On Diversity, L.A., and Clobbering our Way to World Peace

Any of you people watch Crash? Just watched it this afternoon. It deals with race issues in Los Angeles, among other things. While watching, I got to thinking about Jiu-Jitsu (weird) and how diverse the members of our academy are—and not just our academy either… pretty much every one I’ve been to. I guess I just hadn’t really thought of it before.

Matt Dillon being set up for a choke.

“You brush past people, people bump into you. In L.A., nobody touches you. We’re always behind this metal and glass. I think we miss that touch so much, that we crash into each other, just so we can feel something.”

Crash

I suppose it’s not just BJJ practitioners who are so diverse. Most martial arts are imports from overseas, so those who participate will need to come with a predisposition to being open-minded and accepting of foreign concepts and philosophies.

Now that being said. Why is it so popular with people from other cultures? Because ass kicking is a universal language.

Part of the racism problem in the U.S. is that there are pockets. Pockets of Asians, pockets of white people, pockets of black people, pockets of latinos. In certain places like Los Angeles, there is no interaction even in commuting. People can’t get along if they never see each other. Pretty simple to me.

Show up in a BJJ academy or dojo anywhere in the world, and it’s not likely that you will experience much racial discrimination. Why? The color of your belt is much more imminent of a threat than the color of your skin. You all have equal ground otherwise. Interesting that you have to go to a place that teaches violence to feel acceptance.

So think about this for a second. This is just like the Crash theory. The guys at my gym are different races, but we get along because we mix it up on a regular basis. And we’re trying to break each others arms. [Cue It's a Small World]

OK so that’s all. Just wanted to share that thought. Do your part, peacelover. Armbar, choke, and heel-hook your way to a better tomorrow. Thank you.