The Martialist: The Magazine For Those Who Fight Unfairly

When criticized or questioned, martial arts frauds will resort to a variety of
argumentative tactics that comprise the defense mechanisms. These tactics are
easily identifiable, and the following list is by no means inclusive. When you
learn to spot a few of these defense mechanisms, however, you will quickly be
able to spot others not listed.

BAA, BAA, BAD SHEEP

A VS or VTG often will accuse his or her detractors of being “sheep.”
Faced with overwhelmingly negative feedback, the fraud in question often feels
persecuted and misunderstood. As a result, it is everyone else who is
wrong – and since they comprise such a large group, the critics simply must
possess a herd mentality from which they cannot escape. The ridicule the VS or
VTG then faces is a result of this groupthink, and he or she may feel smugly
insulated from derision. This defense mechanism is normally closely associated
with feelings of great superiority. The VS or VTG believes he or she is the
subject of scorn for the mere fact of being superior. His or her detractors are
thus motivated by jealousy and fear (or by personal discomfort caused by the
piercing insights and overwhelming greatness of the Virtual Sensei/Tough Guy).

FREE YOUR MIND

WHO ARE YOU TO CHALLENGE ME?

Closely related to the “Who are you to challenge me?” mechanism is the
demand for a face-to-face meeting. The VS or VTG is forever demanding that his
or her critics either put up or shut up. No one who cannot beat him in the ring
may question his wisdom, the VS thinks. No one incapable of kicking her behind
on the street may dare inquire regarding the veracity of her claims, the VTG
believes. Ultimately, however, this is simply a defense mechanism like any other
– for since most rational people do not go out of their way to get into
physical fights with obnoxious online personalities, the VTG or VS can rest
assured that he or she will not be taken up on the offer.

I’M VERY SORRY FOR YOU

Some VSs and VTGs will affect an attitude of sorrow on hearing criticism of
their claims. “I’m sorry you don’t believe me,” they will say – and
they will express their heartfelt pity that you will miss out on the chance to
associate with greatness if you question the claims of the self-proclaimed
grandmasters. Alternatively, many VTGs will tell you that they are glad you’ve
had the good fortune not to grow up on the Mean Streets, fighting off ninja and
street gangs and Mafia hordes. They did not have such advantages, however. Thus
their tales of their street fighting days may seem fanciful to you, but that’s
only because you have neither been there, nor done that, nor bought the t-shirt.

POT AND KETTLE

Perhaps the first rule of verbal self-defense, in the absence of
legitimate and logically grounded opinion, is to accuse the accuser.
Cornered, the VS or VTG will be quick to point out that it is the critic(s) who
display(s) the warning signs of martial arts fraudulence.

YOU’RE JUST IMMATURE

While the VS and VTG usually display monumental childishness, they often resort
to this tactic in attempting to deflect criticism. Anyone who does not believe
them or agree with them must be “immature.” Any attempt to expose
absurd assertions for what they are is similarly puerile – for what mature
adult would dare question such superior skill and knowledge? Blanket labeling of
deserved scorn as “immature” has a preemptive benefit, too, in that
any future criticism may be presumed by the VTG or VS to be equally childish in
nature.

THAT’S NOT WHAT SO-AND-SO SAYS

Closely linked to the name-dropping warning sign exhibited by Virtual
Senseis, this defense mechanism relies heavily on the reputations of
acknowledged greats within the martial arts and self-defense industry. When
criticized, the VS or VTG loves to mention respected and accomplished
personalities with whom he or she has worked (however briefly), particularly if
some claim to training lineage can be established. If those big names ever had
anything positive to say about the suspected fraud you are now questioning, you
can bet you’ll hear about it in great detail (and repeatedly). Thus, criticism
of the VS/VTG can be (falsely) shunted to criticism of the respected personality
– something the critic never intended and something easily dismissed on the
basis of reputation alone.

THINK OF THE CHILDREN

Many VSs and VTGs may become – suddenly and ardently – very concerned with
what relatively new students in the Arts may think in reading criticism directed
at the suspected frauds in question. Why, all this negativity turns off the newbies, they’ll say. What’s worse, they’ll tell you, is that any attempt to
identify and expose martial arts fraudulence may prompt those with less
experience to dismiss legitimate teachers and fellow seekers of budo, when in
fact those legitimate individuals could have much to offer. This, the VS and VTG
will argue, is unthinkable. (Quite often, this same defense mechanism will be
made as an argument by earnest discussion participants who believe very strongly
in maintaining a positive attitude. There’s nothing wrong with wanting things to
stay positive, but in avoiding negative ideas when such negativity is warranted,
these well-meaning individuals run the risk of allowing the frauds to do more
harm. It is better to err on the side of caution.)

SAY WHAT?

It is very important to the average VS or VTG that he or she project the
illusion of great wisdom. Often this is accomplished by being cryptic for its
own sake. When others cannot understand you – or when you decide that
individual words have no meaning – then anything and everything one says can be
considered profound. A Virtual Sensei/Tough Guy can use this trait as a defense
mechanism by meeting criticism with more impenetrable pseudo-wisdom. Those who
respond to say the rebuttal is meaningless will be met with the smug
proclamation that they simply do not understand. “Say what?” is thus a
very versatile and self-perpetuating character trait that both identifies and
defends martial arts frauds.

GENERAL FALLACIES

Because what they say and do is generally not supportable by logic, VSs and VTGs
display any number of formal logical fallacies in their reasoning. Some of the
defense mechanisms I’ve listed here are obviously interpretations of these, such
as the Appeal to Authority (in the case of name-dropping) or the implied argumentum
ad hominem typical of dismissing criticism from those of lesser rank. Other
popular fallacies include the “No True Scotsman” fallacy, in which the
VTG or VS asserts that no true student of the arts would dare disagree.
Then there is the non sequitur, frequently used in conjunction with the
“Say What?” defense. A Web search for the term logical fallacies
will turn up a number of lists and definitions, and I encourage all readers to
familiarize themselves with these.

Not included in these profiles is the most common defense mechanism of all:
profanity. A vulgar tirade is neither an argument nor a defense mechanism
explicitly, but it can form some measure of defense by providing the VTG or VS
with an outlet to vent his or her frustration and distress. Those who resort to
coarse temper tantrums should be immediately suspect, for mature, rational,
earnest students of the martial arts rarely lose their composure in this
fashion.

CONCLUSION