Mizner vs Benitez: should martial arts masters be political?

[Vanessa]

Today I came across two political statements of well known martial arts masters (both were discussed in this form).
The first one is Adam Mizner who is right wing and pro Putin:

Here is the original post:
https://www.facebook.com/100063743465309/posts/900873242047450/?mibextid=rS40aB7S9Ucbxw6v

The other one is Steven Benitez who is against Putin:
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/k1WvyZcM9VmyCJzZ7BC

What do think should martial arts masters (who definitely have a strong influence on their students) should use their position to influence their students?

[GrahamB]

Of course Adam Mizner supports Putin! Makes total sense.

There's nothing a dictator/cult leader likes more than another dictator/cult leader.

[Kettlebells4U]

Of course Adam Mizner supports Putin! Makes total sense.

There's nothing a dictator/cult leader likes more than another dictator/cult leader.

+1

[CarstenM]

Mizner sure is a cult leader and his love for Putin just shows how bad his character truly is...

Although Benitez appears bit wacky I like his message!

[Aqui]

Mizner sure is a conman and cultleader, nothing new her.

But Steven Benitez appears to be have lost his marbles, at 4:10 onwards he threatens Putin by invoking some higher power... WTF

Aqui

[Vanessa]

Just saw another post by Mizner which is kinda related to the first, showing how much he enjoys provocation

[everything]

It is better to keep silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt

Interesting first posts here. Lol

8 billion of us idiots all have an opinion.

If you’re highly visible, guess the quote above applies even more.

[wayne hansen]

I never read the political views on those on here
When you see the confusion of most on martial arts why would u even canvas their views on politics
What would expect from someone schooled in the gold coasts most famous private school
A school made famous for its nepotism and the suicide of its most famous student due to being molested there as a child

[origami_itto]

I appreciate people letting me know how they think, it helps me decide whether or not I want to align myself with their mission.

He has excellent Taijiquan, but I no longer give money to his organization.

[everything]

hmm good point. otoh I don't really expect a "pro athlete" or "pro actor" or "pro performer" to have some super well informed opinion on politics or anything else. don't really have that expectation of any of us, even (although we have interesting discussions here with lots of counterpoints on so many topics and I like that about rsf)

[origami_itto]

Everything is political. Every conversation, every vote, every purchasing decision. At this point, even what you give your attention to is a political action because it gives money and power to what you are watching.

Someone with a global platform making light of the issues faced by vulnerable populations, and at times speaking out in the rhetoric of genocide regarding those populations.

That is the enemy that is trying to kill people I love.

[everything]

i might consider it "political" if his power/influence in his topic extended to influencing anyone with his dumbass opinion on politics. otherwise, no. anybody here can think/say any completely stupid thing. doesn't necessarily influence anyone to think/do anything of any remote consequence. maybe in this sense maga-idiots have some legitimate fear of taylor swift having influence. some obscure figure in some obscure MA? seems like a joke.

[origami_itto]

"Everything is political" means that every act has political significance.

Take bananas. Rich American corporations bought poor third world governments and turned them into, for example, banana producing machines, often with CIA help. For decades they were kept unstable to keep labor and therefore production and therefore export and therefore consumer costs down.

When they finally "stopped" in the 90s with NAFTA opening up more markets to exploit there was already such an entrenched culture of corruption and criminality that it now defines these countries.

The citizens living in these conditions try to flee and seek asylum according to the conventions of international law in the country that extracted the wealth and potential and future of their country and THEY are the ones vilified on television. They are the ones accused of being part of a dastardly plot to overturn our way of life.

There's no free lunch. The cheap banana was paid for by someone. Usually someone poor. The wealth that should have gone into that country as a result of their soil, sun, and water being used by foreign interests was kept at best in the pockets of consumers, but usually in the stock accounts of oligarchs.

I forgot the point I was making. Politics... banana republic for scale.

When the body doesn't have enough fat to burn it starts to eat it's own muscle. The heart doesn't get any special treatment.

What does capitalism eat when there are no new inequal markets to exploit?

[windwalker]

i might consider it "political" if his power/influence in his topic extended to influencing anyone with his dumbass opinion on politics. otherwise, no. anybody here can think/say any completely stupid thing. doesn't necessarily influence anyone to think/do anything of any remote consequence. maybe in this sense maga-idiots have some legitimate fear of taylor swift having influence. some obscure figure in some obscure MA? seems like a joke.

Many in the west like to label and associate personalities, starts out with demonization of the other... among other things,
over recognizing system's of governance, cultures and countries...

Among those I know his taiji skill set his thought to be quite good...what they look for...



Regarding Russia, One might stop and wonder who or what
the destabilizing influence is, in the world of today..

[Giles]

This one must have gone to BTDT really quickly - I only just found it. But now that I'm here:

Of course Adam Mizner supports Putin! Makes total sense.

There's nothing a dictator/cult leader likes more than another dictator/cult leader.

+1
It doesn't surprise me either.

I still think some aspects of his tai chi are good. The basic approach is one I really like, if you cut out the 'just sink your qi' explanations. But as a person - truly unpleasant. I took away some good principle-based exercises from his workshop series in Hanover in 2015; this was quite inspiring for me at a time when I was in danger of stagnating in my practice. So for that I'm grateful. At the same time, he literally made my flesh creep at certain moments, even though I mostly stayed at least a few yards distant. I really didn't want to practice directly with him, like a kind of red flag popped up inside me. Although normally I'm happy to be thrown around by people who are significantly better than me. There was a major disconnect between what he was trying to project about himself (all the harmony and meditation etc.), and for want of a better word the 'energy' I sensed coming from him. Something really off, there. And occasionally some very arrogant or derogatory asides slipped out, too.