PENN & TELLER: BULLSHIT! “Martial Arts”
ByPenn & Teller: Bullshit! “Martial Arts” is the latest episode of this dynamic duo’s myth-busting series. As you can guess from the name, it covers some of the myths you find in martial arts. Before you look at the video below, some thoughts:
To a certain extent, this episode confirms some clichés:
- There is bullshit in the martial arts. Just look at the tai chi/chi kung lady. Let’s just say I think she has strayed from the path…
- There is some good stuff too. Marc gives sound advice, as usual. Though I do think Dianna should have worn the T-shirt I gave her for her board breaking demo… :-)
- Nekkid women always liven up a show, even if the topic doesn’t justify their presence. I’m not complaining though…
On the other hand, I get the feeling Mike Reeves and Damian Ross have been made to look bad due to some fancy editing. If you didn’t know already: TV-producers can make you look either great or like a total, flaming asshole just by how they edit the raw footage. That’s just how it works. Depending on the purpose of the show and the script, they’ll pick a certain role for you and make sure you look the part. They’ll even steer you in a certain direction during filming to make sure they get the footage they need to twist things around on what you actually showed or said.
So I’m not convinced these other people actually are as bad as the show paints them. Maybe I’m wrong, who knows? Regardless of that, you have to agree it makes for some good TV.
PENN & TELLER: BULLSHIT! take on the Martial Arts
Now you might wonder why I don’t cut the tai chi lady the same slack. Well, I’ve been training in Chinese arts for over two decades now and don’t really appreciate “her kind” of teachers. Every time I start to teach somebody tai chi chuan, I have to go up against the bullshit ideas such people spread. It’s a losing battle and it annoys me.
Another point is how they overemphasize certain aspects. The board breaking is taken totally out of context and made to look like it’s retarded as hell. Personally, I’m not into it but that doesn’t make it useless. It has it’s time and place. But Penn & Teller made sure it didn’t come off that way, which makes me wonder about the research they put into the shows.
So all in all, not the greatest show on martial arts ever. But not the worst one either. Anyway, here’s the video. Click the red button first, close the pop up screen and then click the green button:
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Thank goodness for the Internet. Damian Ross has also published the unedited version of his interview, which is much longer, and more balanced than what P&T chose to show.
I have a feeling that they collected more than 5 seconds of Tai Chi footage too, but they cut it out, because it didn’t look silly enough to advance their argument. They showed her chi gong warmup instead, despite the fact that nobody is calling it a martial art. Who cares, right? May as well show her sitting on the toilet, and Photoshop an armed robber behind the shower curtain. It’s all just “entertainment”.
Thank goodness for the Internet. Damian Ross has also published the unedited version of his interview, which is much longer, and more balanced than what P&T chose to show.
I have a feeling that they collected more than 5 seconds of Tai Chi footage too, but they cut it out, because it didn’t look silly enough to advance their argument. They showed her chi gong warmup instead, despite the fact that nobody is calling it a martial art. Who cares, right? May as well show her sitting on the toilet, and Photoshop an armed robber behind the shower curtain. It’s all just “entertainment”.
Shawn,
With respect, but you are wrong. If you kill someone, it is murder. The only difference is if you have an affirmative defense against prosecution. To simplify, it’s allowable murder. Additionally, the standard for lethal force is that force which will or is likely to cause death or serious bodily injury. “Likely to” is very important part of that statement, as us serious bodily injury.
Also remember you can only legally use lethal force to defend yourself or someone else against lethal force.
In short, do what needs to be done but know what the red are. If you don’t know, don’t go.
Before anybody replies: Montie knows what he’s talking about.
Shawn,
With respect, but you are wrong. If you kill someone, it is murder. The only difference is if you have an affirmative defense against prosecution. To simplify, it’s allowable murder. Additionally, the standard for lethal force is that force which will or is likely to cause death or serious bodily injury. “Likely to” is very important part of that statement, as us serious bodily injury.
Also remember you can only legally use lethal force to defend yourself or someone else against lethal force.
In short, do what needs to be done but know what the red are. If you don’t know, don’t go.
Before anybody replies: Montie knows what he’s talking about.
I meant to say know what the “rules” are. Sorry mr.
I meant to say know what the “rules” are. Sorry mr.
I am disappointed Penn & Teller did not cover Shaolin Iron Egg training, as this often neglected aspect of traditional martial arts training is not only more practical than tameshiwari for self defense, but is also a far more impressive display of physical conditioning. Iron Egg training is quite likely the ultimate measure of one’s martial abilities. One must be a real man – literally – to even attempt it!
No Iron egg on this blog, thank you very much. Showing it on Facebook was enough. There’s only so far a man can go with this stuff. :-)
I am disappointed Penn & Teller did not cover Shaolin Iron Egg training, as this often neglected aspect of traditional martial arts training is not only more practical than tameshiwari for self defense, but is also a far more impressive display of physical conditioning. Iron Egg training is quite likely the ultimate measure of one’s martial abilities. One must be a real man – literally – to even attempt it!
No Iron egg on this blog, thank you very much. Showing it on Facebook was enough. There’s only so far a man can go with this stuff. :-)
Interesting to note they didn’t even touch on H.E.M.A or WMA which is period reconstruction of actual martial and killing arts used at times of war in europe. But meh, no one cares right?
Ah well, it’s just entertainment right? Why bother making things accurate or even truth worthy? :-)
it would be if they didn’t claim that they were telling the truth er . . . wait what do they claim?
Interesting to note they didn’t even touch on H.E.M.A or WMA which is period reconstruction of actual martial and killing arts used at times of war in europe. But meh, no one cares right?
Ah well, it’s just entertainment right? Why bother making things accurate or even truth worthy? :-)
it would be if they didn’t claim that they were telling the truth er . . . wait what do they claim?
ok, they really found a nice bullshit example to represent the tai chi/qigong part..
ok, they really found a nice bullshit example to represent the tai chi/qigong part..
Ah: the whole thing is fun. I wonder…Dina may be the only one who laughed at her segments.
Fight grime: nice.
Mark MacYoung as the authority…that’s a great role, and his points about self-defense are worth a watch.
Well said. A producer have full control over how to portray someone that they filmed and with editing software and techniques, they can totally paint a completely different picture of yourself.
It’s how they get their ratings, and they are darn good at it.
In the case of the taichi lady, she’s only half bucket full and decided to add rocks to make it full.