Greetings..
As predictable as the seasons.. the critics appear.. Dr. Yang is putting his money and his reputation out there for the world to scrutinize.. few of us can say the same..
it seems that his whole goal is based on a romantic idea of kungfu that never really existed.
How do we "know" what existed?.. most of the stories and legends are embellished camp-fire stories anyhow.. at least Dr. Yang is willing to forge a new chapter in the TCMA storybook..
As for the money issue, Ford.. the student will be carefully screened, informed in detail as to the terms and conditions and no one will force them to accept the offer..
Also Dr. Yang has always emphasized the fighting aspects of his martial arts and who really believes that spoiled rich kids are going to make the best fighters or instructors of fighting arts? He would do much better dedicating himself to his own school and his students there.
That's the point, with proper and dedicated training even a "spoiled rich kid" can be transformed into a martial artist.. and, just for the record, being wealthy does not exclude someone from having the dedication and drive necessary to complete the training.. that notion is prejudiced or envious..
I like the idea of a documentary, it could serve as a model or a warning.. depending on the outcome.. As for the practicallity of Dr. Yang's vision, the difference between Shaolin trained competitors and the general US trained competitor is observably in favor of Shaolin.. lending some credence to that type of training.. Dr. Yang's training will rival the Shaolin training regimen and, i am patient enough to wait and see how it plays out.. i am not interested in converting others to my beliefs about something, i am interested in refining those beliefs, or.. adjusting my beliefs based on new or revised evidence..
Be well..
TaiChiBob.. "the teacher that is not also a student is neither"