
Silicon Valley geeks have their own ‘Fight Club’. I kid you not. [video] - zeedotme
http://thenextweb.com/shareables/2011/02/10/a-look-at-a-geek-fight-club-in-silicon-valley/
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onan_barbarian
Right, because geeks should be fighting other geeks, for some mystery reason,
rather than going somewhere where there is grown-up supervision, safety
precautions and people who Know What They Are Doing.

Lousy technique - check. Out of shape guys - check. Amazing size mismatches -
check. Hard floor so that the first time someone manages a decent throw or
slam, someone can break something - check.

All of these 'Fight Clubs' I've ever seen usually revolve around a couple
larger guys using this whole thing as a venue for somewhat sexually charged
sadomasochism with their smaller buddies. There's a reason that they're not
walking in the door of their local boxing/Muay Thai/MMA/BJJ club instead...

~~~
thunk
Technique? Adult supervision? Fitness? Safety? Proper size matching? You've
misunderstood the point.

Sure, they sound melodramatic, cheesy and sentimental talking about their
fight club. But at least they're out there doing it, venting, and
participating in some mostly rules-free shenanigans.

And "sexually charged" is the condescending weenie's way of simultaneously
saying the participants are closeted homosexuals, and that being gay is a bad
thing.

Naysayers manage to anger me and tire me out, all at the same time.

~~~
alinajaf
> But at least they're out there doing it, venting, and participating in some
> mostly rules-free shenanigans.

This is unnecessarily dangerous. You can go to a Muay Thai class, train up for
a few months and kick three shades of shit out of each other if you want to.
The difference is that with experienced teachers who will show you how to
avoid injuries, the likelihood of serious accidents goes down.

Exposing yourself to unnecessary risk when you have safe alternatives isn't
manly, it's stupid.

> ...participants are closeted homosexuals, and that being gay is a bad thing.

No one said being gay was a bad thing. Repressing gay feelings and letting
them out through violence on the other hand isn't so great IMO.

~~~
thunk
> Exposing yourself to unnecessary risk when you have safe alternatives isn't
> manly, it's stupid.

Sometimes it's OK to just be stupid, and uneducatedly kick the shit out of
each other, as long as cries of "Uncle" are respected. The lack of framework
and authority is important for some types of catharsis.

> Repressing gay feelings and letting them out through violence on the other
> hand isn't so great IMO.

My point is that whenever guys roughhouse, some chronic non-participant will
always call it homoeroticism, and since that sounds like a good, intellectual
reason to justify their nonparticipation, other bystanders will smugly agree.
It's a cheap jab.

~~~
alinajaf
> Sometimes it's OK to just be stupid, and uneducatedly kick the shit out of
> each other, as long as cries of "Uncle" are respected. The lack of framework
> and authority is important for some types of catharsis.

To each his own I suppose. Actually I felt this when going from Kendo to BJJ.
Kendo being a bit more traditional Japanese and regimented. It was incredibly
refreshing being thrown into the deep end with seemingly little structure and
to train to Cypress Hill and Slipknot.

Still, I'm of the opinion that a bunch of dudes kicking the crap out of each
other in a garage is a step too far.

> My point is that whenever guys roughhouse, some chronic non-participant will
> always call it homoeroticism, and since that sounds like a good,
> intellectual reason to justify their nonparticipation, other bystanders will
> smugly agree. It's a cheap jab.

Fair enough.

------
spreiti
Why don't they go to their local Muay Thai/Boxing/etc. club and learn proper
technique? And if you want to fight: Get into the ring. It's fun. Even if you
get beaten up.

I've been doing Muay Thai for many years now and beside the workout, I got
much closer to my cultural Thai roots. Martial arts is more than fighting.
It's about personality building, respect and culture.

'Fight Clubs' like this are dangerous for the participants. They don't know
how to hit and could get injured seriously. I just hope no trained fighter is
ever going to participate in such a fight and gets serious.

~~~
roel_v
There are many such 'fight clubs', not just for geeks, although those are most
likely to videotape and post it to Youtube, I guess. It happens in garages
across Europe (I have no reason to believe it is different elsewhere). It's
just tough guy talking, to have a story to tell in the bar or club. I've been
to many and in most places people just stand around to look tough, but avoid
any actual workout or training. Any halfway skilled muay thai or bjj fighter
(as in, 1/2 year of serious training) can take on 90% of the people in those
sort of gatherings. I mean I'm 5ft9 and less than 170 pounds and I've
relatively easily dominated people 1 foot taller and 50 pounds heaver, and I'm
not even a good fighter.

I've seen people get knocked out by accidental swings and hits, and people
throwing up because the intense activity of a 1m30s fight was too much for
them. Some nose bleeds here and there, but I've never seen 'serious' injuries,
mostly because people have no kicking technique, no grappling skills (no joint
locks or arm/leg bars) and telegraph punches from miles away. One dude broke
his hand punching someone else on a a hard part of the jaw. I don't think it's
dangerous, just stupid.

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alinajaf
As someone who practiced Kendo for just a while, the little scene where the
guy swings a shinai around pretending to be what he thinks a samurai looks
like was cringe-worthy and pathetic. If he ever does take up Kendo/Iaido, he
will look back and regret it with the fire of a thousand burning suns.

~~~
ovi256
Never regret anything, because at some point it was exactly what you wanted.

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bradfordw
Personally, I think hockey is a great outlet for developers (being one that
plays of course). It is physically and mentally taxing, but most of all it
requires teamwork; I can't think of anything that matches better. Sometimes
you square off with someone on the ice and that's where it stays. When it does
happen, it's far more raw than any staged combat -- I'll take that rush any
day. Plus, you get a solid workout in the meantime!

~~~
ernestipark
Agreed. I'm a hockey player too. But hockey requires lots of years of practice
and skill to get fun/good at. It's easier to just wack someone with a chair.

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troyk
The Army's Best Ranger competition is a Eco-Challenge event. If you want to
get in touch with the _"essential nature of man"_ pit yourself against nature
herself (like a week hike of the Sierra Ridge), preferably with a buddy, and
you'll walk away with a whole new perspective.

~~~
bootload
_"... The Army's Best Ranger competition is a Eco-Challenge event ..."_

The Foreign Legion's has it's own version, MDS, _"Marathon des Sables"_ ~
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marathon_des_Sables>

~~~
artmageddon
That Wiki link is rather devoid of information about the Marathon des
Sables... I would know, as I ran it in 2009. I'm not sure how the Foreign
Legion factors into the race, as it was started by Patrick Bauer in 1986(who
still oversees it).

People of all ages and from all walks of life participate in it. It's a life
changing event in which you learn so much about yourself and develop deep
friendships with people you've only known for perhaps a few days at most. The
participants also suffer.. a LOT-between heat, physical exertion / exhaustion,
and being fully self-sufficient for a week. It's a damn grueling event that
definitely earns it's spot among the world's toughest foot races.

More info here at <http://www.saharamarathon.co.uk/> and
<http://darbaroud.com/index_uk.php>

~~~
bootload
_"... That Wiki link is rather devoid of information about the Marathon des
Sables ..."_

It's always a balance here to go to the original technical source or a general
one. I read
[http://www.darbaroud.com/uk/html/mds/general/uk_26mds_regula...](http://www.darbaroud.com/uk/html/mds/general/uk_26mds_regulation.php)
but most might want a quick overview.

 _"... I'm not sure how the Foreign Legion factors into the race ..."_

A fair portion of the participants are military - I know of ex Legion who have
completed this.

 _"... would know, as I ran it in 2009. ..."_

What time did you complete in? You gave the UK url where did you train to
acclimatise to the heat?

~~~
artmageddon
Fair enough, given the amount of detail :)

I understand, regarding the legion. I'm sure there are a lot of military folk
who ran it. I know of at least one US Marine who ran it. There were a number
of Rugby players and French firemen who were the talk of the town that year,
too!

Ugh, 54 hours. I got hurt at the end of the first day and had to walk... and
got really sick during the long stage which forced me to take frequent rests
during the remainder of that and the marathon stage. As for me, I'm from the
United States and trained in New Jersey. Hardly the conditions of the Sahara,
but you make it work :)

Here's the Flickr link if you're interested. Runner 786 is me:
[https://picasaweb.google.com/arthur.baczyk/ArthurSMarathonDe...](https://picasaweb.google.com/arthur.baczyk/ArthurSMarathonDesSablesPictures?authkey=Gv1sRgCP3a8J-Zx-
PCKQ&feat=directlink)

~~~
troyk
would you do it again?

~~~
artmageddon
If you asked me right after the race, I would've said no. I was in so much
pain.. but about a month later I felt like I had to again. If you can pay the
high entry cost(~$4,000 USD), it's worth it. I'm going to try to go back in
2013.

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endlessvoid94
To each his own.

But this is idiotic.

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MrFlibble
I'd rather see a reality tv Fight Club.

Dancing With the Stars chicks tearing out the hair of American Idol wannabes?
Sign me up!

...holy shit, re-reading that I think I just became a mainstream American tv
watcher.

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krobertson
Though I was facepalmed through the entire video... it does lend itself to one
question:

If you could geek fight anyone in history who would it be? :)

I'm torn between 1960s Gordon Moore or RMS (any decade).

~~~
knieveltech
ESR, definitely.

~~~
billswift
He'd hand you your ass. I'm a serious martial artist and I wouldn't want to
fight him (outside of training). <http://esr.ibiblio.org/?p=318>

~~~
knieveltech
You're assuming I wouldn't park a bus on him as an opening move.

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InclinedPlane
How does this differ significantly from self-mutilation (cutting)? Sure, if
you feel your life is hum-drum it's easy enough to hurt yourself and to hurt
others. To indulge in your violent instincts. It'll pump endorphins into your
system and make you feel alive. So will cutting, and bulimia.

But these are very unhealthy outlets.

I see the fight club mentality as an indication of the dysfunctional nature of
modern polite (or "politically correct") society which tends to write off
violence and risk as aberrations and taboos. We see this in the ongoing trend
of dis-empowering individuals (often in the guise of protecting them) and
shifting responsibilities (and power) to organizations and corporations. The
perfect example of this is the commonplace fear and hatred of firearms amongst
most urban professionals.

This subject is too large to be addressed completely in a mere post or two.
Suffice it to say that I think these "fight clubs" are a trend of men
attempting to ape some perverted ideal of masculinity. A twisted masculinity
of violence, domination, and disrespect.

~~~
bioh42_2
_How does this differ significantly from self-mutilation (cutting)?_

How does American football (or ruby) differ significantly form this?

~~~
JonnieCache
_> (or ruby)_

I assume you mean rugby, but if not then this is the weakest contribution to
the programming language wars ever.

Rugby is brutal though.

~~~
bioh42_2
Ugh, worst typo ever. I did not mean to compare ruby to self-mutilation.

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JonnieCache
Real geeks do <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess_boxing>

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bigmac
I've considered joining a Martial Arts gym, because I thoroughly enjoy the
competition -- I wrestled all the way through High School.

However, I've convinced myself that it may be detrimental to my long term
cognitive abilities. Do any HN martial arts participants have any insight into
this? Can one really expect to repeatedly get hit in the head and not pay for
it, long term?

~~~
Eliezer
Boxers lose IQ. I believe so do football players.

~~~
momotomo
Professional Boxers and Professional rugby players. There's a big difference
between trying out social / club style sports and going into amateur / pro
boxing competitions.

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Roboprog
Hitting each other with a keyboard? Now days, that's just funny (the keyboard
probably took the worst of it). Back in the 80's, that would have been assault
with a deadly weapon. Back then, keyboards had massive steel frames, "suitable
for cracking a managers skull", as it says in the jargon file :-)

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Bitmobrich
It looks like some miss guided people, that wrongly interpreted Chuck
Palahniuk's Fight Club.

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b0b0b0b
These guys got some press several years ago:
[http://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/multimedia/2006/05/fi...](http://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/multimedia/2006/05/fightclub)

I was amused hearing of fights where they beat each other only with rolled up
newspapers. It beats watching tv and eating pork rinds, I guess.

~~~
billswift
A tightly rolled newspaper or magazine can be an effective weapon; some
schools of escrima or arnis demonstrate how to roll one and use it as a
substitute for the short stick.

~~~
yummyfajitas
Soccer hooligans use it as well.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millwall_brick>

------
codex
"In Silicon Valley we have the highest concentration of aggressive people in
the United States."

Really? More than Fort Hood, Camp Lejeune, or the Louisiana State
Penitentiary? What about New York City? I suspect that SV, in fact, has one of
the highest concentrations of beta males in the US, and this club is an over-
compensation mechanism.

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wil2k
And I was thinking that geeks were sticking to Search Engine Battle Raps...
;-)

<http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=search> engine battle rap

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OncomingStorm
lol, I think this is a parody. Just something a bunch of nerds got together
and threw together and is being taken too seriously. Meh just my opinion
though, it very well might be for real.

~~~
angrycoder
This is real. There was an hour long documentary that followed one of these
clubs around for a few months.

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EvanK
yeah, that is retarded. getting exercise is good. exerting yourself is good.
even learning some kind of self defense is good. but that is just completely
retarded.

speaking as someone who DID get in a lot of fights growing up, the "it lets me
know I'm still alive" thing is ridiculous; there are so many ways to enjoy
life without beating the shit out of someone or having someone beat the shit
out of you.

take up martial arts, or rock climbing, or an actual sport.

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fbnt
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R90QyIBJqrg>

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JacobIrwin
Chuck Palahniuk would be proud.

I want a go with Sergey. Or Larry.

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rbanffy
Loved the "I do it for the hugs afterwards" line.

~~~
jtbigwoo
I thought that line was incredibly sad. Why isn't anybody hugging him at other
times?

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wooptoo
"I do it for the hugs"

Awesome

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lhnn
OP doesn't remember the first two rules.

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georgieporgie
This reminds me _very_ strongly of Will Farrel and John Reilly in Step
Brothers: <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_g0mUyH6dI8>

