[QUOTE=David Jamieson;1143582]Here’s the thing, Kung Fu tends to be in the realm of esoterica often enough that people will say “you don’t know the real -x-”. This in turn creates an artificial air of superiority and nobody likes to be told they are stupid by a construct that is 100% artificial.
That is the reason that Kung Fu gets ridiculed so much and that is the only reason.
People who have never demonstrated anything significant at all get smug about what and who they train with as opposed to trying to really understand the art form for what it is.
As time passes, I think more people are looking at their Kung Fu practice realistically and as far as the martial art aspect goes, are removing as much of the cryptic stuff as possible to make it clear what is what. This is leading to other discoveries about these arts too. Some positive, some negative.
Change is the constant here though, so it’s good.
I tell people I’m working on my destiny as a power ranger, they also don’t bug me about wrestling. lol[/QUOTE]
Nicely said. Shame we don’t have an historical perspective on our own times. Decades from now the results of the changes ocurring today, will be known, and no doubt, argued about in the light of what will then, be new. Today’s changes will become tomorrow’s TCMA.
[QUOTE=David Jamieson;1143582]Here’s the thing, Kung Fu tends to be in the realm of esoterica often enough that people will say “you don’t know the real -x-”. This in turn creates an artificial air of superiority and nobody likes to be told they are stupid by a construct that is 100% artificial.
That is the reason that Kung Fu gets ridiculed so much and that is the only reason.
People who have never demonstrated anything significant at all get smug about what and who they train with as opposed to trying to really understand the art form for what it is.
As time passes, I think more people are looking at their Kung Fu practice realistically and as far as the martial art aspect goes, are removing as much of the cryptic stuff as possible to make it clear what is what. This is leading to other discoveries about these arts too. Some positive, some negative.
Change is the constant here though, so it’s good.
I tell people I’m working on my destiny as a power ranger, they also don’t bug me about wrestling. lol[/QUOTE]
+1.
But I do feel this happens in cycles, when a general trend of smugness has set in to many practitioners (in CMA and some other types of arts, too). It’s definitely not the first time period in history this has occurred. Then comes another period of, “We must rediscover what really works about our systems at this time, streamline, and open up/cross-train what we don’t currently have.” It may happen again at some point in the future, as well.