Every interview this guy gives he has to mention the troops overseas. I'm all for supporting the troops, I just think it's pretty obvious Stann's service record is being used as a marketing tool to promote him. The crowd at 130 chanting "USA" after he beat Santiago was ridiculous.
Posted May 30, 2011, 10:09 PM UTC · edited
I'm a veteran of the Marines and it bothers me too. To be fair, there are brands of patriotism that are far more nauseating than his.
Also, the longer someone is on active duty, the more you learn about the history and hardships of our service members. The problem is that the right wingers give the troops a bad name. When you hear them being brought up, you know they're trying to use it as a trump card on you and it makes you feel uncomfortable because its usually wedged in between some talking point.
I think that in Brian Stann's case, he might very well know a lot of history and wants people to know more about it. I'm a pretty liberal guy and I despise that type of blind nationalism, but when I served and started learning all about the Marine Corps history (and the other branches of service, and the other countries branches of service), I was pretty blown away and I wish more people were educated on it. When someone says: "The troops have sacrificed a lot for you to be where you are today", it usually turns my stomach or comes off as white noise, as it does for probably most of you; but its really true!
We live in a world insulated from the horrors of what's required to maintain our "place". When Vietnam happened, everyone was afraid that either they or someone they knew would be drafted and possibly die in the conflict. With Iraq and Afghanistan, we rely totally on voluntary service people. There's no threat of a draft that would catch your average american up in the trap of having to actually care what happens. So we see pretty fireworks shows and quickly forget that people are being killed by the bombs we fire and the ones that explode when a humvee rides over an IED. So unless it's put in our faces, the only thoughts we have of the military are the yelow ribbons we see on some yokel's truck and forget that maybe, just maybe, that stupid yokel has a family member in the line of fire or maybe has even lost someone in one of these stupid wars. A day or two to remember that isn't nationalism, and a mention once in awhile about it isn't blind patriotism. If you want that, talk to a politician.
Well maybe, just maybe, the stupid yokel shouldn't vote for the fucking retards who sent his family member to go die or become injured in the line of fire for no reason other than money.
Because Obama stopped the wars. Oh, wait...
He dialed down the war in Iraq considerably. However, he did increase the troops on the ground in Afghanistan.
He also attempted to close Guantanamo, however, the budget to do so has been held up by Republicans.
Right, Obama just snaps his fingers and the war ends - you are very ignorant, you clearly have no idea how the government works.
he's a marine, you don't wander into a gunfight protecting american ideals without believing pretty strongly in them. and wouldn't you give a shout out to the men and women who had your back overseas every time you had a chance to? he seems like a genuinely nice guy, who puts things ahead of himself
what have the marines done lately to 'protect american ideals' ?
edit: uhh besides killing B-Lad
edit: uhh besides killing B-Lad
Though I'm out of my element here, but I thought a point was made and remade how these were Navy Seals who did the job and how Navy Seals are not Marine.
Well, that kind of depends on what you think American ideals are.
We're calling him B-Lad now? When did this start? Is this a new thing? Can we call start calling Obama B-Rock?
you don't watch the news do you
I cant believe that there are still people believing you can spread freedom through military actions or that the service men are enlisting because they want to do so. I know it sounds rethorical, but are you stupid?
How old are you? Really, I think it's important. I don't know if you are young, ignorant or both, but not everyone joining the army is a gun toting lunatic. And yes I do believe a lot of them are joining for that reason, at least the ones I know are.
You are a very childish/anti right wing view of the military. Remember, these are the people that leave their family at home so you don't have to.
Not taking a side here, just wanted to point out SEAL teams are navy, not marines as such, iirc.
No you're right, thanks for the correction
protecting american ideals without believing pretty strongly in them.
The adventure and excitement couldn't possibly be enough - oh, wait - it probably is..
Best be glad there's someone fighting for the right for you to have and express your stupid opinions.
I wish people werent fightin for me in afghanistan because it does nothing to protect my rights, which constantly get crushed in the name of security.
But this is r/MMA and totally off topic
Not really in favor of how we conduct ourselves overseas, but if someone's going to start fighter and military bashing, they deserve a response, r/mma or not.
I agree with this statement you've made 100%. Just because our military is deployed in x/y/z country does not mean that it's there protecting "freedom". People, use your brains and distinguish between situations where "freedom" is at stake and when it's not. It really is possible that "freedom" is not on the line sometimes. And no, I'm not anti-troops, I'm anti-blindly spouting about freedom.
Where is there anyone fighting for our right to express our stupid opinions?
You make a thread about this, but say nothing about the ones that don't shut up about religion during every single interview.
Jesus Didn't Tap, and neither did Mizuto Hirota. It ended well.
Ahem, Jesus didn't tap because HE WASN'T ALLOWED TO.
EDIT: Jesus Christ I helped create a monster.
To be fair it is tough to tap when your wrist is nailed down.
He wasn't nailed down during the scourging, when he was crowned with thorns, or when he was carrying the cross.
I'm pretty sure he verbally tapped at 9:00:00 of the first round. Referee Mark Goddard missed it, I guess.
Cough Jon FUCKING JONES Cough
This is actually so true. I have never really thought of it like that. It just shows how conditioned we are to having religion forced down our necks.
Jesus Jones and Ben Henderson have been talked about for this very thing.
It always makes me really embarrassed when fighters do that. If you're willing to accept responsibility for your loses at least take credit for the wins too...
Are there any atheist pro-fighters out there?
People talk about this all the time on r/MMA. Thanking god for wins constantly gets criticized
That can be another thread...
I'm Canadian and i don't mind it. He seems like a very respectable guy and from what i've seen, he hasn't been obnoxious about his patriotism.
The religious nuts get a bit annoying. Jon Jones is included in that mix.
What is annoying exactly about it? I don't care if he draws his source of inspiration for victory from his mother, his kids, his dog, or his God. They put in a fuck load of work and they can talk about who ever they want when it comes to whom inspired them.
I'm an atheist. I don't care who he draws inspiration from, but saying it came from God is a bit frustrating to me, as i believe it was all him, and i'm sure God has better things to worry about than a fight. I'm not saying that he doesn't have a right to thank whomever he wants. I'm just saying how i feel when he does thank God.
Would you feel the same way if he said he only won that fight because he was down in the dumps and his mom gave him a pep talk and that is what got him through it? A lot of athletes draw inspiration through prayer to get them through the tough times of training and mental adversity. I know you don't believe in it, but it is very real for them and I am happy to hear it because it lets me know a bit more about the fighter. I would feel the same way if a fighter came out and thanked evolution for adapting him to be the fighter he is today.
I could see why people would see it as annoying, but to be honest it really doesn't bother me. It obviously is and was a huge part of his life. As for it being used as a gimmick, I doubt it, but people do eat up patriotism.
One thing that really impressed me at UFC 130: Right after Stann won, while his cornermen were trying to get his t-shirt on, Herb Dean was holding his hand waiting to raise it. Sweaty and victorious, caught up in the moment, Stann looked Dean in the eye and said "Excuse me, sir" to free his hand momentarily.
The marines are sponsors of the UFC, and patriotism sells big in the States, so I've always been a pretty skeptical of Stann's public persona. He really seems custom made as a recruitment tool... Even though it was a small thing it was done unthinkingly, automatically, and showed that Brian Stann has some genuine class.
Yeah, if you watch when he's in his corner, anything that they tell him to do, it's always, "Yes, sir." I got the same vibe from it as you did.
Nationalism is an infantile disease. - Albert Einstein
No, I think he's pretty awesome.
USA USA USA USA USA http://www.quickmeme.com/meme/2ltr/
I imagine the UFC heavily encourages him to talk this up and he's just happy to play ball.
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Actually i find his patriotism very toned down and respectable. He doesnt win a fight and yell "USA FOREVER!" His win speech was perfectly fine.
Ha, how funny would it be if he just grabbed Joe's mic and yelled "USA FOREVER!" and stormed out the cage.
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I mean, Memorial Day weekend and he's a vet and he says something in support on THIS PARTICULAR weekend and that upsets you? Realllly?
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What state are you in?
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There's scant few states where being a swing voter matters. Texas is not one of them. Blame the electoral college for making you irrelevant.
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Blame the engineers, not the cogs.
I'm guessing you are in high school
Albert Einstein said that nationalism is a disease...
Have you had any family members that served/died in a war? I have. In spite of my incredibly liberal leanings, I don't see the problem with using a few days a year to honor the people that fought and died for this country, even if our current government is spending too much time fighting phantoms to worry about the real troubles we have. But, as you said, this is r/mma. I guess the only ones allowed to express opinions here are you and those who think like you.
He also married his cousin.
No one cares about all the brazillian fighters touting their country fight after fight and interview after interview, but when there is ONE American fighter who actually likes being from America it becomes an issue?
The truth hurts sometimes....
Nationalism in any country is retarded.
I dont mind him being patriotic, what annoys me is UFC fans in usa. 9 out of 10 time they boo fighters that are american , and at any chance some retard will start a USA, USA, USA chant and the rest of the flock will follow. Show some support for fighters that go in there with all they got instead of booing them cos the weaker usa fighter lost.......
Whenever I'm watching a fight, as soon as I hear the USA chant, I automatically want the non-American to win.
I'm American.
It bothered me at first, but he explained that he is the head of a charity that works on behalf of military veterans, so he feels obligated to use whatever media exposure he has to promote that fact.
It's too much marketing. It drives me nuts our military and budlight have the same forum for advertising (and also the same target demographic.)
No more annoying than Bisping's mouth, or Rashad's trash talk, or Rampage's "humor", or Silva's games, or GSP's style....
If you don't like it don't pay attention to it. I think he's a decent fighter and will watch him despite his pride in nationalism. You don't watch fighters because of their politics, you watch them because of their skill.
It slightly annoys me only because I don't fool myself into thinking "They are fighting for our Freedom." Bullshit! They're fighting for rich assholes who want oil and power... and that's it! This whole "War on Terror" is nothing but a ruse so that the people in power can do whatever the hell they want around the world under the guise that we are fighting against terrorists and for our freedoms. As long as the average joe believes that, people will keep joining the military, giving up their rights and freedoms, and give government the power to fight any wars they want. And you know what? It's working like a charm.
Though I rather hear some insight on fighting techniques and strategies, seeing a fighter promote himself in a certain style that rewards him later on financially isn't something that bothers me at all.
I love it when Joe insults the crowd for a USA chant.
Hell yeah. He's not afraid to speak his mind.
The best was Sakara's fight. "He lives in Miami! Seriously, Kentucky?!"
Yeah, sometimes the fans amaze me. And, speaking of funny stuff from Rogan, don't forget Joe Rogan vs The Ice Spill. That shit cracks me up every time.
ugh the worst was when the crowd booed misuhiro ishida after pulling off one of the slickest armbars i've ever seen just because he beat an american
I boo Ishida because he is a faggot, case in point, his fight with Wicky.
It's great, but at the same time it makes me so embarassed for my countrymen.