The Media Blizzard in Oz
Jake Rossen Aug 12, 2010
Following the UFC’s politically-tortured debut in Australia last
February, several media outlets in the nation developed the
constitution of a small orphan boy with anxiety disorder and
declared MMA the devil’s pastime. In terms of knowledge, their
columnists appeared to be filing reports from 1995.
You can add to the list Jeff Corbett, a Newcastle Herald voice who has provided the most comprehensive criminalization of MMA yet: Corbett believes it’s an infection in society based on photos of an event he saw in the newspaper. Photographs.
No, that’s not fair: Corbett, sensing his grasp of the situation may be limited, went on to explain that he reviewed the rules of a local promoter and found them lacking. His tireless investigation complete, he deemed MMA no better than “mindless computer games,” suspects we’ll raise an army of vicious killers, and imagines the sport no less foul than dog fighting. How his editor must delight in proofreading copy from a quill pen.
Corbett is probably not a dope but surely writes dopey things. This is nothing unusual, particularly in the case of a sport that is superficially disgusting to look at. But he’s hardly the lone voice of dissent outside of the United States: his column is accompanied by 12 pages of reader reaction, a sizable chunk of it in support of moral policing. If Zuffa has a five-year plan to conquer the world, they should consider tacking on an extra ten.
In the meantime, Corbett will likely continue to inform his audience using only the most substantial of evidence: people with tattoos are owners of “idiotic skin graffiti,” while people who don’t wash their hands after using the potty might suffer “dire consequences.” But not nearly as bad as if they then returned to the living room to watch more MMA, obviously.
You can add to the list Jeff Corbett, a Newcastle Herald voice who has provided the most comprehensive criminalization of MMA yet: Corbett believes it’s an infection in society based on photos of an event he saw in the newspaper. Photographs.
No, that’s not fair: Corbett, sensing his grasp of the situation may be limited, went on to explain that he reviewed the rules of a local promoter and found them lacking. His tireless investigation complete, he deemed MMA no better than “mindless computer games,” suspects we’ll raise an army of vicious killers, and imagines the sport no less foul than dog fighting. How his editor must delight in proofreading copy from a quill pen.
Corbett is probably not a dope but surely writes dopey things. This is nothing unusual, particularly in the case of a sport that is superficially disgusting to look at. But he’s hardly the lone voice of dissent outside of the United States: his column is accompanied by 12 pages of reader reaction, a sizable chunk of it in support of moral policing. If Zuffa has a five-year plan to conquer the world, they should consider tacking on an extra ten.
In the meantime, Corbett will likely continue to inform his audience using only the most substantial of evidence: people with tattoos are owners of “idiotic skin graffiti,” while people who don’t wash their hands after using the potty might suffer “dire consequences.” But not nearly as bad as if they then returned to the living room to watch more MMA, obviously.
