Are you offended yet, New York?
photo credit: Allmightymo

With everything going on you’d think the ignorance and douche baggery of one state legislator would go unnoticed.  Frankly, I would have never noticed had it not been for my love of Mixed Martial Arts.  It’s a great sport that has been unfairly vilified in the past, mostly by politicians looking to grand stand and get a soundbite out there.  The battle is largely over and it’s been legalized in many states.  It’s gotten to where people either like it or don’t, and—as in other sports—it ends there.  People have opinions, but they don’t cross the line of trying to force others to abide by their opinions, right?

Well. Unless they are politicians, like the douche bag of the month: New York state assemblyman Bob Reilly.  He was just interviewed on his stance to not legalize Mixed Martial Arts in New York State.  Apparently he doesn’t think it’s a good idea and is actively campaigning against it.  He must have good reasons, right?

The interview was conducted by Ben Fowlkes, and I feel the need to mention his name because I have to tip my hat to the man.  The interview played out with Ben asking reasoned questions, and Bob coming back with unrelated nonsense.   Unfazed by the avalanche of stupid rushing towards him like Paris Hilton and Flavor Flav discussing politics, Ben soldiered on.  For instance, Ben asked a question and got the answer “because it’s harmful to people” with no explanation. Kinda like when you’re talking to a child and his answer is “because,” without any real explanation.  So of course Ben asks for a follow up, and gets the response that Bob isn’t happy with the State Athletic Commissions chair and thinks something fishy is going on.  Instead of letting his head explode from the overload of stupid, Ben trudges on and asks Bob how that makes MMA harmful to the people of New York.  At which point Bob decides to clarify by citing rules for a no longer existing Japanese MMA company.  Ben is a champ, because he kept going.  I have to go out for a smoke just thinking about it.

Ok, back.  Seriously, I don’t know how Ben didn’t run screaming from the room because it doesn’t get any better.  Bob Reilly continues to spout nonsense, and it becomes apparent that he just doesn’t like MMA because of varying personal reasons that have nothing to do with sense and reason.  Like saying that legalizing MMA is counteractive to the laws they pass against domestic violence and school bullying.  To me, this is like outlawing NASCAR because we passed speed limits.  He also states that people only watch for the violence, and if it weren’t violent it would lose its appeal.  He backs up this astute observation by stating that college wrestling and jiu-jitsu are not as popular.  Again this makes no sense, as I haven’t seen Faces of Death on any top seller list.  I’m sure some people do watch MMA just for the violence, just like some people only watch car racing for the crashed, or football for the hits, or boxing for the knockouts, or women’s beach volleyball for masturbatory purposes.  People watched fucking Different Strokes for different reasons.  Because some people watch for the wrong reasons, everybody else has to suffer?

Old Bob doesn’t just bring the stupid, though; he brings the offensive as well.  Here’s a direct quote from the article: “Most people I know find it offensive to see a woman grab another woman by the hair and knee her in the stomach.  I find that offensive.”  Now this is offensive in many ways, none of which are how he thinks.  I’m sure Bob is of the mind that we should only see beaten women on TMZ and the Nickelodeon Kids Choice awards, and anything else will make every man go home and beat his wife.  Women are of course delicate creatures that belong in the kitchen and secretary pool, right Bob?  I understand that Mr. Reilly was raised in a different time, and I can understand how he would be worried that he might be one day flipping through channels, knock the phone off the hook, accidentally hit the speed dial for his cable company, unknowingly hit the exact numbers on the phone to order a pay per view event, then flip to the channel and see women fighting and get offended.  Or even worse—he could be surfing though the guide feature, go to a live event on cable, then have his finger slip and see the atrocity that is a woman kneeing another woman.

The only problem is, no one has the right to not get offended.  I find 99% of reality TV to be offensive to human kind.  As hard as that is to me, and as deeply offended as I am, I somehow find the courage to not watch it.  I know, I know.  I shouldn’t have to do that.  We as a society should defend my delicate sensibilities by banning any and all reality TV.  But we don’t, and that’s my cross to bear.  Maybe I can see Assemblyman Reilly’s point, though.  I can see how it would be damaging for parents to have to monitor their own children, so we have to do it.  We shouldn’t let them see physically fit athletic women who have struggled and sacrificed to be the best they can be at something.  Instead, let’s plop them down in front of the crack whore cattle auction that is Rock of Love and Flavor of Love.  We don’t want young women to think they can learn to defend themselves, and at the same time gain a sense of empowerment.  Nope, we want them to think that accomplishments are limited to what they can achieve on their backs.

The interview goes on, and it doesn’t really get any better.  At one point he goes back to the comparison to dog fighting, which is just a cheap insult.  He says it will hurt the economy, and complete ignores the benefits to tourists coming in, hotel rooms for fighters, rooms for their trainers, rooms for event staff, people shopping while in town, fees, after parties, etc.  None of that matters to Bob, because if they have an event and make 4 million at the gate the state only gets a half a million.  That’s fair, I guess, unless you want other states to also have a protectionist view.  Not that it really matters, because that money will leave the state anyway in pay per view buy, and people traveling to New Jersey and other states to watch fights.  Seriously, what happened to New York?

Links to the Interview part 1 & 2 and Ben Fowlkes article about the interview:

http://www.cagepotato.com/exclusive-interview-ny-state-assemblyman-bob-reilly-part-one

http://www.cagepotato.com/exclusive-interview-ny-state-assemblyman-bob-reilly-part-two

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/ben_fowlkes/03/13/ny.legalization/index.html