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How Americans decide whether a traditional martial arts is "fake" isn't based on how authentic it is to the culture in which it came from but rather, how much killing it can do. That's a problem that also assumes Americans are the experts on the authenticity of non-American arts
This tweet is about decolonizing martial arts. Most martial arts in the US originate from outside of the US. They've come here via neocolonialism, therefore are framed via a colonialist lens. This is now so deeply rooted, decolonizing martial arts is a completely foreign concept
Many Korean kids take TKD not because of self-defense or anti-bullying, that's for suburban yt kids. We took it cuz our parents wanted Korean cultural exchange, especially in lieu of a Korean language school. This also applies to other Asians and their native arts.
Some arts focus primarily on forms as away to keep alive and pass on folk/cultural dance, mythology, and storytelling. This also applies to the uniforms. To insist effective killing is the only purpose for martial arts still upholds Western colonialist values as the default.
Some can't even conceive of longevity or joy as the default
Not to mention as ritual and expressions of religion and philosophy. Consider how Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism have been colonized to mean Western Stoicism, rugged individualism, and Christian residential/boarding school discipline and emotional suppression
Yet if ultimately our cause as liberation martial artists isn't about longevity or joy, what's the point to all this?
