Media Portrayal

[AngelaG]

Do you think the media protrayal of Martial Arts and Martial Artists is a good thing, or a bad thing?

Angela

[seeker]

I guess it depends on which media and the circumstances. The movies while entertaining are not your best source of technique for example. Most of the modern "kung fu" stars like Jackie Chan, and Samo have back grounds in Chinese opera which includes fight scenes that are more acrobatic in nature. Jet Li is more wu shu which heavily relied on acrobatics to put on a good show.

I can't help but think that the poor smuck of a kung fu artist that jumped the fence to the White House wearing his uniform and trying to make his way into the White house had seen too many kung fu movies where the lone warrior faces imposible odds to be victorious in the end. I guess White House security and the Secret Service was able to quickly show him he still had a long way to go. At least he was able to get himself all over the news media.

[Sionnagh]

What Seeker said. Sometimes you get self-promoted "masters" getting themselves profiled in the media in articles which have you rolling your eyes and hoping that other people don't believe the stuff they're saying. But most of the time little is said, and even when something is mentioned there is no clear definition of the person other than being described as "martial arts expert". I guess the media sees little point in elaborating even as far as the style of MA because most people don't know the difference between e.g. Shotokan and Ecky-thump.


Mick

[thingy]

I remember an incident a bunch of years ago which happened in Bristol. Some chap had taken up TKD and had been training for something like one month.

I think he murdered his wife by beating her to death. The TKD club (which is a reputable club) was in the national papers for teaching someone lethal techniques etc etc. Apparently he'd gone around kicking big holes in the walls in his house.

The media portrayal didn't show martial arts in too good a light that day.

[AngelaG]

What do you think people expect when they walk into a karate dojo? How much influence does the media have on people's expectations.

When you first started karate,before you'd even spoken to a sensei, how long did you think it would take you to become good at your chosen style?

Where you influenced into MA by a film?

[Aefibird]

To be honest, the thought of how long it would take me to be 'good' never entered my head when I first started karate.
Basically, I wasn't going there to be 'good', I was going to have a fun time and to be with a friend of mine who had started. She'd showed me her 'flash' moves (kihon kata!!) and I was intrigued, and I wanted to do that too.
I suppose, that when I first started the thought that acheievement of being a black belt would mean that I was 'good', but I didn't automatically equate blackbelt with being 'good' anyway, as I came from a MA family. However, there's so much about being a 'blackbelt' in the press that I suppose that the idea that BB=good was lodged there in the back of my mind.


As for the media portrayal of MA, it usually s*cks IMO. Well, the British newspaper portrayal of it deas anyway.

There was a story in a national paper a few months ago about a "crazed" martial artist who had been caught making threatening movements with a "samurai sword".
It turns out the chap was a respected instructor who was practicing a kata with an iaito (unsharpened sword) in his own frontgarden. However, that didn't stop the newspaper from declaring that all martial arts weapons should be banned as they were "dangerous to the general public". So us MAists aren't part of the general public now, eh?

My Wing Chun instructor tells all newbies that they shouldn't expect to become Bruce Lee after 3 lessons. In fact, one of his favourite little sayings when we're training is "leave the Bruce Lee fingers at home"! We had a guy who quit after a month just because he wasn't up to the level of a Kung Fu movie star already - even though Sifu had given him the little talk about how WC takes many years to learn. He thought that he was suddenly going to become Jackie Chan or whoever, after a month's worth of Wing Chun lessons... Unfortunately, that attitude is still quite common amonst some sections of non-Martial Artists. I once had someone ask me if it was compulsory to wear headbands at my karate club (like Daniel-San wears in Karate Kid... ). I replied that it was only compulsory if you wanted a compulsory a$$ beating for it. ;D

[demonwarrior]

I think the media judges a martial artist more harshly if there is any trouble. The newspapers and TV would delight in reporting any sort of violent action that a martial artists was involved in. It is quite symbolic of the media hysteria these days.

[bunkaiseeker]

Aefibird said:

I once had someone ask me if it was compulsory to wear headbands at my karate club (like Daniel-San wears in Karate Kid... ). I replied that it was only compulsory if you wanted a compulsory a$$ beating for it. ;D

LOL!

Actually, since I have longer hair than I used to I have started to use a sweatband so it doesn't fall into my face (still too short to tie it up otherwise). Now this thing of course has the dang brand logo on it which made me look just like Daniel San when I first put it on... Solution: now I'm running around with the logo turned to the side of my head where it is at least partially covered by my hair. Was just too stupid looking otherwise...