BS Dog - Have you really read this over and over? ...Because I found that although Mac made a few good points early on, after that the blog became repetitive and really boring, to the point where I had to struggle to skim read to the end! ...But then I am probably a little ADHD, and even if I'm not, I get impatient when reading stuff that annoys me. And, along with the pertinent info and opinions expressed, there was a lot to be annoyed with here!
Discalimer: I'm a bit of of what Mac Young calls a "geek" myself. Not in a good, tech-y way like the term is used today, either.
...No, I was small, introverted, read a lot, and was sometimes bullied a bit in Jr. high. I was what, in Jungian psychology, was called a thinking introvert. I talked a lot, but inappropriately, and many of my interests were, frankly, escapist. Like Mac's dated definition of a "geek", I lacked social skills, and maybe did spend a bit too much time enjoying fantasy lit. in a period long before things like the internet and "Comicon" etc. allowed nerdy types to form their own social groups, and enjoy harmless interests with others.
But that wasn't my whole life. I also wrestled (bottom weight-class, of course), did some ski racing and rock climbing ( both of which were still a bit "odd" in the late '60s), and I went beyond what Mac Young terms "cement airplanes" to earn both a pilot and a sailplane license by the age of 18, ...and when flying got too expensive (my dad sold his interest in the Cessna), I built and flew hang gliders in the early 70's (when that was definitely "odd"). Then came the martial arts after "Enter the Dragon". Pretty much another harmless fantasy-based hobby at the beginning.
So back to that long-winded Mac Young article. A lot of the nerdy types Mac dismissively writes of as "geeks" are simply introverts with off-beat interests. And Guess what?You don't have to be a extroverted conformist to be a person of value and merit. Mac's arrogant and derogatory attitude towards all these "misfit toys" among us may sell well with his target audience of a certain stripe of LEOs, security professionals, and wannabes, but as a somewhat nerdy guy, with a lot of nerdy friends (who are very fine people btw) ...the overall tenor of this article left me cold. And that's a shame, because he does have a few good points.
The main, and only point that I care to agree with here is that there is a sub-culture that glorifies violence in a dangerous and utterly unrealistic way, and that this culture is encouraged and fed by both the entertainment market (movies and video-games) and by the entrepreneurial sales of useless, crappy "self-defense" weapons and courses, and stupid Youtube clips. (Hey Doug Maracaida! ...not a fan.)
As an long time FMA instructor, I completely concur with Mac that a knife is a a great tool, but a very poor choice for self defense. And something like that "wasp" knife he describes is worse than useless, it is dangerous to the person owning it as well as to others. It might have one functional purpose: assassination. So if you work for Vladimir Putin and you intend to eliminate someone on orders from the KGB, it might have a place in your arsenal ...next to the plutonium pellet shooting umbrella. Otherwise, it's a sure ticket to your own murder trial!
BTW here's second disclaimer: I actually am in possession of something stupid like that. A couple of years back, my crazy, gun collecting brother, who is a former athlete, former high school student body president, ivy educated, and now retired corporate exec. (ie. anything but a geek/nerd) gave me a ballistic knife as a present. This crudely finished device works like a stiletto, so that when a lever is pressed it shoots out a blade so forcefully that it will fly across the room and inbed itself deeply into a board 6 feet away. As a tool it is useless. As a work of the knife-maker's craft, it fails, for although strongly made, it is as crude and esthetically hideous as if made by orcs.
About it's the only function that I can discern, besides impressing your 12 year old nerdy nephew, would be to press it up against some intended victim in a crowd, press the button and quickly escape ...if you want to effect an assassination. And since old Vladimir P. hasn't offered me any jobs lately, the thing sits taking up space in the back of my sock drawer, safely disassembled, it's greasy parts wrapped in plastic.
Well, what else can I do with it? As a gift, I don't feel right throwing it away, ...and I' sure not going to give it to my nephew ...or to Goodwill. So for now I'm stuck with it, right? Pardon the pun. Anyway, the fact that such things are sold, does give some credence to Mac's point. On the other hand, I wouldn't want to live in a place that was so heavily regulated by law, that you couldn't buy your choice of knife or martial arts weapon, so long as you use them responsibly. So what say y'all???
IDK ...maybe this is another pot shot at non-competitive martial arts, as compared to Muay Thai, MMA and so on? Maybe such arts do appeal to more folks who are not physically cut out to be fighters, but It seems Mac doesn't have much regard for the non-alpha, non competitive types that avoid pressure testing. So are these guys are "geeks" or nerds? Social misfits? Seems like painting with a broad brush to me.
