Shaolin Monks outraged - Opinions?

Question

I just was curious what people thought of the article posted below.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070831/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_china_ninja

Answer 1

I agree with Opinionatedkitten and R.lee. This has nothing to do with Shaolin or Ninja, but more to do with Chinese and Japanese. Some of the old timers still can't forget WW2 and the japanese occupation. Kinda like the Jewish people and their memories of the holocaust. I remember my late Grandpa, who migrated from mainland China, blowing his top when my parents bought Japanese made appliances back when I was a kid, he also blew his top when we ate japanese food, told us chinese products were better so why patronize the japanese? The slightest thing japanese set him off due to his memories of the japanese occupation during World War 2. So outrage at a suggestion of the alleged defeat of such a recognizable chinese icon as the shaolin temple and by japanese ninjas at that wouldn't really surprise me.They just need to chill out and take these things with a grain of salt.

Answer 2

I suspect the Chinese government is the party that is truly concerned about this type of thing. I doubt the Shaolin monks themselves care very much. The way the article reports the sources, such as the Chinese press, and the way the Chinese government operates, I'm much more inclined to think that is the real source.
A number of issues are at work here. One is a growing hostility to Japan in certain quarters. Demonstrations against Japan are seldom stopped by government officials, who seem willing to allow sometimes violent demonstrations against Japan as a valve for the frustration of certain people in the Republic.
Another is an attempt to maintain the image of China throughout the world, especially as the Peking Olympics loom.
I'm also skeptical as to the official source of these comments, since they are not quoted in the article (something that would break rules of journalism in the west). Even if the article is correct in quoting one monk as saying this, it hardly speaks for the temple as a whole. It could very well be that this is just the opinion of one, or a few outraged officials who are overly sensitive about their image abroad. Sounds like a tempest in a glass of water to me.

Answer 3

Wow. These guys (the Shaolins) are way overreacting. Who cares if some cyber-moron claimed that a Japanese ninja beat a Shaolin monk? I hardly think it's an insult to the Shaolin temple and China as a whole. If anything, the Chinese oughta be more concerned with the high rates of female infanticide/trafficking and corruption within its government.

*edit* Opinionated Kitten, excellent answer! This is why I added you as a contact. :D

Naturally, Shaolin monks shouldn't be so upset over so trivial a charge. The most likely culprit would be the Chinese government. They *do* exercise heavy control over their press, and for some reason, are obsessed with presenting a good face to the Western world.
With all my interest in China and its culture, I should have known this. Duh!

Answer 4

I saw the article, personally I think:

The Shaolin monks need to GROW UP!

They are acting like kids.

Answer 5

They deserve an apology! But what do they expect! It's the Internet and there's going to be people who talk SH!T ALL THE TIME! THEY SHOULD MOVE ON AND THINK ABOUT IT! Shaolin monks should help us with the troll problem and join our Marital arts section! Then people will help out those Shaolin Monks with there problems with False Claims! Welcome to the world wide web!

Answer 6

Wow Cinthia, you've certainly poked a few people in the ribs with a short arnis! My own humble opinion is that 'real' shaolin monks would have more important things on their minds, the Chinese government has a lot to account for, and Hey guys; welcome to the world wide web: verbal sparring with no holds barred. I like Shienaran's answer best... less hype, more realistic, and coming from an informed background.

Answer 7

the shaolin temple was set up by the communist government as a tourist attraction since the old temple was destroyed and it is a cultural symbol. What they are really mad about is the way Japan has treated China in the past and this ninjas-beat-shaolin-monks thing is about PRC pride.

Answer 8

here is an idea:

why not get every alleged "ninjer" and every alleged "shaolin monk" and have them spar.

i guarantee there will never be a bigger collection and demonstration of worthless, unrealistic and unworkable techniques, examples of bad and unrealistic training and unskilled fighters in history.

"ninjitsu (aka: bujinkan)" and "shaolin" are two of the styles where the most fraud exists.

this is really funny.

EDIT: people also forget that this is the internet where people are supposed to be able to defame each other anonymously!

EDIT2: mike M if you think I'm a moron because I say that unrealistic "dead" training is bullcrap then I wonder who the moron is.

Or maybe I'm a moron because realistic trianing is really about repetitively doing pre-set "dance"/kata patterns against imaginary non resisting opponents.

Or maybe I'm a moron because I call bull on people's sacred cows and don't like to find out they are in a dance factory rather than a martial arts school and you prefer your dance factory to training against a fully resisting opponent.

I guess I'm a moron because I promote and practice training methods that work over ones that don't.

Or maybe I'm a moron because I call it like it is and you don't like me crapping on ninjitsu for its lack of good training practices and resisting opponents and your aishida kim fantasies and kata work. I strongly suggest you put away your tabi boots and start training with some fully resisting opponents.

The "truth" is that both ninjitsu/bujinkan and shaolin are bs styles because 99.9/100 times they are trained with so much bullshido its a joke, and im bieng VERY generous. at BEST the "ninjitsu" you are actually learning is not ninjitsu but karate and the teacher is just using the name to market to people.

You are the one that needs to find the truth. Its been hitting you in the face and still is you just prefer to run around in tabi-boots and play dress up rather than realize it.

Answer 9

Has Ashida Kim been making wild claims again ? I think the monks have a right to be pissed off. I'm just surprised that they actually acknowledged something that stupid.

Answer 10

MONKS LAWYERS LAWSUITS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Everybody is getting into the "offended victim act"
Monks?More like buisness men worried about their tourist attraction revenue.What they do is more about wushu acrobatic garbage than fighting.
As for it being the shao lin there is dispute about where it actually was and in what province.
There are no monks in that tourist trap shao lin just performers who dress and act like monks.Everything they do is contrary to zen including this ridiculous "we demand an apology" bullshit