Exotic/Obscure Arts and Fetishism

**Phrost** · Posted On: 2/20/2007 7:32pm

Disclaimer: this is just meant to spark discussion. Don't get your panties in a bunch.

...unless that's what you're into, freak.

If the Internet can be seen as an extension of our subconscious, it is evident that a frighteningly large number of people gravitate towards things on the fringe of sanity. There's no doubt that most of you reading this have come across some of the most vile trends, fads, and fetishes the human mind can create.

So it occurred to me that the concept of fetishism can be applied to many in the Martial Arts community. Most people are attracted to healthy, subjectively "normal" members of the opposite sex like nature intended, as a means of facilitating survival through the successful passing on of genes into future generations. But for various reasons, some (arguable) members of the human race find themselves attracted to the least healthy people of the opposite sex, going against nature and creating the potential for a de-evolution of our species.

Likewise, in the Martial Arts, many find themselves "attracted" to unproductive training practices, impractical and even ridiculous techniques, and undue emphasis on antiquity instead of the things that will ensure the best results for current and future generations of Martial Artists.

And like the various "communities" of fetishists across the Internet, the Martial Artists who harbor these fetishes also go to great lengths to justify, rationalize, or even promote their fetishes as healthy and "normal" when they are anything but. But unlike most fetish activities engaged in by consenting adults, the fetishes in the Martial Arts actually pose significant, immediate risk to the participants, specifically because of the post-hoc justifications and delusional mindsets needed to pursue them.

It would be preaching to the choir to state explicitly the dangers of pursuing an unrealistic "Martial Fetish" so I'll leave that unsaid and use this as an opportunity to frame the discussion to be about the causes of this fetishism instead of its effects.

Your thoughts?

**GreenHornet** · Posted On: 2/20/2007 7:49pm

" But for various reasons, some (arguable) members of the human race find themselves attracted to the least healthy people of the opposite sex, going against nature and creating the potential for a de-evolution of our species."

You sound a bit freaky here Phrost...

I don't know if fetishism is the right term, I never saw LARPing as more of what it is... LARPing.
Of course they are douches, and they might get killed. Isn't how natural selection works?

**FickleFingerOfFate** · Posted On: 2/20/2007 8:00pm

This sounds like Darwinism filtering the least desirable DNA from the shallow end of the gene pool.

If they weren't doing this they would be playing Dungeouns & Dragons in the tunnels at their chosen University,

**Ikantski** · Posted On: 2/20/2007 8:07pm

False advertising got me in the door. Not knowing there was something better, stories about how our Japanese jiu jitsu senseis smoked guys at a judo school and not recognizing the one-step sparring for what it was got me to stay. 3 weeks of BJJ and a healthy dose of Matt Thornton and I was gone after two years.

I'd say they're more delusional than fetishists though. They're the majority, at least where I live.

**USMC0351** · Posted On: 2/20/2007 8:24pm

I'm a noob to the MA scene. However, if I see a style with a name that sounds like it should be on a Chinese takeout menu, I'm going to likely avoid it.

**Mr. Mantis** · Posted On: 2/20/2007 8:25pm

The cause of any fetish is a sick perverse mind. (I didn't say it was a bad thing)

A fetish is something that a person finds pleasure in that is against the societal norm. I think the analogy breaks down. I hope you can see that, just the fact that someone trains in martial arts would be a fetish the way your analogy is set up.

Plus, some people are just non-conformists.

**MacWombat** · Posted On: 2/20/2007 10:44pm

Some people want to sound exotic in the art they do. Boxing doesn't cut it.

A lot of people (who participate and don't participate in the MAs) also have a weird subconscious belief that the more exotic an art is, the deadlier. This most likely comes from too many MA movies combined with "common sense."

Your post kinda reads like propaganda though, Phrost.

**Fantasy Warrior** · Posted On: 2/20/2007 11:33pm

I think that the weapons orientated types are the most obviously suspect, fettishistically speaking. Whether its blades, firearms or nunchux, peoples' motivations and dellusions are often not martial arts of themselves, it's just an excuse to pollish your sword on a friday night when normal people are out having beers and playing doctors and nurses and other normal stuff.

**Don Gwinn** · Posted On: 2/20/2007 11:53pm

Sure, because getting drunk to the sound of bad music while chasing skanks is a lot healthier than going shooting. Your British is showing. ;)

Lemme save you some time:
Freud, penis, gun, hur hur hur.

**Lu Tze** · Posted On: 2/20/2007 11:53pm

There's always been certain mystique surrounding warriors, just look at the way Roman gladiators were idolized.

I think lots of people are attracted to that, they want the glamour assotiated with being dangerous, but they don't want the blood and sweat. I honestly think that deep down, vast majorty of LARPers know they can't fight for ****, they've just invested so much of their ego into being a badass they daren't admit it to themselves, or to anyone else.