Mixed Martial Arts: Violence or Discipline

This article is about the views of mixed martial arts, commonly known as MMA, on whether it promotes violence or discipline as it gains popularity among children. Kahn states, “In the 1990s, mixed martial arts was marketed as a blood sport… [However,] MMA is now promoted as a competitive combat sport and has crossed over to popular culture” (“Violence…”). In 2004, Gracie Tampa, an academy of MMA and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, consists about 10 percent of children but now consists about a growing 50 percent of children. Those who instructs mixed martial arts “emphasizes sportsmanship, respect, and safety” (“Violence…”). Parents like Dawn Baker and Ken Bland supports MMA and believes that mixed martial arts is good for their children because it promotes discipline, good sportsmanship, better confidence and self-esteem, and good self-defense. Critics like Nenad Omerovic, instructor of traditional tae kwon do, view MMA as too aggressive and violent. Omerovic comments that all he sees on television of MMA was kicking, punching, and hugging each other. However, Rodriguez, “lead instructor and co-owner of the school's youth program,” believes MMA teaches realistic self-defense (“Violence…”). He states that it is not realistic for a person to do a jump spin kick to defend himself from an aggressor who is trying to hurt him; it is more realistic to teach MMA, which includes ground defense, because majority of the fights will end there on the ground. This article can be connected to cultural anthropology through the themes of emic vs. etic, ethnocentrism, and enculturation.

The first theme this article relates to cultural anthropology is emic vs. etic. Emic basically means the insider’s view while etic basically means the outsider’s view; this...

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...een within the critics and explain why they have an etic perspective. The third theme, enculturation, can be seen within the supporters like the kids. This theme explains the types of learning the children go through in training within enculturation and how it can lead a person to see an emic perspective. In conclusion, there’s always going to be an emic and etic view within things. Etic perspectives are express through ethnocentrism, and emic perspectives are express from knowing the culture and going through enculturation. A person with an etic perspective will be able to see an emic perspective if the person is willing to go through enculturation.

Works Cited

"Violence or discipline? MMA gains popularity among kids." TBO.com. The Tampa Tribune, 2 June 2012. Web. 14 Apr. 2014. .