threeoaks

I do too.

I replied to this earlier but it disappeared. Nothing very intelligent, just that I appreciate your ongoing investigation of gender. I've been thinking a bit about the specifics of playful fight insults here in America ("don't be a little bitch", etc). These are obvious, broad sexist statements but there is also a lot of affection in them. Fear in other words is gendered female (at least in my American context), but there is also a playful understanding of the omnipresence of fear. I love these people tossing around the insults so I am not going to take them personally because why but.. its very useful to get a window into gender roles in two openly striated Thai zones, since things are ostensibly more "open" here (although they are not, really). SO interesting about the absence of roles for women in Buddhism, how their self-control is "unreadable". I love that formulation - it rings so true to me in many aspects of my own experience (and my work I've been told operates on a "dog whistle" level ie; its unreadable to many men )*#&*#%). This baroquely complicated relation of person to feminine is the subject of my work as you might know. I'm thinking about the renunciation of feminine sexuality that occurs when women train at a fight level here. Usually bustlines diminish from weigh-cutting and overall secondary sex characteristics (thighs and adipose tissue) diminish. Women are richly rewarded for this and a boyish figure is considered sexual here for women but its a boyish figure, not a maternal one or a zaftig 50's one. When I've trained hard in my life I cease menstruating which is about as rejecting of the female as I could get. I've had this exact discussion with a male friend who used to date a fighter but whose wife is not one, about how his eye and desire had to retrain from being attracted to a male type of female figure to adoring a female one. I feel the urge to dispense with my own adipose tissue and be as lean as possible is an internalized dislike of the feminine as I was taught it (at home, passive etc). But there are cultural prizes for doing so at least in a white American context! Clothes look "good" and all that. I have a heavy friend who tells me many men fear her extreme femininity (large breasts and hips) although of course culturally some men prefer it. Complicated stuff. Sorry if i have gone off the rails here. Thanks for your post. I will be thinking about it. Your second post - it make me really want to come to Thailand (impossible now of course) for the "chon". I love to watch anything, anything at all fight. My rooster turns and runs from my guinea fowl cock and I am out in the yard shouting at him to grow a pair (talk about gendered). Its inspiring how you use the concept of "chon" to describe how the male and female cultural differences are bridged. I'm also interested in the connection of self-control to masculinity in fighting (laughing off a blow rather than "beast mode"). Have to think about it more.

Incredibly interesting.

I am sorry it sounds terrible. I know the shutdown is for safety and it is the same here but its unsettling that life changes so rapidly. I'm glad the PM will take control of the whole country because a patchwork approach seems ineffectual. The US is so immense and things are proceeding piecemeal since the fucking "president" is doing nothing but damage. Many beautiful stories for example Ford is making ventilators, a former art student of mine is fabricating high end face shields for health workers. Thank you again for your Covid training videos. This is so strange - a truly global phenomenon in our lifetime (like a WW). Love to all your people and the Roundtable people too. I just got a kicking bag for my studio (which is isolated). I know I am very lucky to be able to do shit like that. A wall is excellent too. My coach is making videos with his adorable tiny kids. People are giving away training for free in Instagram (like you). My other coach thinks its not really happening (young, invincible), and my third coach has switched to Zoom training which totally works. I am rattling on. Bye.

It's a bad disease. I had my first close friend die, quickly (guess that's a blessing). We are in the USA Upstate New York (NYC is epicenter). I don't like living in fear but I do like living in reality (well like it.. maybe not right now but better than la la land). Good luck.

I AM SO ENJOYING THIS FIGHT.

That sounds like the stage we were at last week - kinda desultory preparation and a few things slowing down here and there. But this week we are in full shutdown - schools, all large social events and people are being directed to limit their social engagements, maintain 6 feet apart as best they can (hard in cities but I am in a small town). I have noticed a gym offering classes for 4 people only to be able to keep the 6 feet apart. My gym and others are banning shared equipment. People have to bring their own and not leave them in the gym.

Glad to hear it. Had a friend just come back from an art biennial in Australia (Sydney? Not sure). Seems calm at the moment.

Just checking in to see what is happening around the world with Muay Thai and the pandemic. I am at home with a sick spouse and so unwilling to expose my gym in case I am a carrier. Supposedly they will begin online training soon, and I trained at home and will continue to do so. A fighter in my gym had his fight cancelled due to the epidemic (its a small gym). What is up with you?

I am a fan.

Oh ew kickboxing rules.

Janet Todd just "beat" Stamp Fairtex too although I reckon there is a lot of controversy about that (scoring looks weird). One Championships. Thanks for this, Kevin! Super interesting and congratulations to Sylvie although it sounds like she belongs on the list in a few classes!

I would just add if you want to cut carbs for general weight loss but aren't following a well designed keto plan (like Sylvie and I think Kero, not sure) it was recommended to me to start by just cutting out bread and potatoes, substitute sweet potatoes and oatmeal. If that doesn't get you losing then you can cut carbs further but the energy problem applies to me too - time your carbs for half an hour before you train (little bowl of white rice is the ticket). Hope that helps.

This is a seminar. I’ll be studying later. Night of the Hunter is a favorite. It’s all I can do not to tattoo “Love Hate” on my knuckles.

There is the pragmatic element of shooting fighting at all, which is that its usually low lighting with no flash allowed - that kind of begs for noir! I am not all that experienced with fight photography and I really enjoy yours, Kevin, and Walt yours too. The coolness factor is interesting (this is a general remark so pardon me for not quoting); it is interesting how it dovetails with hyper-elegant masculinity. In Woo films, the love story between Chow Yun Fat and his criminal adversary is this kind of elite level of masculinity, where one is not afraid to be "feminine" (big quotes there), insofar is one has love for another man. Most fighting exhibits that kind of dark love between opponents that the layperson does not understand, seeing only aggression unless they actually pay attention to the hug afterwards if it occurs. Sorry if I am going off-piste, but curious to read more about the coolness and charisma factor; is there a way to understand it as partially "female"? Does pink (e.g. pink shorts) have a feminine association in Thailand so that wearing pink gear exhibits the highest level of masculinity in taking the risk of being feminine? Love that Karuhat and Chatchai both mention it - both are remarkable stars. And what is charisma but a sense of one's own iconic nature? To be photogenic, to be glowing so that you never escape peoples' eyes or memories... this is quintessentially noir by your definition although there are other sorts of lines of thinking (beauty for one) that threaten to crowd into the discourse.