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Techie Fight Clubs Springing Up
Browncoat writes "USAToday reports a new phenomenon hitting some of the cubicles of Silicon Valley. It seems that engineers and developers previously confined to sitting in front of their computers are getting their anger out the healthy way: by pummeling each other. From the article 'Inspired by the 1999 film Fight Club, starring Brad Pitt and Ed Norton, underground bare-knuckle brawling clubs have sprung up across the country as a way for desk jockeys and disgruntled youths to vent their frustrations and prove themselves. "This is as close as you can get to a real fight, even though I've never been in one," the soft-spoken Siou said.'"
Poor reporting treats it as a fact.
There was violence before TV and Games and Movies.
There were farm boys who grew up in peaceful farms that never heard a shot fired in anger or had a punch thrown whom grew up to be Soldiers. There were gun deaths that had nothing to do with Grand Theft Auto.
The reporter (or more likely editor) is a PC fool whom doesn't realize the simple basic truth. Violent Video games save us from wayyyyyy more random acts of violence then they do encourage them. Anyone whose actually played the things in a bad mood knows what I'm talking about. The simulation is a cathartic. The bad date or club cockteases have made plenty a man hate women, if only for a bit. Killing a whore in GTA lets you get the release and satisfaction without actually hurting a human being.
I guess too many of these folks are naive and really believe everything is sunshine and lollypops and don't understand the dark sides we all have. The side that comes out when we get cut off in traffic, the side that wants to slap everyone with a stupid answer. The part of us deep down that wants to be a Viking and Rape, Pillage and Burn. Or they might know they have such a side, but their own morality is such that they can not admit such a side exists.
I'd say more, but my guild is raiding.
...is that the themes in the book / movie really hit home for a lot of people. Sitting back in your chair laughing at the idiots may be fun for the armchair warriors at large, but not everyone has really been tested and that was one of the core themes FC - how do you know what you've got if you never put it to the test? How do you know how you'll react to a fight when you've never been in one? How can you prove you've really pushed yourself to the limit without scars to show for it?
And talk about a way to find out - if it's either kick some tail or get yours kicked in for you, I think that almost everyone would go into a full on a$$ kicking mode. At that point, it's the better man that wins but either way you're gonna push yourself harder than posting comments on a web site.
For the office warrior who never got into a fight in his life, I can easily see this as thrilling beyond compare.
I wouldn't recommend this to everyone, and there should probably be some safeguards put into this as even the UFC has rounds and referees to stop fights when it's clear that 1 person is taking too much of a beating, but I get it.