Will Smith and the slap – TSMP #70

Intro: Will Smith and “The Slap”

• Discussion
• Comedy / Memes / “That shit is ‘slapping’!

More and More People Believe Violence Is Always Bad

• “You should never fight never under any circumstances”
• Examples of this thinking
  • Fighting is the essence of “Toxic masculinity”
  • Fighting is nothing more than “stupid, over-testosteroned men, UFC fighters, idiot jocks”
  • Fighting is “unnecessary” in a modern society
    • Just call the police – no need to fight

Are Men Inherently Violent? Are Women?

• Little boys vs Little girls
  • Girls tend to be drawn to flowers, animals, interesting things, adventures
  • Boys tend to find sticks and brandish them as weapons, throw rocks, compete, explore, fight
• Women in the military
  • In Israel once they turn 18 all healthy men AND women are required to serve in the military for at least 24 months
    • However less than 4% of women in the IDF are involved in combat roles
  • The majority of developed nations have women in the military – but only a small fraction have women deployed in combat
• Women in MMA
  • Do women want to fight? Some do.
    • Currently UFC lists 602 active male fighters vs 126 active female fighters (83% male, 17% female)
  • Female MMA fights in recent years have continued to rise in popularity
    • Nowadays almost all MMA fight cards include at least one female fight
    • Having said that, it’s mostly men that watch MMA
      • Interestingly enough, appx 83% of MMA viewers are male, appx 17% are female

Are There Times When You Should Choose Violence?

• The vast majority of the time it’s not a good choice
  • Use your words
  • Look for diplomatic solutions – there’s almost always one
  • Violence causes violence (usually escalated) so it’s best to be avoided
    • Playground rules: If I hit you, you’ll want to hit me back
    • Hatfields and the McCoys – If I shoot your cousin, you’ll want to shoot my brother
    • Israel vs Palestine: If you shoot rockets at my temple, I’ll blow up your mosque
    • Once started, the only way to stop the cycle of violence is if one side is willing to sacrifice and not retaliate (extremely difficult to do)
• There are times when fighting is optional (but understandable)
  • Disrespect – They verbally abuse your woman, mother, children, etc.
  • Someone (usually drunk) tries to start shit 
  • Accidental situations – you run into someone, damage their stuff, say the wrong thing, etc
• But sometimes there are legitimate reasons you should fight
  • Someone else’s safety
  • Your safety
  • Preemptive fighting for safety
  • Battle/War for a good cause
    • Defeating Nazism
    • Eliminating a terrorist or terror network
    • Ukraine vs Russia

“Hard times create strong men, strong men create good times, good times create weak men, and weak men create hard times.” – G. Michael Hopf

• Stay strong. Keep training. Be ready to fight if necessary. But ALWAYS look for a non-violent solution. 
• Stay Superior!