The rant thread

[wade]

I've had two knee operations, one for each knee, does that count? One from a training accident and one from being hit head on while riding my Harley. Oh yeah, I guess I could lose weight too, huh?

 

[Don Roley]

One more thing,

Some of us complain about the wierdos that are attracted to this art. The rambo- wanna- bes, the guys expecting to become jedi knights and the guys that are looking to sneak around in a black suit and look through other people's windows. We complain about them.

But have you looked at some of the web sites for some of the dojos?

Why on earth would someone put pictures of them and their students running around with black suits on in the dark, or with sniper rifles? Just a picture of the teacher meditating in front of a Japanese temple makes me laugh. Big shows that are obviously staged tells me a lot about a person- and what I hear is that I don't want to be near them.

Yeah, a lot of frauds put the pictures of guys with assault rifles, black masks and running around in the woods with swords on the internet to attract students. I am talking about the legitimate guys that do the same thing. Do they want the type of student that is attracted by those images?

And of course, they may not get everyone who sees their web page to train with them, but a lot of the guys that are looking for the militia LARP thing then tend to go for home-study courses and wander over to the discussion boards and make life miserable for the rest of us.:shooter:

 

[Bujin]

I totally agree with you Mr Roley,

But lets not forget the ones putting up pictures of themselves on their internetpages although they look like the spaghetti man or the +100 kg guys, or the ones looking like they cant hurt a fly...

Best Regards / Skuggvarg

 

[Symbiote_X]

I totally agree with you Mr Roley,

But lets not forget the ones putting up pictures of themselves on their internetpages although they look like the spaghetti man or the +100 kg guys, or the ones looking like they cant hurt a fly...

Best Regards / Skuggvarg

No sure if I get your point but if you judge a person/martial artist by its looks you gonna hit a wall at some point. They "look like they cant hurt a fly"... so what? Is important that you look like a badass to be a good Martial artist?

Your comment looks exactly like what Don was "ranting" about...

People who puts "looks" in front of the "art".

Maybe I didn't understand your comment well... if it is so I'm sorry but it didn't feel right when I reading your comment.

 

[wade]

Hey Don, you talking about me, man? WOW. That really hurts............

 

[Cryozombie]

Hey Don, you talking about me, man? WOW. That really hurts............

Nah, man, I think he meant me... I wanna be a jedi.

 

[meta_aesthete]

I am talking about the legitimate guys that do the same thing. Do they want the type of student that is attracted by those images?

It sounds crass, but one of the biggest factors in choosing my school is its name: "Boston Martial Arts Center." If you then bother to look at the subtitle, it says "New England Ninpo Society."

Although I keep forgetting ask my shidoshi if it was his reasoning, it seems like a good way to avoid as many nutbags as possible. And it made me feel a lot better that I wasn't joining a "Black Dragon Ninja Death Cult."

 

[wade]

Actually, I like the sound of "Black Dragon Ninja Death Cult'. It has a kind of down home flavor to it. Beside, I think I know some of those people.

Ah, wait, I think this where we get to the part where I wander over to the discussion boards and make life miserable for the rest of you.

Cryzombia, come on, a Jedi, man, don't you know by now that the dark side gets to wear all the cool outfits.

 

[Don Roley]

I totally agree with you Mr Roley,

But lets not forget the ones putting up pictures of themselves on their internetpages although they look like the spaghetti man or the +100 kg guys, or the ones looking like they cant hurt a fly...

Best Regards / Skuggvarg

I think Symbiote_X did a pretty good job of pointing out the problems I have with what you wrote.

I am concerned with things that are going to make things difficult for me. If someone will not train with me when and if I move back and start teaching because someone did not look macho enough for them on another Bujinkan site, then they are the type of students I want least to be training with me in the first place. I want them to go elsewhere if they are only attracted by images of perfect bodies. I train with guys that are old, wrinkled and short. And they still beat me like a red headed stepchild whenever they want.

But it is the guys that put up images of militia type training that attracts the nut cases to the art and they wander into a place I could be teaching at. I don't want people like that even more. Especially since it looks like the guys that fondle rifles on the internet pages most never made it through military AIT and the guys with photos of themselves meditating in front of Japanese lanterns act the least like saints.

If someone does not want to train because we don't look macho enough, that is a good thing as far as I am concerned. But when we are facing possible threats of martial arts legislation, bans and such, the last thing anyone with 'ninja' even slightly associated with what they do is this type of attention.

 

[Reiker]

I usually tend to lurk around here, I hope I don't step on any ones toes...

I never really understood the whole guns and cammo thing myself and found it pretty annoying. In an age when most peoples first impressions are forged on the internet (it's not right but it is the case), to me a guy dressed like Rambo on the internet site advertising his dojo screams 'Run he's a nutter!' I can't for the life of me think why someone legit would do it.

Ah well what does a lowly kyu grade like me know any way?

 

[kouryuu]

Ah well what does a lowly kyu grade like me know any way?

More than the guy in cammo running around with guns:ultracool

 

[wade]

See Reiker, that's why you "need" people like me. It makes all the rest of you look so freaking respectable. Trust me, my trousers are cammo and they go really well with my black motor cycle boots, skull and cross bones tattoo, etc. So, you are all very welcome. I have done my job. Now, don't you feel better and much much more legitimate in your martial art. I try but I have just never been able to fit the Yoda concept, it just doesn't work for some one like me. Oh yeah, and I do like guns too.

 

[Grey Eyed Bandit]

So what about me? I'm pretty much sponsored by www.drjays.com and www.urbanvenom.com

 

[Reiker]

it wasn't my intention to cause offense.

What you wear 'on the street' or wether you like guns isn't really what I (me I don't know about any one else) meant.

I was picking up on something I have noticed alot myself (don't ask for examples this is a generalisation ) of dojo sites. Where some people seem to be trying to legitimise their Bujinkan/Martial art dojo by posting pictures of themselves running around the woods with guns (personally I think it gives the wrong impression).

If you want to run around with guns wearing camo that fine, join the TA (or whatever your local equivelent is), but if someone is basically using imagery to say 'Look I have a big gun! I can teach you Ninjitsu!" it's kinda misreprestenting Budo Taijutsu/Martial Art a bit don't you think?

It may all be a cultural thing

I'm sure anyone would have trouble fitting the concept of small green guy with speach impediment!

wrt drjays etc. not really my style (I would just look silly.. ) but cool. Do you post pictures of yourself in those clothes on your dojo webite and claim to be an urban ninja though? Or (assuming you have a dojo website) do you wear your gi and say this is what budo taijutsu is but may just turn up to training in your casual cloths?

pah I've got all my words twisted here. it's not how you dress/what you do in your spare time, it's how you advertise your martial art, you have responsibility to more than yourself with that (Soke in regards to Bujinkan).

Regards,
Reiker.

 

[Don Roley]

If you want to run around with guns wearing camo that fine, join the TA (or whatever your local equivelent is), but if someone is basically using imagery to say 'Look I have a big gun! I can teach you Ninjitsu!" it's kinda misreprestenting Budo Taijutsu/Martial Art a bit don't you think?

I could not agree more.

But of course, the biggest offenders I can think of are neither able to hack the rigors of basic training in the military or really have much knowledge of taijutsu. Their stuff is pretty much "Hollywood ninjutsu." Flashy and pretty instead of the quite competence that true masters have.

I can point to a lot of sites like that. I think that the one thread that binds them all together is that they are not complete people. They have a need to posture as if they were more than they are and (probably due to some unresolved problems relating to latent tendancies) need to prove how macho they are to the world. We get a lot of people like that showing up to Bujinkan training looking to be some sort of tough commando. But real toughness is just being a good spouse, father, provider and supporter of ideals greater than your own self. It is not calling attention to yourself. It is being willing to be just a small cog in a greater machine if that is what it takes to make the world a better place.

And it is something that some folks never will understand.

So endeth the lecture.....

 

[Grey Eyed Bandit]

Do you post pictures of yourself in those clothes on your dojo webite and claim to be an urban ninja though? Or (assuming you have a dojo website) do you wear your gi and say this is what budo taijutsu is but may just turn up to training in your casual cloths?

Nothing of the sort. You can think of me as a kind of antithesis to the fact that the Bujinkan attracts all those people with ponytails, black leather overcoats, Edward Scissorhands style haircuts, and various goth/electroclash mannerisms. :ultracool
Heck, Fred Phelps has more soul in his record collection than those people.

 

[Reiker]

Nothing of the sort. You can think of me as a kind of antithesis to the fact that the Bujinkan attracts all those people with ponytails, black leather overcoats, Edward Scissorhands style haircuts, and various goth/electroclash mannerisms. :ultracool
Heck, Fred Phelps has more soul in his record collection than those people.

I didn't think you would from the general impression I have gathered lurking (which is of course a complete picture of your character... err well maybe not ) I was just meaning that I don't care how you dress/project yourself in your life. But how you project/advertise somebody else's art matters.

For the record, I personally don't tend to go for the goth look either

Reiker.

ps I had to google that guy, veerrry strange man.

 

[Cryozombie]

You know what... I'm not even gonna post the reply I wrote to all you people.

I just have one question for Don, Nim, or Reiker... where do I sign up for the "Bujinkan Dress Code" newsletter?
​

 

[Grey Eyed Bandit]

The first rule of thumb is that you have to be at least a little bit uncomfortable. The second is that you need to have your look totally figured out before you walk into the store. That, and stay away from everything with the NY Yankees insignia or Dee Snider-like emblems. Rocawear, G-Unit and Sean John goes away too.

 

[Reiker]

You know what... I'm not even gonna post the reply I wrote to all you people.

I just have one question for Don, Nim, or Reiker... where do I sign up for the "Bujinkan Dress Code" newsletter?
​

hhmmm I thought I was saying it's not about your personal sense of fashion? Just about being appropriate for the situation.

At this point I'm just going to bow out :asian: of the discussion for a bit.