Anyone who would want to do this just seems like an alien being to me. Of course, I never understood mosh pits, either.

But then, maybe the wikipedia entry explains it:

In many Western cultures, there are very few outlets for a youth's natural inclination toward violence...

That's why it is alien to me. I have never in my life, not as a kid, not as an adolescent, not now, had a "natural inclination toward violence." I don't even like to squish bugs (except the computer kinds). Perhaps I'm "unnatural."

And in rereading the article, it makes me wonder about the perspicacity of the people involved:

"You get to be a superhero for a night," Klimanis said. "We have to go to work every day. We're constantly told to buy things we don't need, and just for a couple hours we have the freedom to do what we want to do."

He's "told every day to buy things he doesn't need." Really? If so, so what? Is someone holding a gun to his head? Has he no willpower? Is his house filled with things that he bought via this mindwashing? Is his only recourse to advertising and having to make a living to go out and beat people up?

What a maroon.

Well, I put on armor and go beat up other people in armor. It's called "Society for Creative Anachronism" and a lot of people do it. I like being able to whang the living daylights out of someone. It can be very liberating. Especially when it doesn't harm the other person and we can go to dinner and talk about it afterward. ;-> And said armored person can substitute nicely for someone who desperately needs to be whanged, but whom I can't touch. The DMV, for example. ;->

I thought that SCA was more about replicating technologies than wailing on folks with medieval instruments, but not being a member, what do I know?

Some would argue that this is a reason why *real* ETs don't waste their time with us. Keep in mind that these participants are presumably the above-average intelligence folks.

But Darwin never said natural selection moves in a straight line...

I, too, have occasionally had a day or two where I wouldn't have minded punching someone or something to let my frustration out, but I've never actually pursued that desire. And, if I were, I would prefer to pursue it in a manner that's a little more technical and more socially acceptable, such as visiting a dojo to learn a martial art or two.

I have low pain tolerance, perhaps, but I don't have any fantasies or need to have someone beat the tar out of me, nor a need to beat the tar out of anyone else to the point where it would involve blood, bruising, etc.

Undiagnosed (though easily diagnosed, it would seem) socio-psychological conditions, the lot of 'em.

There should be a religion where the catechism consists of math problems, like trigonometry or calculus. After all, math is the accumulation of discoveries of hidden truths that have actually proved useful. And while the math problems might not be directly applicable to solving a given problem, neither is a fight in a club.

I have low pain tolerance, perhaps, but I don't have any fantasies or need to have someone beat the tar out of me, nor a need to beat the tar out of anyone else to the point where it would involve blood, bruising, etc.

That's a good expression of my feelings on the matter. There are many people who probably deserve a good beating, but I have no desire to be the one to deliver it (and more importantly, to risk the potential blowback to yours truly).

It's similar to the notion that I love meat, but have no interest in either killing or butchering it.

I can do the latter, if necessary, however. I'm not sure I could do the former. I probably could, given my survival instincts, given sufficient hunger, but I wouldn't enjoy it.

I tended bar in a fairly tough club while going to school and I saw enough blood and guts for most anybody. You break up a few fights and defend yourself a couple of times and the thrill goes away real quick. I wonder if those guys had played football or wrestled in school their urges might have been satisfied. It's obvious they are a little off plumb to take risks like that at their ages.

Yes the thrill quickly goes, and more rational responses replace them, unfortunately many people do not get that far.

Ignorance and fear of violence is not generally a good thing, it tends to result in either cowering or an excessive knee jerk uncontrolled response that hurts everyone, or both. For example, the poorly considered schizophrenic public response to the Iraq situation. Such people tend to be precious and a pain to deal with, a burden on those around them in most any physically threatening environment, not just the violent ones. They also tend to promote a risk adverse culture and regulatory environment that forces everyone else to dumb down to their level.

Not surprisingly I am quite heartened by this fight club thing, I hope it might generally help to slightly decrease the culture of preciousness. Ideally however, this is a base education that should have been received in one’s youth, though it can have a long term appeal as a sport activity.

I understand the necessity for occasional violence, and fully support it when necessary, as any regular reader of this website will readily understand. What I don't (and probably never will, any more than the attraction to the same sex) understand is the desire for it.

You're hero, the president, seems to have no shortage of love for violence... "BRING IT ON!!"

In Dallas a few years back we had a concert called 'Rockfest'. Over 100,000 people attended at the then newly constructed Texas Motor Speedway. There was not any organized seating around the stage, so one could get as close as they wanted if they could manage the crowds. Here was yours truly, all 6'2" 250'lbs, bullying his way to the front lines of the massive crowd and participated in a mosh pit some 30 feet from the enormous stage. Hell, I can feel my testes quiver with testosterone as I type this. I was king of a hill for a day and treat it as a moment that I still feel is worthy to talk about.

Now I wouldn't take part in any of this Fight club stuff myself but I certainly feel that a person as the sovereign right to decide if they want to suffer fractures, hematomas, or contusions of their face and body from a voluntary brawl. If someone happens to die in the process well then that is another person to further prove that Darwin was right. I'd rather these punk beat each other up and let off some steam then eventually turn 35 one day and decide that they will take an AR-15 to work with them one day for show and tell.

Things like this are enormous emotional stress relievers that break the tedium of mind numbing repetitive tasks. It is a form of exercise that diverges from the pointlessness of running on a gerbil wheel at a gym. You feel that there is a risk of losing something valuable if you don't protect it and protect yourself that makes it feel more worth while. Certainly we can look at these types of activities and easily pick them apart for their ugliness, brutality, and barbarism. However, we continue to run the risk of losing our masculine identity and further becoming a society of metrosexual ninnies.

Although I did tweeze my eyebrows this morning.
**furiously punches self in the face repeatedly**.
There all better now.

What remarkably stupid comment, "X." I can see why you wouldn't want to post it under your own name.

Josh, I'm not questioning anyone's right to do so. I'm merely questioning their sanity in wanting to... ;-)

Personally, whipping around a 270 degree curve at high velocity is a huge rush and takes care of all desire to live on the edge. (Mullholland Drive or Decker Canyon anyone?).

Has anyone seen the Fast and the Furious Tokoyo Drift? Drifting looks like an incredible rush!

:)

Dennis

"X" is probably a typical "liberal" who loves aggression and coercion (at least when conducted by the State on behalf of "progressive" causes), but schizophrenically claims to detest violence. Perhaps it isn't schizophrenia as it is denial. I've often thought people like "X" should have the equivalent of the Fight Club. Let's call it "the State Club." It would be like an S & M or leather bar, where "liberals" and other statists could go, perhaps dress up in costumes (like a ny jackbooted ATF enforcement officer or, for the women, "Hilse, She Wolf of the IRS"), and engage in all the coercion they want--but only against each other, in the confines of the club. ("Tax me! Tax me hard!") And best of all, since they would be getting their sadomasochistic jollies in the Club, they could leave the rest of us the hell alone, in peace and freedom.

Correction: the mysterious "ny" before "jackbooted" in the above post was meant originally to be part of the word "shiny," not the abbreviation for the great state of New York.

Yep...drifting looks cool and fun. But I'd only do it if a restart button were available. ;-)

I contend that these "warriors" would not want to trade their fight club for a quick round at the local biker bar, or local merchant seamans club.

This statement speaks volumes:

"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.

They may think they are fighting, but until somebody has either tried to, or actually has, stomped your @ss into a mud hole and then walked you dry, it's not a fight.

I speak from experience. I used to think I was bad, until I ran up against someone who really was. Oddly enough it's usually some little SOB who has nothing to lose, Ive seen it time and again.

Drifting: Taking a high-powered car, making it handle really badly, and then driving around as slowly as possible. It only looks fast. Actually driving fast involves making sure your tires stick to the pavement. (I.e. the difference between static and dynamic friction)

Yea that what gets me about drifting is that you purposely set the car up to over-steer badly. Only in the tightest of turns can swinging the rear of the car around like that be of any benefit.

I have a 2003 350z Track edition and while the car is very fast and furious to drive I often feel very on edge and unsettled with the car overall. It gets your heart pumping even while just puttering around town because it just "feels fast" even while taking the most modest of turns and ordinary roads. It has an extremely rigid and bouncy ride so you feel every crack, crevice, and pebble in the road. While this promotes a great connection with the road it does get tiresome on longish drives. The track edition comes with the vehicle dynamic stability control and I always feel the brakes kick with a corresponding flashing of the VDC and SLIP warning lights on the dash. If you dump the clutch to hard while going from 1st to 2nd, *VDC blip blip blip* and end up with a interesting head being yanked back from acceleration to head and body thrown forward from the VDC kicking in to instantly thrown back again after the VDC brakes lets go. If you hook a left turn that most cars wouldn’t even bat an eye at in the 350z you will most likely get a *VDC blip blip blip* and feel the left rear brake kick in. I read on the various 350z forums quite a bit and the kiddies in there will often complain about the VDC always interfering with their “furious” driving style so of course their answer is to turn it off. Then, you see the series of threads starting with, "Well I was showing off to a friend and I dumped into 2nd gear and next think you know it was, HELLO LIGHT POLE!", with a corresponding series of pictures of their trashed car. So sufficed to say I always leave the VDC on because the manufacturers evidently put it in there on even the lowest of models for a reason.

The other day I was pulling out of a gas station/trucker stop (93 octane was $2.87 on Friday, yippee) and there was a large build up of dirt/dust on the entrance ramp to the highway and when I gunned it in 4-th gear to rocket onto the highway the car started to drift to the left at 70 mph and the VDC started to blip blip blip and I felt the rear brakes do a nifty little dance alternating in quick succession back and forth to keep the car on a true line. So at that instance I was certainly appreciative that VDC was there and turned on.

My ’95 Mustang came dialed in with just a tad bit of over-steer so when you fish tailed your really felt like you could put the car in and out of a drift at will. This 350z though I can just tell that it would quickly depart from my inputs if it weren’t for the VDC. It probably just me not being used to the roadster feel of practically sitting over the rear axle.