Mixed Martial Art Part III

MMA has evolved throughout the years and has become one of the fastest growing sports. Though MMA has survived much criticism it was forced to drastically change. The days of fighting bare fisted with limited rules are gone. MMA has become a mainstream sport, which is now legal and regulated in 42 states.
Senator John McCain has now stated that “The sport (of mixed martial arts) has grown up. The rules have been adopted to give its athletes better protections and to ensure fairer competition.”
Although it had a slow start, female fighter has found their place amongst the male competitors. However, there are still only a few MMA organizations that invite women to compete.
My son has played football for the past 4 years and already has suffered 2 concussions and has tendonitis in his knees. The worst injury he has sustained while training in martial arts was a bloody nose.
My husband, children and I love to watch MMA, whether it is Pride, Strikeforce, UFC or WEC. Both my children (16 and 12) have black belts in Taekwondo and currently train in Jiu Jitsu, boxing and kickboxing at a great academy. They are taught fighting skills; however they are also taught how to use these skills correctly. My children love the sport, but have NEVER gotten into any fights outside the academy.

Bolelli, Daniele. "Mixed Martial Arts." Journal of Asian Martial Arts. 12.3 (2003): Print.

van Bottenburg, Maarten, and Johan Heilbron. "De-Sportization of Fighting Contests: The Origins and Dynamics of No Holds Barred Events and the Theory of Sportization." International Review for the Sociology of Sport. 41.3/4 (2008): Print.

http://www.jssm.org/combat/2/11/v6combat2-11.pdf

Downey, Greg. "Producing Pain; Techniques and Technologies in No-Holds-Barred Fighting." Social Studies of Science. 37.2 (2007): 201-226. Print.

Mixed Martial Art Part II

The UFC used the phrase “There are no rules!” though there were actually a limited amount of rules. These rules were similar to the early Greek Pankration where there was to be no biting, eye gouging, hair pulling, head butting, groin strikes and fish-hooking (the insertion of fingers into ears, mouth, nose etc.). These were also judge-free competitions with no weigh classes; no time limits and the competitors did not wear protective gear. Knockout, submission, or a fighter’s corner throwing in the towel is the only way the match would be stopped.
Although MMA has become a popular sport, it has not gone without generating controversy around the world. MMA’s violent nature and “No Holds Barred” (NHB) motto had some critics, such as Arizona Republican Senator John McCain, comparing it to “human cockfighting” and a “visual feast of broken bones and blood”. In 1996, McCain who is a life-long boxing fan wrote to the governors of all fifty states asking them to ban the ultimate fighting. McCain had the support of the American Medical Association and other politicians. Thirty-six states agreed to ban this NHB fighting. The pressure of the political parties led to major cable networks refusing to broadcast any future fights.
In 2001 Dana White and the Fertittas brothers purchased the UFC for $2 million and immediately went to work on getting the sport sanctioned. Throughout the years the UFC and many of the other promoters of Mixed Martial Arts have drastically changed their rules. UFC now has a list of weight classes, bout duration, 31 fouls and ways to win.
Is MMA as a sport too violent? According to a report by the Journal of Sports Science & Medicine, (JOSS&M), “Martial arts had lower injury rates compared to boxing and wrestling for all diagnoses. Boxing had lower injury rated compared to wrestling for strains/sprains and dislocations. Boxing and wrestling had similar injury rates for concussions.” The report also states “The findings of the present study do not provide evidence that combat sports have alarmingly high rates of injuries resulting in emergency department visits.”
Although critics say that MMA is dangerous and barbaric, no deaths have occurred in a sanctioned MMA match. Injuries and brain damage are also infrequent due to submissions and referee stoppage as a victory option, which are not an option in boxing. There have been hundreds of deaths in boxing as well as brain damage and long-term injury. The object of boxing is to beat your opponent unconscious or injury them badly enough where they can no longer get up.
Is MMA dangerous for children? Another MMA controversy is whether or not MMA is too violent for children to participate or even to watch. Critics say that MMA teaches kids that fighting is okay and honorable.
Kids that participate in MMA or any sport for that matter are engaging in healthy, confidence-boosting activities, that burn calories, build strength and teaches personal responsibility and discipline. These types of physical activities are much better for a child than sitting around playing video games and watching television all day.
I have watched and met many children who train in different types of martial arts. Besides learning martial arts, they are also taught respect, discipline and self-esteem. They are polite, disciplined, smart, and responsible and are far more mature than most children their ages. These children who are training are supervised at all times by responsible adults. They are also fully padded, train on soft mats and are taught all of the safety rules.

Bolelli, Daniele. "Mixed Martial Arts." Journal of Asian Martial Arts. 12.3 (2003): Print.

van Bottenburg, Maarten, and Johan Heilbron. "De-Sportization of Fighting Contests: The Origins and Dynamics of No Holds Barred Events and the Theory of Sportization." International Review for the Sociology of Sport. 41.3/4 (2008): Print.

http://www.jssm.org/combat/2/11/v6combat2-11.pdf

Downey, Greg. "Producing Pain; Techniques and Technologies in No-Holds-Barred Fighting." Social Studies of Science. 37.2 (2007): 201-226. Print.

Mixed Martial Art Part I

Modern Mixed Martial Arts has only been around since about 1993. However, different styles of martial arts have been around as early as 648 B.C. The first documented fighting competition was that of Greek Pankration. It was a full contact, few rules combat competition that became part of the Olympic Games on or around 648 B.C. Pankration had only two rules which was no biting and no eye gouging. Pankration competitors also became known as legends and heroes.
Full contact along with mixed martial arts began in two interconnected subcultures. The first started in the 1920’s and was called vale tudo (“anything goes”) in Brazil. Vale tudo was born of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and the Gracie family. The Gracie’s started the “Gracie Challenge” where they, Helio in particular, would challenge any martial artist in a fight with only a few rules. The second was started in the 1970’s and was called Japanese Shoot Wrestling. Its origin is in Japan’s professional wrestling and is also used to describe shootfighting, shooto, pancrase and shoot boxing. These new mixed martial art styles became popular around the world in places such as Europe, Japan and the Pacific Rim.
One of the most recognized mixed martial arts matches was held on June 25, 1976 between Antonio Inoki and heavyweight boxer Muhammad Ali. Due to Ali’s camps knowledge of Inoki’s grappling skills; the rules of the bout were changed two days before the match (Inoki was only allowed to kick if one of his knees were down). After 15 rounds, the bout ended in a draw. Although, many believe that this match was “fixed”; it did pave the way for the modern mixed martial arts.
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is a full contact sport, which incorporates a variety of fighting techniques such as striking and grappling. Its competitors come from many different martial arts backgrounds such as Taekwondo, Muay Thai Boxing, Wrestling, Karate, etc. MMA has increased in popularity over the years thanks to promotion company The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). The concept of the UFC was to bring fighters with different fighting backgrounds together to find out which style was the most superior. When the UFC began this was the most important reason for fighting. The UFC held its first event at the McNichols Sports Arena on November 12, 1993 in Denver Colorado. There were eight fighters scheduled to fight for a prize of $50,000 for the winner. The event was a huge success bringing in 86,592 television subscribers on pay-per-view.

Jon and Kate Plus 8

Popular Culture: Jon and Kate Plus Eight

Jon and Kate Plus 8 is a reality TV program featuring parents Jon and Kate Gosselin and their eight children Cara, Madelyn, Alexis, Hannah, Aaden, Collin, Leah, and Joel (fraternal twins and sextuplets). The program follows the family’s daily lives and highlights the challenges of raising multiple children. Originally, the show aired on Discovery Health and then began to air on TLC for its seasons 3-5. Jon and Kate Plus 8 was one of TLC’s highest rated programs with the premiere of the fifth season bringing in about 9.8 million viewers. The most watched episode of the series was the announcement of Jon and Kate’s separation which brought in 10.6 million viewers.

In April 2009, speculations that Jon was having an affair began after he was spotted leaving a bar with a woman late one night. It was also reported that Kate had been having a personal relationship with one of her bodyguards. They have both denied any cheating allegations, but were both unsure about their relationship. After ten years of marriage, it was announced on December 18, 2009 that their divorce had been finalized.

Kate’s intentions of continuing the show had raised some criticism by many. Also, the children being exploited and being under emotions stress had also raised some concerns. Kate stated that “the children are happy and healthy and are not in any danger”. TLC released a statement stating that “the network fully complies with all applicable laws and regulation to produce the show”.
Kate took on more criticism when she became a contestant on the tenth season of “Dancing with the Stars”. Many people felt as though she was taking on the show, going to the gym regularly, getting manicures and pedicures. Where were the kids?

I personally, loved the show before all the drama began. I felt as though Jon and Kate were wonderful, patient parents who would do just about anything for their children. They had established daily routines and had exciting family outings. The children seemed to be very happy and loved their parents very much. Having two children myself, I was amazed how they could manage eight young children and stay sane. However, after the drama began with Jon and Kate’s personal lives I had enough of the show. I do not agree that the children were being exploited, but everything later became more about Jon and Kate then their children. I feel that after their marriage fell apart they should have stopped filming anything all together and concentrate on the well being of their children. Instead, Jon was out socializing with other women and Kate was busy trying to get more TV time and practicing for “Dancing with the Stars”. Soon after the divorce was finalized, both Jon and Kate were all about doing things for themselves. Divorce can be a very difficult experience for any child to go through. Do they really think what they are doing is in the best interest of their children?

Koreans in Japan

Koreans in Japan

Koreans are currently the largest ethnic minority group in Japan. They are often known as Zainichi Koreans, which refers to the long term or permanent residents of Japan who are still of Korean nationalities. The term does not include Koreans who are Japanese citizens.

It was Japan’s colonization of Korea that influenced a great number of Koreans to migrate to Japan. However, Koreans were forced to become subjects of Imperial Japan after the annexation of Korea in 1910. The Japanese government then confiscated a large amount of land from Korean landowners. These eventually led to Koreans trying to escape from poverty and were forced to look for jobs in Japan.

Koreans who migrated to Japan faced severe discrimination and prejudice. One example of this would be the time of the 1923 Great Kanto earthquake. Rumors were started that Koreans were taking advantage of this disaster and committing arson and robbery, and were in possession of bombs. This rumor led to the mass murder of Koreans by mobs in Tokyo and Yokohama. Even newspapers were reporting these rumors as facts and also reported that Koreans were poisoning wells. Korean accents pronounced “G” or “J” differently in the beginning of words, so that was used as tests of ethnic identity. If anyone were to fail this test they were assumed to be Korean and were asked to leave, beaten or killed. Some Chinese, Okinawans and Japanese with regional dialects also suffered the same fate. The Japanese army and police conducted operations to protect Koreans, but studies show that there were some incidents that army and police personnel were known to have allowed killings in some areas. However, in some towns, neighborhood residents took steps in protecting Koreans.

The total number of deaths is not certain, though estimates range from 2,500 to 6,600. However, the confirmed victims of vigilante violence were: 231 Koreans killed, 43 injured; 3 Chinese killed; 59 Japanese killed 43 injured. There were eventually 362 Japanese charged for murder, attempted murder, manslaughter and assault. Most of those charged were later let off with nominal sentences and some were even released with a general pardon.

Between 1939 and 1945, many Koreans were forced to work in Japan under severe conditions. The Japanese military also forced young Korean women to serve as their “comfort women”. “Comfort women” was a term used for women who were forced by the Japanese military into prostitution as a form of sexual slavery. Young women were reportedly coerced, deceived, lured or even kidnapped from their homes. It has been estimated that between 20,000 to 410,000 women were involved. The majority of these women were from Korea, China, Japan, Philippines. There were also some women from Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan, Indonesia and other Japanese-occupied territories.

During this time, Japan used their military power to force Koreans to completely assimilate to Japanese. One way of doing this was by “Shoshi-Kaimei”. This means that the Koreans adopted Japanese names instead of using their Korean names. Even to this day, a large amount of Koreans in Japan still use Japanese names instead of their Korean ones.

Currently, Zainichi have established themselves in Japan after years of activism. The social atmosphere for Zainichi in Japan has improved with the help of Mintohren (a movement to help end ethnic discrimination by encouraging a multicultural and positive approach to integration of Koreans into Japanese society), other minority groups and sympathetic Japanese. Most young Koreans in Japan today are the third generation. They seem to feel an attachment to Japan and consider it their home.

The Perception of Japanese Americans

Japanese Americans had already experienced discrimination before World War II. They were given curfews, unable to marry outside their race, unable to own land or property and were banned from possessing firearms and short-wave radio receiving and transmitting sets. There was also an Act passed in 1924 that prevented Japanese immigration to the United States.

The perception of Japanese Americans through categoric knowing was apparent. Categoric knowing is “the classification of others on the basis of limited information obtained visually and perhaps verbally. People make judgments and generalizations on the basis of scanty information, confusing an individual’s characteristics with typical group-member characteristics”(Parrillo,7) .

The Japanese military attacked Pearl Harbor on the morning of December 7, 1941. It was a surprise attack by the Japanese navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor. The attack destroyed 18 United States warships, 188 airplanes and caused the deaths of 2,403 American servicemen, 68 civilians and wounded 1,178 Americans. This was the start of United States entering World War II.

The attack on Pearl Harbor affected the Japanese Americans in a tragic way. The American public along with the United States government perceived Japanese Americans as a threat and believed them to be spies for Japan. This resulted in an even tougher life for Japanese Americans and eventually internment camps.

In 1942, United States Army Lieutenant General John L. DeWitt stated “The Japanese race is an enemy race and while many second and third generation Japanese born on United States soil, possessed of United States citizenship, have become ‘Americanized,’ the racial strains are undiluted”. He stated that Japanese Americans would never be able to understand the American culture and would always be a different race. This was the start of anti-Japanese sentiments throughout the nation. A Gallup poll that was taken in 1942, it showed that American citizens thought that the Japanese were ‘treacherous, sly, cruel, and warlike’. Japanese Americans were considered to be dangerous and were expected to take part in sabotage of espionage.

The fears of the United States government and the American citizens led to the imprisonment or confinement into internment camps. On February 19, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt authorized the internment with Executive Order 9066, which was justified as a “military necessity”. Approximately 70,000 American-born Japanese Americans (Nisei-second generation and Sansei-third generation) 40,000 Japanese immigrants (Issei-first generation) were placed in the camps throughout the United States. These individuals, whom half were children, were forced to evacuate their homes and leave their jobs. Some families were separated and put into different camps. Many died due to inadequate medical care and emotional stress while others were killed by military guards for allegedly resisting orders.

In addition to the Japanese interns, 11,000 individuals of German ancestry and 3,000 individuals of Italian ancestry and some Jewish refugees were also interned. Still, Japanese Americans were affected the most. They were removed from the West Coast and southern Arizona. However, in Hawaii where there were approximately 140,000 individual from Japanese Ancestry, only individuals that were considered high risk were interned. It was mostly on the mainland where individuals of Japanese ancestry were vulnerable.

J. Edgar Hoover, who was the FBI Director, was one that was opposed to the interments. He believed that Japanese spies were already arrested by the FBI soon after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Eleanor Roosevelt, the wife of Franklin Roosevelt was also opposed to the Executive Order of 9066 and had voiced her opinion to her husband, but was unsuccessful in convincing him.

On February 19, 1976, the Executive order 9066 was finally lifted by President Gerald Ford. Then in 1980, President Jimmy Carter signed legislation to create the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians (CWRIC). It was created to study the Executive Order of 9066, related wartime order and how it impacted Japanese Americans in the West. In 1982, the CWRIC found that the incarceration of Japanese Americans was unjustified and not a military necessity. It also found that the incarcerations were based on race prejudice, war hysteria, and a failure of political leadership. The Commission recommended that legislation to give an official Government apology, redress payments of $20,000 to each of the survivors and start a public education fund to help make sure that this would not happen again. On August 10, 1988, the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 (Japanese American Redress Bill) was signed into law by President Ronald Reagan based on the recommendations of the CWRIC. On November 21, 1989 President George H.W. Bush signed an appropriation bill authorizing payments and signed apology letters to be made to surviving internees. Over 1.6 billion in reparations were distributed by the United States government to Japanese Americans or to the heirs of individuals who suffered internment.

Although reparations were made, the mental and physical health impacts of the interment experience continue to affect tens of thousands of Japanese Americans. Studies have found that two times greater incidence of heart disease and premature death among former internees, compared to Japanese Americans who were not interned.

Source:

Parrillo, V. (2008). Understanding Race and Ethnic Relations (3ed). Pearsons Education, Inc.