Which of these cheapens the reputation of martial arts more?

[IronFist]

One of the things martial artists have to deal with is people giving MA a bad name, because you don't want to be associated with those people, or rather, you don't want those people associated with what you do.

Poll choices coming

[uki]

ones personal attitude is the foremost detrimental aspect associated with martial arts... if you rub of as a being a d!ck, even though you are an expert martial artist, peoples first impression of you is going to become an embryonic bias that martial artists are d!cks.

[Punch.HeadButt]

I choose politics. Everybody sticking their nose in everyone else's business, saying this or that is not traditional, or this or that lineage isn't valid, or this or that training method is not as good as this one or that one.

I'm not talking about actual discussion and exchanging of viewpoints and experience...I'm talking about the political bickering that makes a lot of the TCMA community look like high school girls at lunch break.

Everyone worrying about what everyone else is doing. It's silly, and one of the main reasons I don't really talk about martial arts with other people. Prefer to just keep my mouth shut and ears open (just in case a gem floats by).

[taai gihk yahn]

where's the "all of the above"? there's no "all of the above"...

[bawang]

ur asking me which pile of sh1t smells worst. they all sh1t.

[David Jamieson]

The pile with the corn in it smells worse.

[Lucas]

Never compromise your integrity.

[Lucas]

this was tough for me to make a decision with the available options. at first i wanted to say all, as i do think all of them can be detrimental...yet when I started thinking about it further i came to a conclusion about this.

personally i think misrepresentation is the biggest harm. stage tricks, screaming little kids with plastic staves, sparring based around style restrictions are all forms of expression. which are ok, for what they are specifically; outlets. its when these individuals mis represent WHAT they are doing and to WHAT aims they are doing it is when these things become an issue. so these aspects can definately be bad, but as long as people are open and honest its not really a big deal. no worse for martial arts than movies are.

let people do their parlour tricks and their competitions. nothing wrong with that at all. as long as they are honest with what they do, its not an issue.

the too deadly guys are in a constant state of misrepresentation however. which is an issue for all involved. the teacher, the students, the prospects are all being fed mis information about what is actually going on.

[SPJ]

One of the things martial artists have to deal with is people giving MA a bad name, because you don't want to be associated with those people, or rather, you don't want those people associated with what you do.

Poll choices coming

this thread reminds me of a tale.

there was this daoist priest. He made some herbal pills. It was made of some honey, vitamine. But he said it could heal this and heal that. It would make you strong etc.

It is a placebo effect.

If you said your back is hurting, he would show you some massage and then sell you the pills.

MA is just MA.

It is hardwork, hardwork and hardwork.

No magic bullet. No magic power. No magic Qi ball.

If you believe otherwise, then it is a great mistake, indeed.

Buyer beware that is.