candies did ok. Nickle and dime but every little bit counts when you operate a big school. It mostly went to the kids who hung out all the time, before and after their classes.

So far be it from me to say that vending machines are a sell out, but it is kinda funny to see it on that website.

[Skarbromantis]

I agree with NP, no big deal if the school is commerical, grab, a pop on the way out, or what Gene said, for the kids, now if the machine was in the basment or backyard, of a underground school, then that would be a problem :D

Skard1

[Former castleva]

Not so bad,they could be installing soda machines in order to attract would-be students to take a look. :)

[eulerfan]

Originally posted by Laughing Cow
Apart from that I agree with eulrefan, and feel sorry for a school that needs to supplement their income with vending machines, etc.

I don't think he was making a judgement call. He was just explaining how things neccessarily work.

Your primary objective is to teach. You can't teach without a school. So you build a school. If your primary objective then is to teach, you will sacrifice things neccessary to keeping the school going if it allows for better teaching. You'll lose the school. Your primary objective HAS to be that you keep the school afloat. There's no way around it.

[Laughing Cow]

Originally posted by eulerfan
Your primary objective is to teach. You can't teach without a school. So you build a school.

I don't think that you NEED a school to teach.

Many good Sifu teach in Parks, YMCA, Community centre, Sports centre, school gym or similar.
Granted the chances of them being full-time Instructors are slim, but some are and use multiple locations to teach.

The School might be nice idea once you got a good student base and plenty of surplus cash.

Cheers.

[Oso]

"Your primary objective is to teach. You can't teach without a school. So you build a school. If your primary objective then is to teach, you will sacrifice things neccessary to keeping the school going if it allows for better teaching. You'll lose the school. Your primary objective HAS to be that you keep the school afloat. There's no way around it."--eulerfan


dang, are logical chicks hot? Or, is it just me?

[Chang Style Novice]

What a waste! They should obviously be putting in a "Mortal Kombat X" or whatever the latest version of that quarter muncher is instead.:rolleyes:

[eulerfan]

Originally posted by Laughing Cow


I don't think that you NEED a school to teach.

Many good Sifu teach in Parks, YMCA, Community centre, Sports centre, school gym or similar.

I think that, if you teach in one of those places, teaching is not your primary objective. Can we assume this or shall I prove it? I'll use a black nylon contrapositive and a lacy, satin subcontrary for Oso. ;)

[Laughing Cow]

Originally posted by eulerfan


I think that, if you teach in one of those places, teaching is not your primary objective. Can we assume this or shall I prove it? I'll use a black nylon contrapositive and a lacy, satin subcontrary for Oso. ;)

Huh, you lost me there.

Do you mean teaching at a school or teaching at one of the places I mentioned?

If you mean the places I mentioned, how can teaching in a park with NO overheads mean that he is not serious about teaching??

[eulerfan]

I meant one of the places you mentioned. A park, school gym...we don't need the list again.

I didn't say that it meant he isn't serious about teaching. Let's be careful. We're talking about your primary objective. That's different.

If it were the case that
a) you are only serious about teaching if it is your primary objective
b) if you don't have a school then teaching is not your primary objective
c) if you do have a school then your primary objective is keeping the school open

It would follow that NOBODY is serious about teaching.

You have to keep something in mind here. You are not arguing with ME. I was simply relating what a philosopher said and I'm playing his advocate at the moment. This guy constructed...well...structured arguments. There is no playing loose and fast with language. If I seem uptight, that's why.

[StarBoy]

Focault said...

Oh, you did -not- just whip out the Focault... :p

The guy was a genius in a way...and said some creepy stuff. I agree with this.

I'm actually finishing up my M.A. in sociology this semester. I never bothered with contempory theory, though I have heard a lot about his work in conversation. A very interesting guy.


Selling drinks isn't selling out.

Selling drinks that actually hinders the martial artist is selling out, IMO. If my sifu caught me with a soda in my hand, she would chop off my head and put it on a platter. Maybe I've been lucky, but I've come across quite a few instructors who own one, and only one school, and have had no problems keeping it open without resorting to gimicks.

[Laughing Cow]

Eulerfan.

I am also talking about the primary objective.

My Sifu is a recognised lineage holder in his style.
He holds a standard Job during the weekdays and teaches on the weekend from a School Gym, he also spends time with his Family.

Why does he do it because he is dedicated to teaching MA, his Job and his Family.
I don't see anything wrong with that as it is the same thing that his students are doing.

I care about the level of Instruction I get during the lesson not about the place where I am taught.
As was said in another thread, the important thing is the "dedication" of the Sifu and the Students.

Some of our Students travel for a few hours by train one-way to study under him.

Cheers.

[Oso]

"Can we assume this or shall I prove it? I'll use a black nylon contrapositive and a lacy, satin subcontrary for Oso. "

woohoo !!!

[sapphire tygre]

Hmmmmmm.... Lets see... perhaps spiritual and ethical values do serve a very real purpose in maintaining the integrity of the "external" arts?

[eulerfan]

Originally posted by Laughing Cow
Eulerfan.

I am also talking about the primary objective.

My Sifu is a recognised lineage holder in his style.
He holds a standard Job during the weekdays and teaches on the weekend from a School Gym, he also spends time with his Family.


'Primary' is superlative. You can only have one primary objective. This guy has a family and a standard job. While I'm sure he is very serious about teaching, I would purport that it is not his primary objective.

I sincerely hope it's his family.

I mean, if it came down to having to choose between his family and teaching on the weekends, I bet you'd lose your sifu. And that is as it should be.