Racism in martial arts

Last updated

Racism in martial arts has been a common allegation.

Contents

Media portrayal

Some of this can be attributed to media portrayal of minority groups while giving the majority a primary role. [1] Television shows such as Mighty Morphin Power Rangers have been called racist for alleged ethnic stereotyping; [2] however, in the case of Power Rangers, African-American actor Walter Emanuel Jones attributed it to coincidence. [3] The web television series Iron Fist , based on the comic book character of the same name, centers around a white protagonist who learns mystical Asian martial arts to fight crime, typically against Asian antagonists; the show's premise has drawn accusations of cultural appropriation, white savior narrative, Orientalism and yellow peril stereotyping. [4] Movies such as The Forbidden Kingdom and Birth of the Dragon have drawn similar accusations as well. [5] [6]

Quite often the media would portray Asians as being proficient in martial arts while lacking other defining qualities. [7] Ethnic groups and ethnic martial arts would be merged into one although they might be quite distinct. However, martial arts shows such as Into the Badlands and Warrior have been praised for avoiding and subverting stereotypes that have commonly plagued Asian martial artists in western media. [8] [9]

Alleged instances

Bruce Lee stated that racism was widely practiced in martial arts in Hong Kong. [10] Ron Duncan (an Afro-Panamanian), a founder of ninjitsu in America, discussed in detail the problems of racism in martial arts as he saw them. [11] Duncan explained how he believes he was denied recognition by Black Belt magazine in favor of Stephen K. Hayes (who was white). The Black Karate Federation was formed by Steve Sanders and others seeking to have equal treatment of black fighters in karate tournaments. [12] This included allegations of biased officiating in martial arts tournaments. [13]

Current times

Fighters such as Maurice Smith and Kevin Randleman were amongst the first black champions in MMA, but neither have received the media attention that fighters of other races have. [14] Joe Rogan of the UFC has suggested that Jon Jones, a UFC light heavyweight champion, is not as popular as he could be due in large part to racism. [15]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bruce Lee</span> Hong Kong-American martial artist and actor (1940–1973)

Bruce Lee was a Hong Kong-American martial artist and actor. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy drawing from different combat disciplines that is sometimes credited with paving the way for the combat sport mixed martial arts (MMA). Lee is considered by some commentators and martial artists to be the most influential martial artist of all time and a pop culture icon of the 20th century, who bridged the gap between East and West. He is credited with promoting Hong Kong action cinema and helping to change the way Chinese people were presented in American films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mixed martial arts</span> Full-contact combat sport

Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. The first documented use of the term mixed martial arts was in a review of UFC 1 by television critic Howard Rosenberg in 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason David Frank</span> American actor (1973–2022)

Jason David Frank was an American actor, model and mixed martial artist best known for his role as Tommy Oliver in the Power Rangers television franchise.

Zachary "Zack" Taylor is a fictional character in the Power Rangers universe, appearing in the television series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. He is the first on-screen Black Ranger of Power Rangers. He would be succeeded as the Black Ranger by Adam Park. A reimagined version of Zack, now Chinese-American, would appear in the 2017 reboot film, played by Canadian actor Ludi Lin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thuy Trang</span> Vietnamese actress (1973–2001)

Thuy Trang was a Vietnamese-born actress based in the United States. She was known for her role as Trini Kwan, the original Yellow Ranger on the original cast of the television series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.

<i>VR Troopers</i> Television series

VR Troopers is a syndicated live-action superhero-adventure television series produced and distributed by Saban Entertainment from 1994 to 1996. The show tried to profit from the fascination with virtual reality in the mid-1990s as well as the success of Saban's other property, Power Rangers. VR Troopers was the first official "sister series" to Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Much like it, this was an Americanization of a Japanese tokusatsu children's program series by Toei Company. The series is a co-production of Toei and Cyberprod.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trini Kwan</span> Yellow Power Ranger character

Trini Kwan is a fictional character from the Power Rangers franchise, first appearing in the original series as the Yellow Ranger. She was portrayed by Vietnamese-American actress Thuy Trang.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Austin St. John</span> American actor

Jason Lawrence Geiger professionally known as Austin St. John, is an American actor best known for his portrayal of Jason Lee Scott in the Power Rangers franchise.

Chopsocky is a colloquial term for martial arts films and kung fu films made primarily by Hong Kong action cinema between the late 1960s and early 1980s. The term was coined by the American motion picture trade magazine Variety following the explosion of films in the genre released in 1973 in the U.S. after the success of Five Fingers of Death. The word is a play on chop suey, combining "chop" and "sock".

Bruceploitation is an exploitation film subgenre that emerged after the death of martial arts film star Bruce Lee in 1973, during which time filmmakers from Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea cast Bruce Lee look-alike actors ("Lee-alikes") to star in imitation martial arts films, in order to exploit Lee's sudden international popularity. Bruce Lee look-alike characters also commonly appear in other media, including anime, comic books, manga, and video games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bas Rutten</span> Kickboxer, professional wrestler and mixed martial arts fighter

Sebastiaan "Bas" Rutten is a Dutch-American actor, former mixed martial artist, kickboxer and professional wrestler. As a kickboxer, he fought 16 times, winning the first 14 matches by knockout, 13 in the first round, and losing his final two fights, one of them against Frank Lobman for the European Muay Thai title in 1991, with Rutten losing by knockout in the first round. In MMA, he was a UFC Heavyweight Champion and a three-time King of Pancrase world champion. After his loss to Ken Shamrock in 1995, he finished his MMA career on a 22 fight unbeaten streak.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenny Florian</span> American mixed martial artist and combat sport color commentator

Kenny Florian is an American retired mixed martial artist and commentator who formerly competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He formerly served as an analyst for UFC on Fox from 2011 to 2018, provided color commentary for UFC Fight Night, and provides color commentary on the robot combat television series BattleBots. He is currently signed to the Professional Fighters League (PFL) as a commentator.

Bruce Anthony Buffer is an American professional mixed martial arts ring announcer and the official octagon announcer for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) events, introduced on broadcasts as the "Veteran Voice of the Octagon". Buffer's catchphrase is "It's time!", which he announces before the main event of a UFC card. He is the half brother of boxing and professional wrestling ring announcer Michael Buffer, and is the President and CEO of their company, The Buffer Partnership. Buffer holds a black belt in Tang Soo Do and has fought as a kickboxer.

<i>Ashes to Ashes</i> (film) 1999 British film by Wayne Gerard Trotman

Ashes to Ashes is a 1999 action film by British independent filmmaker Wayne Gerard Trotman. The producers, Red Moon Productions Limited claim that Ashes to Ashes is the first British homegrown martial arts movie and a tribute to 1970s cinema. The film is characterized by a complex script, unpredictable twists, dark humour and a subversion of received political correctness. Ashes to Ashes premiered at the Raindance film festival where it was described as "Kung fu with an arty London twist".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lyoto Machida</span> Brazilian mixed martial arts fighter and karateka (born 1978)

Lyoto Carvalho Machida is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and karateka. He formerly competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he was a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, as well as a UFC Middleweight Championship title challenger. He most recently competed in Bellator MMA in the Light Heavyweight and Middleweight divisions.

Robin Black is a Canadian combat analyst and sports commentator. He formerly competed in mixed martial arts, and previously had a career as a glam rock musician. Robin Black has commentated for most major combat sports organizations in the world such as Bellator MMA, ONE Championship, Brave Combat Federation, Karate Combat, World Lethwei Championship in Myanmar and ACB in Russia.

Internalized racism is a form of internalized oppression, defined by sociologist Karen D. Pyke as the "internalization of racial oppression by the racially subordinated." In her study The Psychology of Racism, Robin Nicole Johnson emphasizes that internalized racism involves both "conscious and unconscious acceptance of a racial hierarchy in which a presumed superior race are consistently ranked above other races. These definitions encompass a wide range of instances, including, but not limited to, belief in negative stereotypes, adaptations to cultural standards, and thinking that supports the status quo.

Mitchell Bobrow is a martial arts fighter who was trained by Ki Whang Kim in the early 1960s. Bobrow was known for his continuous attacks using a unique combination of kicks, punches, and sweeps including his Trademark Jump Back Kick that scored on his opponents with either leg.

Sijo Saabir Quwi Muhammad is an American martial artist and police officer.

References

  1. Wilson, Clint C.; Gutiérrez, Félix; Chao, Lena M. (2003). "Chapter 4. Stereotypes Extend into Television and the Video Age". Racism, Sexism, and the Media: The Rise of Class Communication in Multicultural America (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications. p.  96. ISBN   978-0-7619-2516-3 . Retrieved 2015-05-03.
  2. "The Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers - The 50 Most Racist TV Shows of All Time". Complex.com. 3 June 2013. Retrieved 2015-03-14.
  3. Puga, Romina (7 August 2014). "The black Power Ranger explains why their colors were coincidental, not racist". Splinter News. Retrieved 2015-03-14.
  4. "Marvel, Please Cast an Asian American Iron Fist". 11 March 2014.
  5. Lam, Perry (June 2008). "Not just a movie". Muse Magazine (17): 98.
  6. "Birth of the Dragon: Anger over Bruce Lee biopic". BBC News. 6 October 2016.
  7. Kowner, Rotem; Demel, Walter, eds. (2012). Race and Racism in Modern East Asia: Western and Eastern Constructions. Brill's Series on Modern East Asia in a Global Historical Perspective. Brill. p. 253. ISBN   978-90-04-23741-4 . Retrieved 2015-05-03.
  8. "The Martial Arts Show That is Destroying Asian Stereotypes on Screen". 27 February 2017.
  9. "'Warrior' Gives Viewers a "Universal Translator" in 19th Century Chinatown". 9 April 2019.
  10. Wong, Ted (2009). Bruce Lee Martial Arts Training Revealed . Retrieved 2015-05-03.[ dead link ]
  11. Illmatical, Clarke (6 February 2012). "Professor Ronald Duncan discusses racism in martial arts and Black men in martial arts". Sportintense.com. Retrieved 2015-03-14.
  12. Vandehey, Tim (April 1989). "The Black Karate Federation". Black Belt. Vol. 27, no. 4. p. 31. ISSN   0277-3066.
  13. Green, Thomas A.; Svinth, Joseph R. (2010). Martial Arts of the World: An Encyclopedia of History and Innovation. ABC-CLIO. p. 627. ISBN   978-1-59884-243-2 . Retrieved 2015-05-03.
  14. Rios, Tomas (13 February 2010). "Mixed martial arts has its own race issues to address". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2018-12-28.
  15. Martin, David St. (9 September 2014). "Morning Report: Joe Rogan attributes Jon Jones' lack of popularity to racism, believes Jones would be embraced if he were white". Mmmfighting.com. Retrieved 2015-03-14.