Techie Fight Clubs Springing Up 648
Browncoat writes "USAToday reports a new phenomenon hitting some of the cubicles of Silicon Valley. It seems that engineers and developers previously confined to sitting in front of their computers are getting their anger out the healthy way: by pummeling each other. From the article 'Inspired by the 1999 film Fight Club, starring Brad Pitt and Ed Norton, underground bare-knuckle brawling clubs have sprung up across the country as a way for desk jockeys and disgruntled youths to vent their frustrations and prove themselves. "This is as close as you can get to a real fight, even though I've never been in one," the soft-spoken Siou said.'"
Steps to success in fight club (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Unsupport claims (Score:5, Interesting)
There was violence before TV and Games and Movies.
There were farm boys who grew up in peaceful farms that never heard a shot fired in anger or had a punch thrown whom grew up to be Soldiers. There were gun deaths that had nothing to do with Grand Theft Auto.
The reporter (or more likely editor) is a PC fool whom doesn't realize the simple basic truth. Violent Video games save us from wayyyyyy more random acts of violence then they do encourage them. Anyone whose actually played the things in a bad mood knows what I'm talking about. The simulation is a cathartic. The bad date or club cockteases have made plenty a man hate women, if only for a bit. Killing a whore in GTA lets you get the release and satisfaction without actually hurting a human being.
I guess too many of these folks are naive and really believe everything is sunshine and lollypops and don't understand the dark sides we all have. The side that comes out when we get cut off in traffic, the side that wants to slap everyone with a stupid answer. The part of us deep down that wants to be a Viking and Rape, Pillage and Burn. Or they might know they have such a side, but their own morality is such that they can not admit such a side exists.
Re:Repetition Club (Score:4, Interesting)
MAYBE the reason Fight Club is so copied... (Score:5, Interesting)
And talk about a way to find out - if it's either kick some tail or get yours kicked in for you, I think that almost everyone would go into a full on a$$ kicking mode. At that point, it's the better man that wins but either way you're gonna push yourself harder than posting comments on a web site.
For the office warrior who never got into a fight in his life, I can easily see this as thrilling beyond compare.
I wouldn't recommend this to everyone, and there should probably be some safeguards put into this as even the UFC has rounds and referees to stop fights when it's clear that 1 person is taking too much of a beating, but I get it.
Re:No weapons! (Score:3, Interesting)
Looking back, though, I think that if we had both been untrained it would have been uglier.
Still, I wonder why we're all assuming these people are untrained. The majority may be, but it only takes one or two competent fighters to organize the rest and make it a realitvely reasonable thing to do. Sure, people are going to get hurt... if you want to avoid that, don't fight, but you can cut the odds down of there being anything particularly serious.
Comment removed (Score:2, Interesting)
IMHO... (Score:3, Interesting)
(The brain has no nerve endings, so I suspect you can suffer a lot of injuries there without being able to personally tell much. Actually, that WOULD explain why Silicon Valley has been turning out such crap recently - they're all brain-dead.)
Yes, frustrations are understandable and evidence of a sick, unhealthy work environment. A healthy work environment should have ways of avoiding stress building up (such as by ensuring employees aren't treated as raw meat - frozen until fried). That should be when tech employees (who are supposedly intelligent - WAY above average intelligence) figure out better ways to do things - and do them. Y'know, given the choice of kicking someone half to death in a bout of frustration, or setting up a startup that has none of the stress issues, gets twice as much done, and has devoted employees because their brains are intact... I know which I'd call the smarter.
These fight clubs are stupid and ultimately have to destroy their participants. The body can only absorb so much - it doesn't repair indefinitely and you don't get to regenerate. However, the corporate attitude that creates them is not merely stupid, inferior and inefficient, but as close to evil as a secular environment can get.
This is the kind of attitude that was featured in the ORIGINAL "Rollerball" - the craving for more and more violent outlets, because of pressure. Hell, this is the kind of attitude which created historic figures like Nero and Calligula. Never mind the pop psychology, we have real-world examples of what happens to a society when senseless self-destruction becomes the only meaningful outlet.
Re:IMHO... (Score:4, Interesting)
As for techies being smarter than the majority? Not really. They are more capable of more focused, dedicated tasks. They are able to expend all their energies concentrating on a singular task. This makes them ideal for jobs where this is required. Coding is one of them. Design in general, really. You've got to be completely dedicated to truely get something right. Or even half right. That doesn't, inherantly, make someone smarter. I've met some brick stupid techies.
As far as the 'evil' bit? I agree. It's why I'm not involved in corporate americ (or any other nation's version of same) any longer, and why I personally find this rather needless, mindless, and sad. But I can't just step in and say 'that person is doing something stupid' without justification, because frankly, I tell people who do that to me off, and go on with my life. And I'm not really intrested in posting such justification on, ya know, slashdot. I mean, c'mon. Slashdot. The majority of the people reading this have already made up their minds anyway.
Re:Repetition Club (Score:3, Interesting)
This is new to you? When some of the books which contained fan-written stories which came out, it was said they were supposed to support this type of relationship - this would have been in the 70s - the same timeframe Spock Must Die! [1], etc. came out. (
I think this [amazon.com] (The New Voyages) - fan written short stories is the one which started the buzz. I'd have to do some box digging in the garage. I've got all of the loose books which appeared on the shelves at that time (ca. '77-'80).
I think the others at that time which were interpreted to push this lifestyle (perhaps more) were the Phoenix books[2].
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I'll resort to ROT13 spoilers for those who are going to track them down on Amazon for $1-$2 and read them. BTW, your shipping will cost more.
[1] Gur Xyvatbaf ner trggvat bhg bs unaq naq vg gheaf bhg gurl'ir chg n sbepr svryq nebhaq Betnavn. Gur Ragrecevfr nggrzcgf gb fraq Fcbpx ivn irel ybat qvvfgnapr genafcbegre nf n gnpulba ornz juvpu vf obhaprq onpx, perngvat gjb Fcbpxf. Bar erny, gur bgure abg.
[2]n qhcyvpngrq, qryvpngr, znfphyngrq Xvex jub vf frag gb uvqr va gur Ebzhyna Rzcver nf n "cevapr" bs fbzr glcr. Fcbpx vf pbasebagrq jvgu gur snpg ur pna'g gryy bar Xvex sebz gur bgure naq arvgure pna gur Xvexf.
Re:Only morons (Score:2, Interesting)
Bubbles (Score:3, Interesting)
I always hated this. The idea of someone pawing and walloping me was never very appealing. Nonetheless, many, perhaps well meaning, individuals attempted to get me to "join in the fun". That's my bubble you're encroaching on, in a very intimate fashion. It wasn't pleasant. Sweaty palms abounded, and most of the instigators smelled quite poorly. I don't think most people find this prospect very appealing either.
Personally, I suspect that most of these people are closet homosexuals trying to cop a feel, then covering up by thumping the target of their affections. I think the rest are in some way trying to cop a feel too. And all that walking around naked in showers. Come on. Who are they trying to kid?
We live in a free society, but, there are bubbles ok. Some people have bubbles. Please respect that.