Emp.Ice3
White Belt
There was a thread recently posted about barring women from rolling with male coaches Male coaches can't roll with female students I originally wrote this is a reply the OP but I felt it was long winded and not helpful in answering their question, so I'm posting this here instead to start the conversation.
What we are dealing with here, in this particular instance, and overall in the martial arts community, are the affects of what has been coined "rape culture." Let's take Andre Galvao for example here. In recent news, Galvao was accused by a former student of sexually assaulting her. He did this after being her coach since she was young, and essentially waited for her to turn 18 before it began. As far as I know he has not been confirmed guilty or innocent, but I'm positive that unless there's an ocean of witnesses and evidence, that he will be considered innocent. (This is an overarching issue with the criminal-justice-system and it's inability to adequately address sexual violence) Galvao is a pretty legendary grappler, winning double-gold in the 2011 ADCC worlds, and winning countless IBJJF World's and Pan's. Galvao has used this pedigree to build Atos, which is one of the most successful competition teams and affiliations in BJJ. As the head of a succesful team, and a world champion, he is placed in a position of immense power. Power with stakes, power which makes it difficult to hold him accountable. It also means that people will be desperate for their children, or themselves, to be given the opportunity to work with a world-champion coach and affiliation. This rigid of a hierarchy, with it's included stakes, is exactly why Galvao is going to salvage his legacy, and be defended by the people that require him for their success. It has nothing to do with grappling, it has everything to do with the fact that perverts, who get a lot of power, don't get held accountable, and rape whoever they please (excuse my language.)
In our culture is the assumption of heterosexuality as "sexuality." Therefore, our assumptions around sexuality (whether false or not) are confined to assumptions of heterosexuality. Why do I mention this? Because our assumptions around sexuality are influenced by our understandings of domination. We don't think about pleasure, play, exploration, we think of the controller and the controlled. Why? Because we are a heterosexual default society which is organized in a patriarchal structure. In order to establish this structure, expand it, legitimize it, we have to make it present in every activity. I mention this because when we talk about sexual violence the solutions we provide are done within this context. Under the assumption that human sexuality is how I just described, under the assumption that it's heterosexual. This is what lays the foundations for solutions like dividing people of separate gender, despite the fact that homosexuals exist, despite the fact that platonic relationships exist and thrive between genders. We act as if this is a solution to the problem of sexual violence, despite the fact that it's using the exact assumptions about sexuality that justify the violence in the first place. We are assuming that this power differential, where men have some immense authority over womenās bodies is natural! Galvao didn't assault this woman because he's a man, he assaulted her because he's a pervert who's been given power NOBODY deserves. He assaulted her because society teaches men that they are entitled to womenās bodies, that they deserve sex. We can act like heās scum, like heās some exception, but the truth is that this is a societal problem based on an antiquated and false standard, and until we change that, the problem isnāt going to be solved, itās just going to be concealed.
I hear a lot of people talking about how we need to not talk about politics in BJJ. They are under the false assumption that BJJ has nothing to do with politics, and that silence means that all politics are eliminated. BJJ gyms, coaches, members, even those who only watch events, are all participating within a set of social standards, societal expectations and rules, and economic guidelines. I am sick and tired of seeing rapists and nazis be consistently defended and platformed by the "apolitical" BJJ community. No, I think the problem is that decent people, with political opinions that are respectful, compassionate, pro social, are more willing to respect the political boundaries than pedophiles and nazis, and they are therefore allowing them to have a platform without ever being held accountable. If we want this stuff to stop happening, we need to encourage political conversation, and allow members of the gym to participate immensely in the organization of the gym. Otherwise stuff like this will continue to happen. This among not allowing instructors to be unsupervized with minors etc etc. I'm not asking for a gym full of radical leftists (not that I would complain) but I am asking for the community to wake up and smell the coffee, is silence helping anyone? Is refusing to accept your role in society making the world a better place? I'm sick of grown adults refusing to have simple political conversations with their peers, and instead allowing the scum of the earth walk around free, because they are too uncomfortable to be uncouth.
It's time we stop pretending that men's violence against women is a result of close contact, or womens clothes, or anything completely innocuous. The reason this is still an issue is because we excuse this behavior, either completely, or subtly.
(P.S. I have more nuanced opinions about gender then what I have revealed here, so give me some grace, and if you are especially bothered, we can talk privately)
In our culture is the assumption of heterosexuality as "sexuality." Therefore, our assumptions around sexuality (whether false or not) are confined to assumptions of heterosexuality. Why do I mention this? Because our assumptions around sexuality are influenced by our understandings of domination. We don't think about pleasure, play, exploration, we think of the controller and the controlled. Why? Because we are a heterosexual default society which is organized in a patriarchal structure. In order to establish this structure, expand it, legitimize it, we have to make it present in every activity. I mention this because when we talk about sexual violence the solutions we provide are done within this context. Under the assumption that human sexuality is how I just described, under the assumption that it's heterosexual. This is what lays the foundations for solutions like dividing people of separate gender, despite the fact that homosexuals exist, despite the fact that platonic relationships exist and thrive between genders. We act as if this is a solution to the problem of sexual violence, despite the fact that it's using the exact assumptions about sexuality that justify the violence in the first place. We are assuming that this power differential, where men have some immense authority over womenās bodies is natural! Galvao didn't assault this woman because he's a man, he assaulted her because he's a pervert who's been given power NOBODY deserves. He assaulted her because society teaches men that they are entitled to womenās bodies, that they deserve sex. We can act like heās scum, like heās some exception, but the truth is that this is a societal problem based on an antiquated and false standard, and until we change that, the problem isnāt going to be solved, itās just going to be concealed.
I hear a lot of people talking about how we need to not talk about politics in BJJ. They are under the false assumption that BJJ has nothing to do with politics, and that silence means that all politics are eliminated. BJJ gyms, coaches, members, even those who only watch events, are all participating within a set of social standards, societal expectations and rules, and economic guidelines. I am sick and tired of seeing rapists and nazis be consistently defended and platformed by the "apolitical" BJJ community. No, I think the problem is that decent people, with political opinions that are respectful, compassionate, pro social, are more willing to respect the political boundaries than pedophiles and nazis, and they are therefore allowing them to have a platform without ever being held accountable. If we want this stuff to stop happening, we need to encourage political conversation, and allow members of the gym to participate immensely in the organization of the gym. Otherwise stuff like this will continue to happen. This among not allowing instructors to be unsupervized with minors etc etc. I'm not asking for a gym full of radical leftists (not that I would complain) but I am asking for the community to wake up and smell the coffee, is silence helping anyone? Is refusing to accept your role in society making the world a better place? I'm sick of grown adults refusing to have simple political conversations with their peers, and instead allowing the scum of the earth walk around free, because they are too uncomfortable to be uncouth.
It's time we stop pretending that men's violence against women is a result of close contact, or womens clothes, or anything completely innocuous. The reason this is still an issue is because we excuse this behavior, either completely, or subtly.
(P.S. I have more nuanced opinions about gender then what I have revealed here, so give me some grace, and if you are especially bothered, we can talk privately)
