verging_on_random

Pandering to the subhumans

March 9, 2007 on 1:32 pm | In Uncategorized |

On 3 March an Australian named Vic Darchinyan beat a Mexican man so severely that he’s in a medically-induced coma as a result of a blood clot on the brain. In any other circumstances Darchinyan would be in gaol facing charges of assault and, if the Mexican dies, manslaughter. Instead, he returned home to Australia with one of the seemingly endless number of ‘world championship’ titles available in the subterranean world of boxing.

In an act of breathtaking hypocrisy that would shame a politician, the promoter of the fight urged everyone to pray for the Mexican’s recovery.

Meanwhile on Wednesday night another Australian, Anthony Mundine, who seems determined to single-handedly reinforce every negative stereotype held about both indigenous Australians and Muslims, beat up another man so viciously that it’s pure luck he isn’t also in hospital fighting for his life. Mundine was also rewarded with some meaningless world title or other.

Pointing up the double standards that afflict our society, there was great tut-tutting on Monday about a high school brawl which caused three kids to attend hospital out-patients. None needed to be placed in a medically-induced coma. To a large extent of course the extensive coverage of this minor incident was simply due to the media’s determination to push the Sydney Over-run by Middle Eastern Thugs Scary Story that it’s been running since the Cronulla riot. However, to the extent that it reflected genuine community concern, it demonstrated a laudable repugnance at using physical violence to settle disagreements.

Boxing is a legacy of a bygone age, one marked by other diversions like cock-fighting and public executions. It reminds us of an era when people were exposed to the threat or reality of violent personal conflict as a routine occurrence. Unfortunately it hasn’t morphed into a harmless sport like fencing, indulged in by a tiny minority of enthusiasts. On the contrary, it’s become a sick, bizarre form of entertainment in which men are encouraged to revert to the status of unthinking animal for 45 minutes.

Boxing is run by cynical promoters whose sole interest is to make money, aided and abetted by embarrassing clowns like Arthur Tunstall, to amuse a motley bunch of racists, ‘celebrities’ and sado-masochists who get so horny from watching 15 three minute rounds that they race home to watch a few good snuff movies.

I’ve read the self-justifying defences of boxing that its supporters fall back on. Stripped of all their ‘noble art of self-defence’ bullshit, they can be summarised as this: teaching disadvantaged and/or alienated kids to adopt people like Jeff Fenech, Anthony Mundine and Mike Tyson as role models is a terrific helping strategy. Brilliant guys, thanks for your insights.

There are no arguments justifying boxing. None. It should be banned immediately.