Racism in martial arts
Racism in martial arts has been a common allegation.
Media portrayal[edit]
Some of this can be attributed to media portrayal of minority groups while giving the majority a primary role.[1] Television shows such as The Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers have been called racist[2] but, in the case of the Rangers show, a minority actor on the show attributes it to coincidence.[3] Quite often the media would portray Asians as being proficient in martial arts.[4] Ethnic groups and ethnic martial arts would be merged into one although they might be quite distinct.
Alleged instances[edit]
Bruce Lee stated that racism was widely practiced in martial arts in Hong Kong.[5] Ron Duncan (an Afro-Panamanian), a founder of ninjitsu in America, discussed in detail the problems of racism in martial arts as he saw them.[6] Duncan explained how he believes he was denied recognition by Black Belt Magazine in favor of Steven K Hayes (who was white). The Black Karate Federation was formed by Steve Sanders and others seeking to have equal treatment of black fighters in Karate tournaments.[7] This included allegations of biased officiating in martial arts tournaments.[8]
Current times[edit]
Fighters such as Maurice Smith and Kevin Randleman were amongst the first black champions in MMA, but neither have received the media attention that fighters of other races have.[9] Joe Rogan of the UFC, has suggested that Jon Jones, a UFC light heavyweight champion, isn't as popular as he could be due in large part to racism.[10]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Wilson, C.C.; Gutierrez, F.; Chao, L. (2003). Racism, Sexism, and the Media: The Rise of Class Communication in Multicultural America. SAGE Publications. ISBN 978-0-7619-2516-3. Retrieved 2015-05-03.
- ^ "The Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers - The 50 Most Racist TV Shows of All Time". Complex.com. 2013-06-03. Retrieved 2015-03-14.
- ^ Puga, Romina (2015-05-03). "The black Power Ranger explains why their colors were coincidental, not racist". Fusion.net. Retrieved 2015-03-14.
- ^ Kowner, R.; Demel, W. (2012). Race and Racism in Modern East Asia: Western and Eastern Constructions. Brill's Series on Modern East Asia in a Global Historical Perspective. Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-23741-4. Retrieved 2015-05-03.
- ^ Wong, T. (2009). Bruce Lee Martial Arts Training Revealed:. Retrieved 2015-05-03.
- ^ Kevin Bacor (2015-02-13). "Professor Ronald Duncan discusses racism in martial arts and Black men in martial arts | Sport Intensity". Sportintense.com. Retrieved 2015-03-14.
- ^ "Black Belt April 1989". google.com.
- ^ Green, T.A.; Svinth, J.R. (2010). Martial Arts of the World: An Encyclopedia of History and Innovation. Martial Arts of the World: An Encyclopedia of History and Innovation. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-59884-243-2. Retrieved 2015-05-03.
- ^ "Mixed martial arts has its own race issues to address". ESPN.com.
- ^ "Morning Report: Joe Rogan attributes Jon Jones' lack of popularity to racism, believes Jones would be embraced if he were white". Mmmfighting.com. Retrieved 2015-03-14.
