What would the modern 'American Kung Fu' scene be without B. Lee?

[Destrous9]

What would the modern 'American Kung Fu' scene be like if there was never a Bruce Lee? This question came to me when reading another post.

Although we can never say never, I think the modern Kung Fu and Karate scene would be a shadow of itself if we never had Bruce Lee. Maybe UFC's never happened? Maybe NHB never happened? Maybe KFO wouldn't exist?

What do you think? Has anyone else had such a long term effect on the martial arts scene in America. The many that came after him, seem to have come because of him.

"Deep down inside of all of us is the power to accomplish what we want to, if we'll just stop looking elsewhere."

[Fu-Pow]

I think the whole world would become an huge stinking fire ball and we would all burn a horrible death, with screaming children and the whole bit...if Bruce Lee was never born...he is our lord and savior...the second coming of Da Mo. All kneel before the almighty bruce...repeat after me...

Bruce, you are our martial arts savior,
Everything you did was holier-than-me,
Even though you died in a Hong Kong hotel snorting cocaine with prostitutes,
You were a kick ass fighter,
So we shall assume you are a master of everything,
We will take life lessons from you,
And put your picture on IKF every month....
Amen

You may now be seated....

Fu-Pow
"If you are talking about sport that is one thing. But when you are talking about combat-as it is-well then, baby, you'd better train every part of your body" - Bruce Lee

[Fu-Pow]

Next time you post a reply...DON'T START A NEW TOPIC TO DO SO...GET SOME ORIGINALITY....
:D

Fu-Pow
"If you are talking about sport that is one thing. But when you are talking about combat-as it is-well then, baby, you'd better train every part of your body" - Bruce Lee

[Destrous9]

?

"Deep down inside of all of us is the power to accomplish what we want to, if we'll just stop looking elsewhere."

[Destrous9]

???

I really don't know what you are talking about, nor why you are upset.

This question (topic) is not a reply to anyone's post, it is a question that I am asking about the impact of B. Lee on the American kung fu scene.

While I don't live in a world covered with bruce lee posters, and bruce lee tattoos, I do think it's a viable question.

Next time someone poops in your cornflakes, empty your bowl and fill it with another round of tasty, vitamin fortified goodness...don't eat the poop.

"Deep down inside of all of us is the power to accomplish what we want to, if we'll just stop looking elsewhere."

[Destrous9]

One final thought:

Insecurity can either bleed you to death, or inspire you to overcome.

Choose your path well.

"Deep down inside of all of us is the power to accomplish what we want to, if we'll just stop looking elsewhere."

[Budokan]

Believe it or not the MA would have survived Bruce Lee's never having been born. I know it's kind of a hard pill to swallow, but it's the truth.

And I am somebody who actually likes Bruce Lee--a lot...

K. Mark Hoover

[Mr. Nemo]

Damm, Fu-pow, you talk a lot of sh!t for someone who has a bruce lee quote in his sig.

Probably martial arts in the USA wouldn't be as big as they are, but they'd still be here. Kung Fu was just too cool to have stayed in china forever.

While you can in part credit bruce lee for bringing martial arts into mainstream culture, you can also in part credit him for bringing martial arts into mainstream culture (as in, McDojo's and the like).

Would there be as much bullsh!t kung fu in America today if it wasn't for bruce lee? I'm not blaming him, you understand, I just wonder.

[SevenStar]

Of course it would have went on, but would it be as popular? I don't know that it would have. We have always had music, but would it have been the same without the beetles, michael jackson, curtis blow and dare I say it - elvis?

"A wise man speaks because he has something to say; A fool speaks because he has to say something."

[ope]

ya it wouldnt be as popular and there would probly be less fakes in the world as well..

[cho]

I don't think much would be changed without Bruce Lee. Some other Chinese actor fluent in English would have brought Kung Fu to America.

[Watchman]

http://www.stgeorgewingchun.com/images/Ip_ching.jpg

[Watchman]

Sorry, the above post and picture have absolutely nothing to do with this thread.

I'm just practicing my Internet Chuan to figure out how to get images uploaded from my PC onto webspace, then onto the forum. See, you CAN practice kung-fu from the comfort of your keyboard. BTW, Internet Chuan is undefeatable.

In case you are wondering, the above is a picture of Ip Ching, youngest son of Ip Man (of Wing Chun fame.)

I now return you to your regularly scheduled Bruce Lee discussion. :cool:

"Learning without thought is labour lost; thought without learning is perilous." -- Confucious

[apoweyn]

Destrous9,

First of all, I have to tell you that the cereal/poop analogy provided a much needed laugh. Cheers.

I'm not a big fan of Bruce Lee, the celebrity. But I'm pretty impressed with Bruce Lee the teacher, the practitioner, etc. And I don't think he necessarily created something new as much as uncovered something lost.

To my mind, there's two clashing ideals that come into play with regard to Bruce Lee in America.

On the one hand, his sense of practicality, eclectics, and individualism seems very much in line with the United States' approach to things. As a stereotype (yeah, them again), I think of Americans as being really good at redefining themselves, adapting things to make them their own, and taking seemingly disparate ideas and incorporating them. (Sort of the melting pot analogy.) So, in some sense, I think Bruce Lee's ideas appealed particularly strongly to an American population trying to make a foreign art their own.

On the flipside, I think many Americans really enjoyed the investigation into another culture that came with martial arts. And they somehow resented the idea of that being stripped away. Some of us didn't want to hear that "a punch is just a punch." We wanted it to be something more than that. And Bruce's sense of "universality" threatened that, in a way.

Obviously, any discussion about how things would have been different is purely speculation. But love him or leave him, it's pretty obvious that he's still very much a part of this population's thoughts.


Stuart

[RENEGADE_MONK]

apoweyn [quote]
I'm not a big fan of Bruce Lee, the celebrity. But I'm pretty impressed with Bruce Lee the teacher, the practitioner, etc. And I don't think he necessarily created something new as much as uncovered something lost.[quote]

I agree but without Bruce Lee the celebrity there would have never been all those cool Bruce Lee clones "pun intended" :D ....Dragon Lee, Bruce Li, Don't forget the Green Hornet series is what spawned the kungfu craze in the States. The person who owes his whole life, and career to Bruce Lee
"I hate to say this name" is David Carradine because the Kung-Fu character was originally written for Bruce Lee, but the industry felt as though America was not ready to accept a Chinese hero in the 60's. Martial Arts/or Kung-fu would have definately been here without him ever being born, But I think the question is if he were alive today would he have taken the martial Arts to a higher level than it is right now

[apoweyn]

Renegade Monk,

Don't get me wrong. You won't hear me complaining. I love Dragon Lee. [grin]

Well, the original question was whether things would be different had Bruce not come along. Not whether things would be different had he not died. Though that's obviously a valid question as well.


Stuart

[Ford Prefect]

I don't think kung fu would be as big as it is today. Wing Chun definately would be no where near as popular. Cross-training would have been a long forgotten term (by most) until the nhb breakout.

"Who's house?"
"I said RUN's house."

[Destrous9]

I wonder how many of the great baby-boomer-age martial artists from America were influenced (or inspired...or became curious) by Bruce Lee?

My entrance into the world of Kung Fu was more by happenstance than inspiration, although I loved watching Bruce Lee movies when I was young.

"Deep down inside of all of us is the power to accomplish what we want to, if we'll just stop looking elsewhere."

[jjj]

Why don't you like David Carradine?

"Look at your fingers, dey orange Tupak! You ate my Cheetos at the party didn't you Tupac!"
-Mr. T