You have commented 339 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
-Short Attention Span Theater-
Jihadi martial arts
2003-10-15
Opinion, from Gandalf...
It seems that westerners are always searching for spirituality. For years now, many are into the pop versions of Asian religions and philosophies. They preach a lot of good things too: hone your mind, improve your body, mind over matter, self confidence. The ideal person according to this pop culture is the lone warrior fighting against all odds using ancient techniques secretly preserved by monks. It’s in all the martial arts movies made over the years.

Sadly, after the September 11th attacks, there has been a rising interest in Islam, coming mainly from the bleeding heart, blame America first, youth. There is something very appealing about the spirituality of complete submission. Groupthink, lack of individual responsibility. That must be why the totalitarial regimes in the past century had a lot of popular support.

But here is the really scary thought: Imagine, God forbid, that Islam spreads through the West. What will martial arts movies look like then? Instead of samurai and nunchakus, you’ll see young mujahids pelting people with stones, or better yet shahids selflessly blowing themselves up to liberate Spain. Of course, it will all be highly stylized, with crying widows and pretty suicide belts. What an edge-of-the-seat tear-jerker.
Interesting observation, especially about the appeal of groupthink and the lack of individual responsibility. And mildly amusing.

I've been thinking lately of adding a separate page for opinion and maybe another one for politix. Or maybe leaving them on the main page, under those headings. Any opinions?
Posted by:

#7   I've always preferred the Indiana Jones solution to scenes like that.
Personally, I prefer to remain OUT of scenes like that. When the turban-wearing, sword-swinging nutcases get high on white slag and start their wild thing in support of Juche, I prefer either a Buff loaded with AP weapons, or a pair of Spectres orbiting the center-point, with all weapons loaded to the max.
Posted by: Old Patriot   2003-10-15 9:26:17 PM  

#6  Oh, but just close your eyes and picture Bruce Lee kicking and punching his way through a crowd of turban-wearing, sword waving thugs

I've always preferred the Indiana Jones solution to scenes like that.
Posted by: Robert Crawford   2003-10-15 12:57:41 PM  

#5  Fred, my belief with respect to the WOT is that hearts and minds are critically important here in the US as well as in other Western countries. If we are not convinced ourselves that we are doing the right thing, why should the Iraqis be convinced. Our lack of national unity often sends the wrong message to leaders like Chavez and Sadaam.
That said - there are many other blogs and outlets for opinion and politics. Maintaining editorial control of the pertinence of the opinions is critical.
For instance, I disagree with some of the critcism of the Archbishop of Cantebury yesterday. I agree with his statement that a viewpoint is not logically false just because it is being spouted by a flake, kook or sociopath. I remain pro-life even though Eric Rudoulph is supposedly prolife also.
That said - I am not spending this morning combing for a news artcle on the Archbishop with some WOT appeal that I can parlay into continuing the discussion from yesterday - which I have slyly done. Neither would your blog be the place for material on the Culture Wars - unless it is extremely funny material - like that lazy mans spankifier from the other night. That was outstanding.
Posted by: Super Hose   2003-10-15 12:46:46 PM  

#4  "Bruce Lee in Enter The Mosque doesn't quite work for me..."

Oh, but just close your eyes and picture Bruce Lee kicking and punching his way through a crowd of turban-wearing, sword waving thugs, leaving them writhing in pain, and then ripping a mullahs heart out and showing it to him before he drops. That works for me.
Posted by: Steve   2003-10-15 12:33:06 PM  

#3  Bruce Lee in Enter The Mosque doesn't quite work for me...
Posted by: Raj   2003-10-15 12:03:04 PM  

#2  I don't see it happening. For an action flick you need continuous violence. If you watch professional wrestling, you'll see that the actual pin is a small part of the entire show. There is the slepper hold, suplex, atomic drop and attack with the folding chair before climax. A suicide bomber moves right to the climax. Can't see that you could spend the rest of 2 hours of film on charecter development of an insane guy.
Faulker might be able to write an interesting scrip that could be directed by Hitchock. I would expect that Hopper a would make a better crack at it than Stone. They could give Mel Brooks the project.
Posted by: Super Hose   2003-10-15 11:05:16 AM  

#1  WTF? news "source"?
Posted by: Frank G   2003-10-15 11:04:48 AM  

00:00