Obama to get Honorary BB from Kukkiwon.

[d1jinx]

http://www.kidokwan.org/

I didnt know Obama Had trained in TKD before. I wonder who his Master was in Chicago?

Jhoon Rhee taught presidents and diplomats in DC for years... Glad to see TKD continues to be known in the White House.

 

[granfire]

well, I appreciate the positive spin on it....

 

[ATC]

Wow!!! four years and still a green belt. Must have been on that one class a month program.

Still kind of cool to know this though.

 

[Gorilla]

Very cool to have a friend in the White House. I am sure that he will advocate for TKD. Great stuff!

 

[jfarnsworth]

Hmmm.

 

[Twin Fist]

are you people STONED?

 

[Bob Hubbard]

Positive:
It'll make the news and help market TKD.

Negative:
It's honorary, and he doesn't know the material.

Positive:
Being able to point at a world leader and say "What I'm learning? Yeah, he's got a black belt in it".

Negative:
He didn't earn it.


Lets keep the big political discussion in the Study and keep this one stress free please.

 

[Twin Fist]

just wha TKD needs, someone ELSE who isnt qualified getting BB rank........

 

[seasoned]

I would like to point spar him. You know the kind where you say before the match "now this is no contact right".

 

[Bob Hubbard]

Can you handle 12 SS agents at once?

 

[arnisador]

This happens all the time, and I'm sure he's the not first pres. to get an honorary black belt. Heck, Martha Raye was an honorary Green Beret colonel.

 

[Gordon Nore]

Kind of a fart in a windstorm, really. I don't think Wolf Blitzer's going to convene a panel of masters to discuss the implications of giving the President an honourary black belt.

 

[granfire]

every champion presents the current inhabitant of the White House with a jersey, why not a BB, just stuff to clutter the vaults of the nation and collect dust in the soon to be build presidential library...

 

[goingd]

It's HONORARY. You know, that lovely word that lets you give it to just about anyone, because it's more of an HONORARY thing than a promotional one?

 

[FierySquidFace]

It's HONORARY. You know, that lovely word that lets you give it to just about anyone, because it's more of an HONORARY thing than a promotional one?

it does bring up some questions about that expression. like, how much honor are you showing someone by giving them what they haven't earned? or, how are you honoring your art/profession by giving away its higher achievments? interesting questions...

 

[IcemanSK]

Let's not talk about an honorary rank like it's an earned rank, folks. It's merely a way to show one's appreciation &/or honoring someone by giving them a token from your realm.

Years ago, I ran a TKD program out of a community center. The director was leaving for another position within the City. She was huge supporter of my program & the Karate program. We got together & gave her an honorary black belt. Half of the belt was in gold embroidery (my TKD org's "traditional" color) & the other half in red (the Karate program's "traditional BB embroidery color). It seemed a fitting way to show our gratitude.

I'm fairly sure she hasn't worn it to her local dojo to challenge anyone, nor is it on her resume.

 

[ATC]

Funny how some are getting defensive over a token of appreciation. The "TOKEN" belt is just something given to honor the President.

It the same thing my GM did with one of our instructors. The GM gave the new instructor his first BB uniform, as a token of his appreciation when that BB became a head instructor of one of his schools.

It is a symbol is all. Not anything that has meaning. It is just cool that the President of the United States even know what TKD is let alone he once practiced it. And not to long ago either I might add. It is also refreshing to hear that he was only a green belt after 4 years. We all know it could have easily said he earned his BB after 6 months of training, but it didn't.

 

[FierySquidFace]

didn't mean to come across negativly about the the guy, and i understand that they weren't actually awarding him black belt status. i just meant the concept "honorary" dr. or ""honorary" cpt. is an intersting one to me.:asian:

 

[seasoned]

Can you handle 12 SS agents at once?

This is no contact, right.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

Well, the SS might not agree to those rules....though I did hear Dillman did a seminar with them once....