RingoRecently I have written some stuff and made some videos addressing my views on the direction Armored Combat should go in as a sport. I have a bunch more like that coming in the future too. So it seems like it would be a good idea to talk about my bias, their potential affects, and why I have them. So I’m gonna do that here…yeah…uh…here we go?
So I hate HMB. Like alot. Like more than alot. I really really dislike them as an organization, rule set, and I don’t know, a philosophical approach to Bohurt? And like that def affects my views on steel fighting. When talking on something they are involved in, I am almost certainly going to be looking for the negatives in everything they do. Because that’s how confirmation bias works. I will almost certainly minimize accomplishments of pro HMB people, HMB events, and HMB ideas. I try to actively work on this by verbally and loudly appreciating the things I see that do speak to me, but like…I doubt that makes up for my bias. Overall I’m probably far more negative on HMB then they deserve.
I do think it’s important to cover why I hate HMB when I talk about this. That may help people figure out what is irrational bias and what is more reasoned complaints(even if you disagree with them). I cannot deny that it’s partially based on the first American Split, that was going hard when I started fighting. It was a very bitter divorce with people on both sides being super vocal and angry about things. I was ACL at the time and ride hard for my boys, so I started getting on the fuck HMB train right from the jump. That emotional reaction will likely color my vision for…I don’t know, maybe ever.
Beyond that though, I really dislike their approach overall. I think allowing Rail Grabbing is the dumbest thing in the sport and will die on that hill. There is nothing about it that makes the sport better, just more dangerous and stupid…but I’ve covered that before. I also dislike both the focus on making things “historically accurate” in general, when we don’t even really know what that means and so many people don’t give a shit. Like we have absolutely piss poor actual documentation to compare against. Actual historians fuck this shit up consistently and have FOR EV ER, what makes us think amatures will do better? And that has serious negative consequences to fighters, forcing people to rebuy kits multiple times. They also draw weird lines about what safety is SUPER important and like what is less important. Forcing equipment to be less safe to match historicity, but then also adding actual fighting rules that not only don’t make things that much safer, but also are super unhistorical. HOW YOU GONNA GET RID OF HALF SWORDING BRO!!!?!??!?! And unrelated but a big pet peeve, they are historically terrible at communicating(supposedly that is better now and they are not dropping rules changes right before events), but also it doesn’t seem to make sense because they clearly have high production values and lots of internal communication based on the documents and videos they produce. I know every other organization is also terrible at it and its a thing I bitch about constantly, but HMB claims to be super well organized and funded and shit…and then sometimes acts like a fucking high school sports club.
In the end HMB appears to be not fighter focused, or audience focused, but focused on a particular vision that people high up in the org want I don’t hate those people for chasing that dream and vision. Live your life and pursue your passions. I do, however, hate the org for that. Not the people that run it, the product those people created. I hate it for its effects on the sport, for focusing on a thing I really don’t want in the sport at all. And that’s on me and is probably SUPER unfair. So I guess…fuck me?
Next I am Knights Hall for life. Like I’d probably leave the sport before taking actions I thought would be against the interests of the hall and its people. The knights hall bias likely means I will be hyping up our methods perhaps more than they deserve. I will be more questioning of other methods. It means I might put too much shine on my boys instead of focusing outside to the rest of the country. It means I’m likely to push events we head to more than others that are equally valid or possibly better. These are also things I actively try to minimize so I don’t just become a walking advert but it’s hard not to be when you believe in something to the extent I believe in the dream of the Hall. So…I guess just be aware? And maybe fuck me again for being a different version of the thing I just bitched about HMB for being?
This also leads to me being biased on the American Steel Split 2 Electric Boogaloo(actually split 3, but the second split was minor and mostly individuals or groups sort of wandering away from the ACL to do their own thing). I have got some big issues with ACW. I also feel done hard by Andre personally, so like…that’s a thing. I’m not gonna rehash all the shit I wrote from 2 years ago. It’s probably findable on facebook if you are really interested. The TL;DR I dislike Andre’s business practices, his quality assurance as an armorer, his use of the league to funnel money back to himself via both his armory and events without investing efforts into the local groups or providing value in his armor, his poor leadership as captain, his inability to adjust to changes in the sport, and the way he treated fighters. What this means is I’m very unlikely to give ACW events the shine they deserve and might not actually comment on them at all. It means I will occasionally take shots in my videos and blogs that bring nothing of value. It means I’m more likely to write off information from those who ride hard for his org as tainted, instead of looking at info for its value. I try not to…but like….let’s be real. I suck at it.
In addition to those biases about people and orgs I have biases about the way the sport is played. I am super sport focused and hate posers. I never got over the high school clique thing of disliking people who put on the trappings of a scene to fit in without love of the thing. I never really dropped my hatred of sellouts. I never really managed to come to terms with the idea that people can like things casually. I’m aware of this(obviously otherwise I wouldn’t be writing about it) and actively try to not lean into that. I try to hype people who just want to come hang out. I work to be friends with people who say they want to do it, but haven’t because X. I do not just say people aren’t real till they fight….which was a thing I used to do.
But still…part of me just doesn’t really give a shit about your journey if you don’t make this your life. I know its toxic as fuck. I know it’s not rational. I am not proud or happy with it. But for me, everything should be focused on how to be the absolute best, most ruthless, most dangerous fighter. How to improve the fighting to the height it can to. I want to minimize all rules that are not required to keep people safe or force people to engage in the weapons aspect of the fighting…and maybe even create spaces where those safety rules can be minimized.
I give zero shits about honor, about pomp, about “being a knight.” I care about building a community, but it is in direct opposition to my belief that this is a sport for the “elite” and you need to earn your way in. I care about the audience, but only because that gets more fighters. I care nothing about money. I care nothing about armor, or weapons, beyond their ability to fuck people up or prevent me from getting broken.
I probably have other biases…but those are the ones that come to mind. Probably because of other cognitive biases like the dunning kruger. So anyway, I hope this helps going forward, knowing why I say what I say, and when I am more likely to be talking out my ass. I am not an expert. I am not providing untainted information. Nothing I’m saying should be taken as gospel, even the things that I say are dogma. In fact if anything be more skeptical of that, because I probably wasn’t. I am merely trying to provide consistent information here so that conversations can happen and the gestalt knowledge of the community can increase. I am not trying to claim I am the one true source and it helps if you know where I am likely to fuck up.
See you in the lists