The picture is me. Emboesseo it seems has been flying my image as his avatar to somehow belittle me. Which I don't get, as it was my avatar on Bullshido for months.
Or, Emboesseo thinks the day after my cage fight I look sexy, and wants to let everyone know that.
I'm thinking the latter.
Nice to have groupies!
Original picture.
http://a758.ac-images.myspacecdn.com...65d3e56315.jpg
From: The Worldwide Headquarters of Bullshido.net
To: Gene Ching
Subject: RE: Website Traffic
You're welcome.
Neal
Site Director, Bullshido.com
No BS Martial Arts
Mine's better:
http://www.bullshido.net/gallery/sho.../500/ppuser/41
Site Director, Bullshido.com
No BS Martial Arts
No, I don't. I have argued and flamed members on Bullshido countless times. You just can't handle the heat, and rightfully got out of the kitchen. Nothing to be ashamed of, some ppl can't handle confrontation.
You know, "What doesn't kill me, only makes me stronger" and all...
You are welcome.thnx
On that note, going to train "HARD" for my fight with Rudy. GOtta get in those last reps before the big fight.
Never been there. Cheeseburger in Paradise is awesome though; they have sweet potato fries. A few weeks will be good for me anyway because it'll be about the time for me to have a "binge day" where I remind myself why I don't eat like a god**** pig.
I've always viewed my role as someone who facilitates and inspires discussion, champions employing empiricism and critical thinking with regards to the Martial Arts, and makes fun of people who take themselves or anything else too seriously.Additionally, I recognize fully that you flame online under the belief that none of it should be taken seriously, I simply disagree on certain fronts. When the accusation of fake comes up when I make no claim about myself, and when the accuser has no real grounds for their claim, I will take it seriously. I also recognize that it probably hadn't occured to you that you included me in that accusation at that time, though I don't know if that was the case.
Additionally, I believe that the Bullshido approach of making blanket statements about styles is irresponsible and worse than useless to its cause: the frauds have their unverifiable mumbo jumbo to fall back on, it is new schools that may be trying to develop fight teams that will feel the crunch most from the bad press, and, considering that two kung fu people on this thread alone have mentioned schools that are making headway in developing valid fight teams, and given that I've seen more of this locally, I think there is a use in suggesting that some BS members know less than they are encouraged to think.
I've also never been a fan of the herd mentality hence why I was on this forum in 2002 recruiting CMA folks to help pressure test the ideas coming up on Bullshido back then. I really think our new CMA forum and its posters, are doing a hell of a job with regards to this, and having a sanctuary for rational, results-driven CMA stylists was something I would have liked to have seen a long time ago on Bullshido.
But any time there is more than one person involved in anything, you have to play politics and perform a delicate balancing act. It's taken us a while, but I think we're exactly where we need to be at this point. We've got a forum for serious discussion that's moderated pretty strongly to keep off content garbage and derail attempts in check (the MABS forum). We've got a forum for people who want to be jerks and laugh at other Martial Artists (YMAS), and we've got a whole section of Traditional MA forums for people who study older styles yet want to reclaim respect for them after the past 40+ years of the McDojo phenomenon and other forms of watering down the combat effectiveness.
I'm pretty **** happy with how everything's turned out. I might not be happy about having lost some people, who couldn't see the light at the end of the tunnel, along the way. But you can't make an omelette without breaking some legs.
The great things about Bullshido are that 1.) nobody speaks for Bullshido, and everyone's welcome to challenge anyone's ideas; and 2.) Facts are king.For example, 1bad's assertion that, had he taken boxing and wrestling, he would have never had cause for interest in traditional styles stands at odds with the fact that the Americans who brought traditional styles back to the US in the last century were almost to a man people with backgrounds in boxing and wrestling.
I'd rather be correct, than spend all my time trying to be right. And I think a good bit of this has rubbed off on most of the 45,000 members who post.
People who agree with you on everything are f*cking boring.Regardless, I'll meet with you, but I doubt we'll agree on these issues, nor do I see a need for us to.
Edit: left some quote tags in.
Last edited by Phrost; 09-27-2007 at 04:03 PM.
Site Director, Bullshido.com
No BS Martial Arts
This would be called a lie. I left because I felt the site's goal had been compromised by Phrost using it as a blanket statement to win a flame war, which I felt made the site's cause hopeless. Being a self righteous ****, I didn't give a rat's ass about the opinions of the peanut gallery, who were more concerned with silly witch hunts than actually doing a good job at what they were there for.
I posted the details of THAT scenario. Much, much later, after a large number of BS newbies were posting fallacious information about the circumstances of people's departures that was spoon fed to them(just as you are trying to spoonfeed a version in which I had a deep caring for your unspoken opinion), I pointed out that that is exactly how martial cults deal with those who leave their fold, which led to an analysis of how the same dynamics come into play in both situations. If you disagree with that analysis, I would be happy to prove you wrong again.
That analysis did not specifically paint the admins and mods as lieutenants to Phrost's mandates, just as I do not characterize a martial cult as being based around instructors focused on supporting of the cult leader. Martial cults are based around status, and not necessarily in relation to the leader.
I believe I was specific in stating that it was members with personae that drew supporters that acted in an analogous fashion to a martial cult's school owners. For instance, I would not suggest that the lawyers, Miguk, Badnews hughes, or several others really served this role during my tenure, as none of them really had a following of sorts.
Additionally, I was specific in stating previously that the idea of Phrost as mastermind was not what I had ever suggested; though he likes to make his proclamations, and long term members who disagree like to pretend they don't avoid disagreeing on a consistent basis, this is not how these dynamics form.
Cults are a group dynamic that don't form out of a well thought out plan, but instead from group identification with some central, unachievable goal that they believe someone has given them the means to achieve, matched with stopgap attempts to make it appear that the means are there from people who find advantage in easily led groups.
I only drew parallels, if you feel those commonalities don't require attention, that's your prerogative.No KC, Bullshido isn't a cult.
Last edited by KC Elbows; 09-27-2007 at 04:13 PM.