clancy

Sorry, Wall, but I can't help myself this one last time. Poor Iwa, "got dragged into Clancy's rage against the henka". You dragged yourself in by posting in public your query, "What the heck is all this uproar about the henka?" (I may have gotten the quote a bit wrong, but I'll have to suffer the abuse that egregious blunder will surely engender from some techers (oops, a TYPO!)) I was admittedly being mean picking on your writing skills in that post, and for slamming those who cheered it on (whom I felt were lauding it mainly to jab at Sumotalk, because it could not have been for the reason it was well written). Sorry about that. You have not ever read me in a rage, trust me. I could verbally tear the skin from the body if I was in a rage. (I've been told it's one of my downsides, but the major difference between me and many others is that there is no way to make me feel bad about myself, because I know what and who I am, and I'm okay with it. But when I get angry, I can make others want to kill me and/or themselves. You [and others] will say, Yea, right, and come back with more safe, anonymous (pseudynonymous is a bunch of crap, Asa, as you are not famous--Stpehen King uses a pseudonym, you use anonymity, even if some of your close pals on this site know your real name) posts, but if we were in a bar together I know I could make you try and strike me but nothing you could say or do would cause me to do anything more than reply with words. I am beyond you because I have ultimate faith in me and little faith in you, and since you'll ask, yes, time and circumstances have shown me to be right in holding this faith. And for those who will accuse me of hubris, I feel truly fortunate to be the man I am, but I'll not pretend I am not that man.) I know, I've opened myself to all the usual crap, Clancy is a sociopath, that fact that he has to tell us what he thinks of himself proves he isn't. . .I've heard it all before and it doesn't hold water. The reason I post all that is to give you an idea of why I am irreverent and why I don't care if you like it or not ("To those who feel life is tragedy, to those who think life is comedy"). But as is wrote before, I will not mention anyone or anything from Sumoforum again at Sumotalk. My take on the pure henka has always been that it is pure shite, yet I have commented on it only occasionally and used humor (anyone remember what THAT is?) extensively. Sumo is dying (I live here, I know) and the sidestepping tachi-ai is not helping revive it. But jokes comparing Chiyotaikai's sumo to a 90 year-old woman's oral sex skills just might! Your reaction to my report is overblown to say the least. I never said you were half-witted, but your whole Asian-Art of War-Last Samurai-Tao of Pooh-thing was just too pedantic, goofy and yes, ham-handed not to blast, and was disrespectful to a man I admire, Kevin Costner, whom you slighted for making Dances but failed to mention that he really does believe in the plight of First Nations peoples and made a long and well done documentary using his own money and rescources to publicize that historic "injustice". Yea, I got riled when you came out with that tired old saw, Only members of a group can comment on that group, crap. As if Marty Scorcese can't make a film about slavery and Spike Lee shouldn't make films about Italian-Americans. The "braniac from the plnaet smartron 5" (another typo, come quickly Typo Man!, and bring Dale the Reply Warden!) thing is from a comedy routine that I never forgot (that's why it's in quotes). Did forget the comedian's name, though. Maybe Jake Johansen? It was mean, sorry about that, but I love the line, or loved the routine. If it was Jake, he was twice voted Comedian of the Year in America, whatever that means, back in the 90's. Iwa, if what you say about yourself is true (the supposed First Nations pedigree--sorry, but too many Americans bullshit about that one--the Creative Writing BFA, the editor of a newspaper, the two books in print and another in the hopper) then I truly hope you write more clearly and lucidly there than you do here. Adios, Sumoforum. Be well.

I'm afraid I'd never heard of it before this thread. I took a look, and can see why some would be offended. Not my cup of tea either, but the more sumo fans the merrier, I guess. It strikes me as a webpage version of sports talk radio. Plenty of people listen to that, even if it generates more heat than light... Dale Really tempted to add the keyword "expert" to my sumo movies site and see how it does on Google after a while. Nah.... :) Iwa, man you went off! Nice rant! I do think, Iwa, that you summed up your own wild first post a little disingenuously, but whatever. Yea, the other guys at Sumotalk are not at all as ascerbic (sp?) as I am. Sumotalk of course is a far better read than anything else going about sumo in English, which is why I chose to start writing for them. I wouldn't write for People magazine and I wouldn't write for Sumofanmag. There are some good writers over there, but it's mostly so tepid and by the numbers, like that horribly boring Las Vegas report (which many people, I know, prefer). It feels strange to have to write this, but of course I don't really think KDTO is a gollum. He is probably a very nice man, as all of them are, including Chiyo. I stated as much in my very first column for Sumotalk. I also stated that they could all kick my ass and that I do not know their personal reasons for doing whatever they do, but that my comments are for fun reading and perhaps the occasional insight that you possibly had not already had yourselves. I do know I am writing about real people, and if they are real people they will see the humor for what it is. I'm not a macho, crazy, s.o.b., just irreverent and I'd be the first to admit it. I don't know everything and don't try to claim I do. But it is true, I am a publicly recognized, as opposed to anonymous, featured columnist on a professionally produced sumo website (Mike does a great job, whatever some might say), lauded by some and derided by others. Most of the people here on this forum just want to chat and enjoy sumo, so I won't make any comments about Sumoforum from now on. Finally, I have never been nor would I want to be liked by everyone, especialy those who cannot see the henka for what it is.

Slt Exactly! Well put. But you shouldn't be surprised about the sensitivity. Berke Breathed drew a wonderful cartoon back in the 80's where Opus was on his bench and people started coming around and saying they were offended by this and by that and it kept escalating until Opus looked at the audience and muttered with shrugged shoulders, "Offensensitivity". The moderators have taken over the world, and those of us who cherish good-natured agitation and chaos (without language, and therefore thought, being censored) are not viewed in the finest light. We can put on our Sunday best and play along, but the only way to make it through is find like-minded beings (may be felines, naturally) and hole up with them and a strong conviction that we have the right to be the way we are.

in general those who tell others they themsleves are an expert and you are not, or act as if their oppinion is superior to your with no humility in the matter are quite the opposite of being an expert. a real expert knows that they do not know anything and that it is highly likely many other people can still teach them many many things in their area of "expertise". a self-proclaimed expert is generally a pompus high brow ass. which is what the other site sounds like. however, i have never seen a message board over there, so i cant say for sure. but just in general people who say "im so smart, your so stupid" are too narrow minded to be an expert at anything. Quite right, The Mind. Calling myself an expert on sumo is, of course, hyperbole, but I can and do write about it and have a good time doing it and seem to be making at least a few people smile. If you read my posts (which I'm sure you do despite your sly, I'll-have-no-truck-with-that-ilk reference to "the other site") you'd realize (or should realize) that pompous is something I am definitely not. Despite your appeal to Aristotle, a real expert in fact DOES know they know something, and I despise false humility. For example, I am without question a more aware and competent driver than most other drivers here on Awaji (course, they're all about 90 years old or so) and this based on (you'll have to trust me on this, Asa) numerous instances where my behavior is right and theirs is just plain bad and/or clueless and rude. No need to tell me it is all relative, or that my p.o.v. is but one. In the end, the only ones who can decide if we are on the side of goodness and truth is us, isn't that right, Iwa-san?

And if wishes were horses... In other words, you were claiming your unsupported opinion as fact, just as I said you were. You might also want to go back to what I wrote about you uncritically falling for the "sumo content matters oh so much" spin that the Kyokai likes to put into their public pronouncements. If that's the kind of sterling analysis that leads to things like your "airtight argument against the henka" that you apparently made back in September (sorry, don't care that much to track it down, and at any rate the site doesn't seem to list any archives from Aki basho), don't be surprised if you continue to be taken less than seriously. Do the casual fans that frequent Sumotalk really go for this kind of fact-challenged fluff? Well, takes all kinds, I guess. I did enjoy your whistling-past-the-graveyard, "Gawd, I'm lowering myself to the level of debating fanboys" attitude, though perhaps not for the reasons you intended. BTW, I know of another professional writer who writes in a style very similar to yours, albeit about pro-wrestling. He's doing it strictly for satire. Are you? At any rate, kudos for jumping into this thread. No , not at all, but one thing about writing a column. It gets pretty boring if the writer goes on and on citing examples to support his point. This isn't some thesis level essay, after all. There is a certain level of trust the reader needs to bring to the table. If the reader chooses to think that I'm blowing smoke where it doesn't belong, they have that choice. But I feel, based on my observation of years of sumo, that my point about the Koykai using quailty as one measuring stick is valid (sorry for typos, I'm holding my infant). My argument against the henka from Sept. was the bit in parenthesis right after I mentioned it, and yes, "airtight" was hyperbole. BTW, your surety that the Kyokai are being disingenuous about caring about sumo content doesn't feel like unsupported opinion to you, does it? And please, no need to insult the fans of Sumotalk. They are no more casual than you, I'd be willing to wager, whoever you are under that cloak of anonymity.

So here I am, okay? Let me see. Kintamayama--I did counter your points effectively. I think you are slighting foreign fans and have too much faith in Japanese forthrightness. Yes, the term "everyone thinks KDTO is a piece of shite" is hyperbole. Asashosakari--I'm not going to list all the times I have heard discussions about the content of someone's sumo being a factor in their decision making process in one day's report. And the kyokai cetainly do take it nto account. Sure, it hardly ever results in a denial of promotion, but it can and SHOULD, which is really the main point I was making. It is not up solely to the wrestler to decide what he can and can't do on the dohyo, as Iwegakki made it seem. And the reason I am on Sumotalk is because Mike feels I write well. You needn't feel slighted about that. Maybe if you boned up just a bit you could make a bid for being a contributor there yourself. Also, for TK, I did not go into the Day 15 bouts with any detail because Mike's Day 14 was definitive. I treated as more of a wrap-up. Go back to my Days 4 and 7 and you'll find much more analysis. That said, of course you can see it all for yourself on tv or the Web. I have never thought of my writing as a way to bring you all some new and esoteric knowledge. Like you said, I'm being entertaining. BTW, send me sometime some of those caustic comments you mentioned--I love caustic. Bottom line: Members of this forum suggested that the guys at Sumotalk be emailed the string about henka started by Iwa. I received it and gave it a humorous treatment. Some people have written in to us and loved it and the way I write. Not for everyone, so what? I obviously do not know you (you're all anonymous), so it really isn't personal. And if I pick on your writing abilities, well, my bad as they say. I'm a professional writer and sometimes can't stop myself from potshotting ducks (and that is not to say your writing is without charm). I'm sure there are many things others here can do far better than me and could make me feel small about my abilities. So, keep visiting Sumotalk, please. But don't expect me to be reverent. Reverent ain't funny, knowhatimean?