Would you allow your kids to watch the bout with you? How old is old enough?
On one hand is the argument against the culture of violence boxing, wrestling, and other full contact sports tend to promote. Add to this category sports/hobbies/recreational activities centered on guns, weapons and firepower. Some people I know dreams of a society devoid of guns and violence of any form. Although this utopian dream is improbable to achieve if one considers human nature and complexities of human interactions, I see the logic and sound reasoning in approximating this ideal if only for our species own good.
Between me and my wife, she is more decidedly against such sport and recreation. So when I broached the idea of no toy guns for our children early in our parenting journey, she readily agreed.
On the other hand, Manny Pacquiao is an acknowledged hero, Philippine icon and boxing legend. Someone the kids should know something about, at least his excellence in his profession brought about by talent, discipline and determination. However, much is to be desired in his other interests, particularly in politics... hmmm well, he deserves some slack.
Perhaps it’s also gender-biased to enjoy physical, full contact sports (at least watching it, in this case, and speaking for myself, I usually root for the underdog… huh?). I grew up being able to watch “Andre the giant” slam his smaller wrestling opponent on TV as my father enthusiastically cheer “go for the kill!” My brothers and I also had a good set of toy guns and combat paraphernalia, and were able to watch war movies/TV series and the like. We even had two sets of gloves and a punching bag hanging in the middle of our common bedroom.
I don’t see myself as a violent person or wanting to be in this kind of activities, never mind a career! This is in spite of exposures during my childhood years (well, violence on TV that is) and to toy guns, boxing gloves, etc. None of my brothers have violent streaks, too. Perhaps genetics had more profound impact in this case as my father is not a violent man himself.
My older son is averse to violence and tends to not respond aggressively to provocations from other kids. My younger son, a toddler, tends to bully his more docile older brother now and loves to toy around throwing his tiny punches on his grandpa’s behind, my tummy and (unfortunately) his brother’s body or head, whatever is the easiest target at that time. He learned about it in the news, while the family is talking about it, and/or when horsing around with me.
Though I am also confident that for him it’s just play, sometimes it unintentionally hurt someone who is already averse to such roughhousing. By the way, he seems to only do it with the three other males, and not with the more numerous females in the household (interesting, isn’t it?).
There you go. Should such sport, recreation or profession where the goal is taking down and knocking out the opponent before he does you (which are fortunately more regulated now by international professional bodies to prevent deaths and serious injuries) be tolerated and perpetuated (hey, it’s a billion dollar industry!) in the next generations?
Can it really be stopped? Perhaps like many other sports, men (and women) just need an avenue for occasional adrenaline rush or testosterone pumping; especially with the modern sedentary lifestyle most of us have! What do you think?
Or is this just making much ado about nothing, and the answer is really just to go with the flow? Hmmmm…
Certainly, it can be Pacman’s final match before his complete shift to a much challenging (more violent?) world of Philippine politics as congressman in 2010. Hmmm, I am just playing it by ear then. Any opinions? Violent reactions?
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I hate the idea of The Pacman going into politics--away with such a thought! But perhaps it's inevitable. However, i'm praying Manny will "see the light" and give up political ambition (he's moneyed enough and influential enough to do a lot of good without the trappings of politics).
But going to the ring...
Contact sports will stay whether we like it or not. In fact, more violently genre, which was quite taboo a decade or two ago, are now becoming main stream (UFC, PRIDE, URCC, etc). I have to confess that i enjoy contact sports (basketball, boxing, also did a little karate too), i am even attracted to MMA (mixed martial arts). I like the concept and the art but not necessarily the violence in it (ironic?). I just try to follow fighters that i like and sometimes watch their fights (e.g. George St.Piere, Vitor "the Phenom" Belfort). There is something in the male gender that is prone to such activities to "prove" one's physicality. I think this has been Divinely designed in us males and is a real distinctive of the masculine species (of course this in no way makes us superior to our better half). This is not bad in itself, but the expressions of it can be be very bad (e.g. the megalomaniac Commodus and ancient Rome's lust for blood and death in the galdiatorial combats).
In terms of Manny and our kids, my personal conviction is that our kids should know about him, who Manny is, and milk his persona for all he's worth to encourage and challenge our kids e.g. his story from a nobody to becoming somebody, his work ethic, discipline, the lessons he learned along the way (from an extremely cocky dude to a more humbled and God-honoring person--he is still not an angel though), his love of country and our people (not just for personal wealth and fame), etc. Our kids should not be ignorant of Manny's image as a national icon. However, i will definitely not let my 9 year old daughter sit through the whole 12 rounds of a Pacman fight. This is not just profitable for her. I will have to explain to her that this is sports pure and simple, and that this sports is for grown ups. Of course she can come and take a peek at the fight as i'm watching and perhaps i can engage her in some conversation about it, but i will be clear that she can't watch the whole thing with me.
This is my straightforward take on the matter (i confess i have not given this much thought), and if you find this inconsistent and self-contradicting, well, i don't know, perhaps you are right . Violence is a reality in this world. We are not to be ignorant of violence and its many manifestations. However, we must not become so familiar with it that it looses its really ugly reality. Worse, let's make sure that we don't lust for it like the ancient Romans did (apparently this is becoming a scary reality these days)!