Last Fearner
2nd Black Belt
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2006
- Messages
- 712
- Reaction score
- 17
I am posting this in the Taekwondo forum because I am a Taekwondo instructor, and this comes from my perspective about Taekwondo specifically. Although it can apply to all similar Martial Art variations, and posting a duplicate copy in other forums is optional, I would prefer that this post remains here because it is respectfully directed at my fellow Taekwondoists.
:asian:
Like most of the older participants here on the world wide web, I grew up in a time void of the internet - a time without electronic message boards, chat rooms, or instant messaging. It was an era when, if you wanted to talk to someone, you met them face-to-face, or called them on the telephone. If you had time to wait for a response, your wrote them a letter, put a stamp on it, and dropped it in a mailbox. Just a generation or two earlier, and the telephone wasn't even an option. So, what does this do to human interaction and social behavior? It seems to me that communication has become extremely impersonal. Social etiquette and good manners are pretty much out the microsoft window.
In my youth, if you wanted to break up with a girlfriend, you typically called her on the phone because you didn't want to face her, and dumping her by a written note was deemed inconsiderate, and usually resulted in a subsequent phone conversation anyhow. If you were angry with your boss, and wanted to quit your job, you would just not show up for work, or call on the phone and say, “I quit.” We often avoid the tough situations in-person, even today. This is partially due to a lack of courage, but also because of ingrained social manners that prompts us to be polite to people in person. There are some who lack these social skills, but most of us find it easier to say the harsh words over the phone, or in a letter where you don't have to look the person in the eye.
What does all this have to do with the internet, and the subject of teaching Taekwondo, or any similar Martial Art? From my own perspective, the Taekwondo Dojang (school) is an educational facility - - not just about technical data, skill training and professional jargon, but about a way of life. It is a hall of wisdom and enlightenment. The relationship of a Taekwondo teacher to the student has to be the most personal, as well as professional and highly respected interaction two people can have. Meeting a student face-to-face is the best way to study their personality, character, and decipher what that individual needs for personal growth and fulfillment. Every little nuance, from every facial expression, subtle body language, and tone of voice can give a seasoned instructor insight to the depth of the student's mind.
I know that there are many students and teachers out there who feel that this is not part of a Martial Art Instructor's responsibility, but many, like myself, do - - and this is the type of Martial Art education that I am addressing here. In my personal opinion, the success or failure of producing good quality students, and preserving the integrity of the Art, depends greatly on the personal interactions between instructor and student, the ability of the teacher to “read” the student's mannerisms, and to know how to deal with that student at that moment. Likewise, it is equally important for a student to be able to understand the intended meaning of what an instructor is saying by watching their facial expressions, listening to their tone of voice, and seeking to grasp the meaning behind the words.
This is a process that I feel is, unfortunately, almost completely lost over the internet. Whether we realize it or not, the computer and the world wide web has crept into the fabric of our social structure, and has likely become a permanent feature in the lives of future generations. Oh, what a tangled web we weave - - when our primary communication with others are these impersonal snip-its of words, often written without care or concern for good manners, common courtesy, or any kind of social repercussions other than to drop one anonymous profile, and create another.
Those who visit the various online Martial Art forums are indeed joining an “internet dojang.” Some are here to learn from others' experience, while many come to share what knowledge and experience they have. The problem with this open-door electronic dojang is that there is an exchange of information; a teaching and sharing of knowledge without the guidance of a specified instructor, a personal relationship and interaction with that teacher, nor any of the responsibility or accountability for behavior of the recipients of that knowledge (whoever they may be).
People come to these forums to gain knowledge, and improve their skills and understanding of their art, but they don't always respect (value) the source of that knowledge. Some will say to others, “I really appreciate your input,” or “thanks for sharing your experience here,” but many are quick to take what bits and pieces of that knowledge that suits them, and turn right around to spit in that same individual's face. This behavior is like a person walking into a Taekwondo Dojang, asking the most skilled and highly trained instructors to teach you what they know for free, then when they offer a little wisdom, philosophy with which you disagree, or insist upon some rules of proper conduct, you say “screw you, dude! I don't have to do what you say. You can't make me respect you - respect is a two-way street, and your rank doesn't mean crap to me.... now teach some more of what you know.”
I think we are getting tangled in a web of deception. Mixed among the serious, dedicated students and Black Belts on the internet, are Illegitimate instructors and questionable Black Belts who pass themselves off as “experts.” Yet the biggest deception of all is that these forums are harmless, “friendly” exchanges of useful information. Is it really, or are we ignoring the fact that many novice are learning misleading and out-right wrong information from other novice, and some genuine experts are imparting a gold mine of wisdom and experience, earned and acquired over a life-time, only to be spat upon, disrespected, bad-mouthed, and left not knowing who is benefiting from their knowledge, or what they are going to do with it.
The Martial Art forums of this world wide web have become internet dojangs/dojos, void of proper leadership, lacking appropriate manners and courtesy, and without the personal responsibility of knowing who you are teaching (and we are in fact teaching others), nor what the integrity of the internet student's character and behavior will be. There are those here who desire all the knowledge they can pilfer, but fail to value the teachers. Others think they are experts because of the books they have read, or the fascination with the trial-and-error expertise of modern do-it-yourself experts. Some are misled to believe that their years of dedicated training with a legitimate, 9th Degree Grandmaster has given them a clear and complete understanding of Taekwondo, but this is not always a forgone conclusion.
For the sake of this discussion, I am not going to hold my knowledge, rank, or personal opinions up against anyone else's to claim that I am right, and they are wrong - - or that I know better than others because of my years of experience. I am simply asking an all important question. Is this modern-day phenomenon of online communication becoming an “internet dojang” where people learn incomplete, and often incorrect bits and pieces of an art without the benefit of personal contact, or respect for those from whom they are learning, and is this process, as benign as it seems, going to be the cancer that eats away at the soul of this art?
I, for one, am not sure that my participation in this method of raping each others minds, stealing valuable knowledge, then kicking the prone victim in the ribs before you spit on them and walk away to hock their valuables at the pawn shop of your own “Korean Karate club.” With the whimsical enforcement of forum rules, reminiscent of a college dorm RA (think of Pauly Shore as “crawl” in the movie Son-in-Law) , the moderators here seem to be assisting the rape by holding down the victim and saying, “We interpret the rules our way, so lay back and take it, or don't come here.” The administrators either support this kind of intellectual rape, or are turning a blind-eye to it. True, people don't have to contribute here, but once you do, you are subject the verbal assault, and gang rape mentality that says if you put yourself out there, you deserve what you get, and no one owe's you any respect as a human being, let alone as a knowledgeable instructor.
Just food for thought..... perhaps others will disagree.
Chief Master (not that it matters here) D.J. Eisenhart :asian:
P.S. None of this is intended as a direct reference to any particular individual here on the Martial Talk forum, but as a commentary on the entire nature of internet communication and all chat forums and message boards.
:asian:
The Internet Dojang
by
Chief Master Darwin J. Eisenhart
by
Chief Master Darwin J. Eisenhart
Like most of the older participants here on the world wide web, I grew up in a time void of the internet - a time without electronic message boards, chat rooms, or instant messaging. It was an era when, if you wanted to talk to someone, you met them face-to-face, or called them on the telephone. If you had time to wait for a response, your wrote them a letter, put a stamp on it, and dropped it in a mailbox. Just a generation or two earlier, and the telephone wasn't even an option. So, what does this do to human interaction and social behavior? It seems to me that communication has become extremely impersonal. Social etiquette and good manners are pretty much out the microsoft window.
In my youth, if you wanted to break up with a girlfriend, you typically called her on the phone because you didn't want to face her, and dumping her by a written note was deemed inconsiderate, and usually resulted in a subsequent phone conversation anyhow. If you were angry with your boss, and wanted to quit your job, you would just not show up for work, or call on the phone and say, “I quit.” We often avoid the tough situations in-person, even today. This is partially due to a lack of courage, but also because of ingrained social manners that prompts us to be polite to people in person. There are some who lack these social skills, but most of us find it easier to say the harsh words over the phone, or in a letter where you don't have to look the person in the eye.
What does all this have to do with the internet, and the subject of teaching Taekwondo, or any similar Martial Art? From my own perspective, the Taekwondo Dojang (school) is an educational facility - - not just about technical data, skill training and professional jargon, but about a way of life. It is a hall of wisdom and enlightenment. The relationship of a Taekwondo teacher to the student has to be the most personal, as well as professional and highly respected interaction two people can have. Meeting a student face-to-face is the best way to study their personality, character, and decipher what that individual needs for personal growth and fulfillment. Every little nuance, from every facial expression, subtle body language, and tone of voice can give a seasoned instructor insight to the depth of the student's mind.
I know that there are many students and teachers out there who feel that this is not part of a Martial Art Instructor's responsibility, but many, like myself, do - - and this is the type of Martial Art education that I am addressing here. In my personal opinion, the success or failure of producing good quality students, and preserving the integrity of the Art, depends greatly on the personal interactions between instructor and student, the ability of the teacher to “read” the student's mannerisms, and to know how to deal with that student at that moment. Likewise, it is equally important for a student to be able to understand the intended meaning of what an instructor is saying by watching their facial expressions, listening to their tone of voice, and seeking to grasp the meaning behind the words.
This is a process that I feel is, unfortunately, almost completely lost over the internet. Whether we realize it or not, the computer and the world wide web has crept into the fabric of our social structure, and has likely become a permanent feature in the lives of future generations. Oh, what a tangled web we weave - - when our primary communication with others are these impersonal snip-its of words, often written without care or concern for good manners, common courtesy, or any kind of social repercussions other than to drop one anonymous profile, and create another.
Those who visit the various online Martial Art forums are indeed joining an “internet dojang.” Some are here to learn from others' experience, while many come to share what knowledge and experience they have. The problem with this open-door electronic dojang is that there is an exchange of information; a teaching and sharing of knowledge without the guidance of a specified instructor, a personal relationship and interaction with that teacher, nor any of the responsibility or accountability for behavior of the recipients of that knowledge (whoever they may be).
People come to these forums to gain knowledge, and improve their skills and understanding of their art, but they don't always respect (value) the source of that knowledge. Some will say to others, “I really appreciate your input,” or “thanks for sharing your experience here,” but many are quick to take what bits and pieces of that knowledge that suits them, and turn right around to spit in that same individual's face. This behavior is like a person walking into a Taekwondo Dojang, asking the most skilled and highly trained instructors to teach you what they know for free, then when they offer a little wisdom, philosophy with which you disagree, or insist upon some rules of proper conduct, you say “screw you, dude! I don't have to do what you say. You can't make me respect you - respect is a two-way street, and your rank doesn't mean crap to me.... now teach some more of what you know.”
I think we are getting tangled in a web of deception. Mixed among the serious, dedicated students and Black Belts on the internet, are Illegitimate instructors and questionable Black Belts who pass themselves off as “experts.” Yet the biggest deception of all is that these forums are harmless, “friendly” exchanges of useful information. Is it really, or are we ignoring the fact that many novice are learning misleading and out-right wrong information from other novice, and some genuine experts are imparting a gold mine of wisdom and experience, earned and acquired over a life-time, only to be spat upon, disrespected, bad-mouthed, and left not knowing who is benefiting from their knowledge, or what they are going to do with it.
The Martial Art forums of this world wide web have become internet dojangs/dojos, void of proper leadership, lacking appropriate manners and courtesy, and without the personal responsibility of knowing who you are teaching (and we are in fact teaching others), nor what the integrity of the internet student's character and behavior will be. There are those here who desire all the knowledge they can pilfer, but fail to value the teachers. Others think they are experts because of the books they have read, or the fascination with the trial-and-error expertise of modern do-it-yourself experts. Some are misled to believe that their years of dedicated training with a legitimate, 9th Degree Grandmaster has given them a clear and complete understanding of Taekwondo, but this is not always a forgone conclusion.
For the sake of this discussion, I am not going to hold my knowledge, rank, or personal opinions up against anyone else's to claim that I am right, and they are wrong - - or that I know better than others because of my years of experience. I am simply asking an all important question. Is this modern-day phenomenon of online communication becoming an “internet dojang” where people learn incomplete, and often incorrect bits and pieces of an art without the benefit of personal contact, or respect for those from whom they are learning, and is this process, as benign as it seems, going to be the cancer that eats away at the soul of this art?
I, for one, am not sure that my participation in this method of raping each others minds, stealing valuable knowledge, then kicking the prone victim in the ribs before you spit on them and walk away to hock their valuables at the pawn shop of your own “Korean Karate club.” With the whimsical enforcement of forum rules, reminiscent of a college dorm RA (think of Pauly Shore as “crawl” in the movie Son-in-Law) , the moderators here seem to be assisting the rape by holding down the victim and saying, “We interpret the rules our way, so lay back and take it, or don't come here.” The administrators either support this kind of intellectual rape, or are turning a blind-eye to it. True, people don't have to contribute here, but once you do, you are subject the verbal assault, and gang rape mentality that says if you put yourself out there, you deserve what you get, and no one owe's you any respect as a human being, let alone as a knowledgeable instructor.
Just food for thought..... perhaps others will disagree.
Chief Master (not that it matters here) D.J. Eisenhart :asian:
P.S. None of this is intended as a direct reference to any particular individual here on the Martial Talk forum, but as a commentary on the entire nature of internet communication and all chat forums and message boards.
