I can understand the "don't list McDojos" argument from several points:
1) True, you are defenseless if someone wants to holler "McDojo!" at you from behond the safety of a keyboard;
2) Legally, I suppose slander could be an issue...although we could be instrumental in making "McDojo" an actual legal term(ha ha);
3) Just because of opinions and/or personal preference, we may be tempted to label a school a McDojo if their focus is less MARTIAL art and more martial ART;
4) We don't want to hurt anyone's feelings now, do we?
That having been said, I see no real problem with a McDojo list per se, as long as these lists were based on bonafide first hand accounts, and not hearsay, "my instructor's sister's brother-in-law said..." type stuff.
:soapbox: Let's face it, there are an AWFUL lot of charlatans and swindlers stalking the underbelly of the martial arts, preying on those individuals who truly need the benefits of "real" martial arts
(and it's a sad world when I need to make that distinction). Exponentially raising testing fees, mandatory "keep your rank" fees, hidden charges ("Well, Bill, you have to go to this tournament, and you have to buy the wood you break from me at an inflated price, and you have to buy this t-shirt, did I mention that when you win, you'll have to buy your trophy too...")
Merely making a list of warning signs might not be enough, particularly when you consider the charisma and salesmanship of some of these wretches. Look at Chung Moo Quan! I mean, come on! Admittedly, some people are just cult members waiting to happen, but doesn't that make awareness and prevention all the more important? And isn't there a certain amount of responsibility we have to make sure people don't get misled into believing they can take out armies of miscreants, action-hero style? How many McDojo-trained martial artists have been badly injured due to unrealistic apperception of their own abilities? What about the karate instructor that David Allan Coe beat up for heckling him? His life was ruined(he owned a McDojo of his own, which went under when it was discovered that a country musician beat him up) because of McDojo training!
These places make us all look bad. These McDojos hurt the martial arts.
As long as we stick to reporting fact and can remain coolly objective, I see no problem with "The McDojo List." Bear in mind, we should encourage people to visit these schools and to decide for themselves (see #3 above). However, armed with the knowledge of WHAT to look for and beware of, particular gripes with the particular school, we would be equipping the potential truth-seeker to avoid scams, falsehoods, swindles, brainwashing, and perhaps even death by inferior instruction.
This is definitely something we should talk about more. Ultimately, a "McDojo List" would be the business of the MartialTalk.com administrators and moderators. Thank you, anybody who bothered to read all that.
:asian:
but it really isn't the case. That's just MO, I don't think we should list schools, but talking about McDojos is all right with me.
