Chuck Palahniuk must be proud.
Bbcmjeep43, you violated the first two rules of Fight Club.
1 - The first rule of Fight Club is, you do not talk about Fight Club.
2 - The second rule of Fight Club is, you DO NOT talk about Fight Club.
3 - If someone says stop, goes limp, taps out, the fight is over.
4 - Two guys to a fight.
5 - One fight at a time.
6 - No shirts, no shoes.
7 - Fights will go on as long as they have to.
8 - If this is your first night at Fight Club, you have to fight.
posted by jr at 09:22 P.M. EST on Tue Aug 01, 2006 #
I watched that movie too. I don't know what to say about this just yet. I'm sure it would create a lot of angry parents, and controversy. Years ago, they used to fight after school like these kids. They didn't have video equipment, and making a DVD of the whole thing! Let alone selling it!
posted by Bbcmjeep43 at 09:34 P.M. EST on Tue Aug 01, 2006 #
From that USA Today blog posting:
"Chuck Palahniuk, author of the book that led to the movie, declines to say much. "God bless these kids," Palahniuk says. "I hope they're having a great time. I don't think they'd be doing it if they weren't having a great time." "
Funny. At least these kids are getting some exercise to combat childhood obesity. Read the book, watch the movie, or better yet, do both.
posted by jr at 09:38 P.M. EST on Tue Aug 01, 2006 #
wow. Sounds like natural selection at it's very best.
Reminds me of the only thing I can remember my Paternal Gr'pa having said...
"Nobody ever died from a good ass whupping, but many lessons were learned"
posted by katie82640 at 09:55 P.M. EST on Tue Aug 01, 2006 #
In a recent printing of the paperback version of the 1996 novel Fight Club, Palahniuk included an introduction that contained insight into some of the things Fight Club has "inspired" over the years.
Palahniuk's introduction said a book existed before:
---- start ----
Before there was the movie ...
Before 4-H clubs in Virginia were busted for running fight clubs ...
Before Donatella Versace sewed razor blades into men's clothing and called it the "fight club look" ...
Before Gucci fashion models walked the runways, shirtless with black eyes, bruised and bloodied and bandaged ...
Before young men started scarring kisses into their hands with lye or Superglue ...
Before young men around the world took legal action to change their names to "Tyler Durden" ...
Before you could walk into Office Depot, shopping for plain, matte white labels, and there on the Avery Dennison package (product item 8293) was a sample label, printed: "Tyler Durden 420 Paper St. Wilmington, DE 19886" ...
Before nightclub fist fighting in Brazil, where some nights young men would fight to their deaths ...
Before The Weekly Standard announced "The Crisis of Manliness" ...
Before the students at Brigham Young University fought for their right to beat one another on Monday nights, insisting there was nothing in Mormon law that prohibited their "Provo Fight Club" ...
Before the son of Utah governor Mike Leavitt was charged with disturbing the peace and tresspassing for running a fight club in a Mormon church ...
Before The Onion newspaper ran an expose on "The Quilting Society," where old ladies would meet in a church basement, lusting for "bare-knuckled, hand-stitching action," where "the first rule of the quilting society is you don't talk about the quilting ..."
Before Saturday Night Live featured "Fight-Like-A-Girl Club" ...
Before magazine and newspaper editors started calling to cuss me out, swearing at me because I insisted the whole idea of fight clubs was just an invention. Just my imagination ...
Before the University of Pennsylvania hosted conferences where academics dissected Fight Club with everything from Freud to Soft Sculpture to Interpretive Dance ...
Before a zillion restaurant reviews headlined: "Bite Club" ...
Before you could walk through airports and hear bogus public address announcements paging "Tyler Durden ... Would Tyler Durden please pick up the white courtesy phone ..."
Before people in Texas started wearing T-shirts printed with: "Save Marla Singer" ...
Before a variety of illegal Fight Club stage plays ...
Before my refrigerator was covered with photographs sent to me by strangers: grinning, bruised faces and people grappling in backyard boxing rings ...
---- end ---
All that and more from a 200-page work of fiction. Fight Club was Palahniuk's second novel but the first one he got published. The movie came out in 1999 and stars Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, and Helena Bonham Carter.
If the Fight Club novel came out today in our post 9/11 world, assuming it would even get published, it's not likely a movie version would be made because of the story's "Project Mayhem."
In fact, these sensitivities allegedly have hindered the movie production of Palahniuk's novel Survivor, which is better than Fight Club. Survivor contains a minor part about someone highjacking an airplane and crashing it into the Australian outback. No one else was on the plane when it crashed except for the highjacker who tells his life story (the novel) into a recorder. It's a great read.
posted by jr at 10:41 P.M. EST on Tue Aug 01, 2006 #
Teenagers aren't well organized, and don't keep secrets well. I don't see any significant FC trends for them unless the rest of us have a few more important things on our minds, like finding job n+1 when our mortgages adjust. A huge increase in "latchkey kids" could spark something.
posted by GuestZero at 11:38 P.M. EST on Tue Aug 01, 2006 #
Funny. At least these kids are getting some exercise to combat childhood obesity. Read the book, watch the movie, or better yet, do both.
OK, I'm assuming you ARE fucking kidding, here, right?
Nobody HERE ON THIS BOARD is advocating teenagers actually do this, RIGHT?
posted by McCaskey at 11:41 P.M. EST on Tue Aug 01, 2006 #
Stupid is as stupid does. With a little luck they'll kill each other before they have a chance to breed.
posted by YakRider at 12:47 A.M. EST on Wed Aug 02, 2006 #
This isn't really very new. I saw it on some tv program about two years ago, may have been O'Reilly back when I still watched him.
posted by Darkseid at 03:08 A.M. EST on Wed Aug 02, 2006 #
Kids have been fighting to solve problems forever. If nothing else works to solve their dispute, sometimes it is best for a couple of kids to pound on each other for a bit. It often solves the problem much better than being forced to hug and go to therapy. The fact that some loser with a camera catches it and puts it on the internet just makes the loser look even more stupid.
posted by fequalsma73 at 03:18 A.M. EST on Wed Aug 02, 2006 #
Do we need more chlorine in the gene pool?
posted by DoknowDocare at 06:35 A.M. EST on Wed Aug 02, 2006 #
Kids have been fighting to solve problems forever. If nothing else works to solve their dispute, sometimes it is best for a couple of kids to pound on each other for a bit. It often solves the problem much better than being forced to hug and go to therapy. The fact that some loser with a camera catches it and puts it on the internet just makes the loser look even more stupid.
Did you actually read the story? Most of these are ORGANIZED fights, or at least kids MANIPULATED into fighting others. Christ, why not just put these kids in a barbed-wire ring, like pit-bull bouts, and maybe people can plunk down wagers one which teenager can beat another to a bloody pulp.
posted by McCaskey at 09:16 A.M. EST on Wed Aug 02, 2006 #
I got a 20 spot on the kid with the mustache.
posted by fequalsma73 at 09:22 A.M. EST on Wed Aug 02, 2006 #
Kids have been fighting to solve problems forever. If nothing else works to solve their dispute, sometimes it is best for a couple of kids to pound on each other for a bit.
Yea, but now they'll just shoot you.
posted by tm at 09:26 A.M. EST on Wed Aug 02, 2006 #
Kids have been fighting to solve problems forever. If nothing else works to solve their dispute, sometimes it is best for a couple of kids to pound on each other for a bit.
since when are these problems? sounds to me that theyre just pitting two kids against one another - no problems between the two of them.
Ah, remember the good old days when we used to just have sex?
posted by billy at 11:30 A.M. EST on Wed Aug 02, 2006 #
"OK, I'm assuming you ARE fucking kidding, here, right?"
Uh, yeah, I was joking, dingleberry. Relax. What's the matter, your dress pants too "crisp" today?
But I still think Palahniuk's comments about it are hilarious.
"I hope they're having a great time."
BTW, grown men are engaging in fight clubs too. It's not just teenagers.
"Christ, why not just put these kids in a barbed-wire ring, like pit-bull bouts, and maybe people can plunk down wagers one which teenager can beat another to a bloody pulp."
Something like that already exists, and it's glorified on the TV news every Friday night in the fall as it should be. It's called high school football. Oh, wait, nobody ever gets hurt in football. Those football injuries are staged for dramatics.
posted by jr at 11:46 A.M. EST on Wed Aug 02, 2006 #
The Tough Man contests of the 80's come to mind. As far as adult fighting etc.
Wonder if they still have those?
posted by katie82640 at 12:17 P.M. EST on Wed Aug 02, 2006 #
BTW, grown men are engaging in fight clubs too. It's not just teenagers
Correct, and that's an whole different kettle of fish. The book Fight Club was based on men in their 20's and 30's fighting. Of course I realize you already know that based on your overly-fawning review of all the "great" Chuck Palahniuk's works of art.
Something like that already exists, and it's glorified on the TV news every Friday night in the fall as it should be. It's called high school football. Oh, wait, nobody ever gets hurt in football. Those football injuries are staged for dramatics.
Oh jr, give me a frigging break. Your little "Fight Club" is the equivalant of high school football?
Go back to watching your NASCAR Jimmy Bobs keep turning left.
posted by McCaskey at 12:47 P.M. EST on Wed Aug 02, 2006 #
I remember reading Palahniuk's comments on writing the book. He said the most important part of the story was the rules. He wanted to show how rules dictate our life, laws, and lack thereof.
(sarcasim alert)
Manipulation? I don't see how this is much different than when I was a kid in gym class playing dodgeball and we'd all gang up on the slower fat kids.
Tell the kid to have a doughnut and quit whining
posted by MikeyA at 12:50 P.M. EST on Wed Aug 02, 2006 #
In almost every fight, there are dozens of teens cheering on the pugilists or snapping pictures. Sometimes their schoolbooks are spread out on the lawns. In one scene, an adult holds the hands of a toddler who watches a fight as if it's another street game. In another, teens watch the tape as entertainment at a party like a music video.
During the most gruesome footage, one falling fighter strikes his head on a sidewalk and is knocked unconscious. While the defenseless teen's arms jerk spasmodically and his eyes stare upward, his opponent continues to belt him in the face. As the injured teen is dragged away, his head leaves a bloody smear on the curb.
Police here learned about fight clubs after Kevin Walker, 16, was jumped and kicked in the head outside his grandmother's house March 11, suffering a brain hemorrhage and other injuries.
Yep, sounds just like high school football to me.
posted by McCaskey at 01:05 P.M. EST on Wed Aug 02, 2006 #
The Tough Man contests of the 80's come to mind. As far as adult fighting etc.
Wonder if they still have those?
Katie, yes they still do those every february or march at the sports arena.
Anyone like pride fighting champinship in Japan? Now them guys kick a**. One guy who used to fight over there is even a hometown hero Mark Kerr. THey even did a special on him on HBO. He was definatly an AWSOME figher.
posted by tm at 01:14 P.M. EST on Wed Aug 02, 2006 #
Go back to watching your NASCAR Jimmy Bobs keep turning left.
YOU know Jimmy Bob, too? Garsh, I aint talkd to him in boute..well, lessus see, talladaga, nah..bristol, nah, but he sure did put up a good fite gainst det police man. Erybody kno he only hit bessy lou cusz he luves er. Let im kno I got one them monte carlos fixed up reel nic. doors open now. eliza say she fel lik da queen of the trailrr park.
McCaskey=Ignorant
posted by fequalsma73 at 01:56 P.M. EST on Wed Aug 02, 2006 #
McCaskey, are you saying no high school football player has ever cheap-shotted another? Are you stupid enough to say that no high school football player has suffered a head injury?
"A 16 year-old high school football player was injured in a game on September 16, 2005, while blocking on a kick-off. He received a brain injury and died on September 23, 2005. The athlete lowered his helmet into the chest of the opponent. Surgery was performed to relieve pressure on the brain and the player never recovered consciousness."
"An 18 year-old high school football player was injured in a game on October 29, 2005, when he was being blocked. He received a brain injury and died on November 15, 2005. He was a linebacker and was blocked with an unsuspected blow to the head at the end of the game. He had surgery to relieve pressure on the brain."
The only two deaths last year in high school football. Football injuries don't occur very often, but they still exist. And a lot of people pay money to watch teenagers knock each other around. The most wicked hits always draw the biggest cheers. Some of the games are broadcast on TV or taped for later broadcast. And the fans yell at the teenagers, the coaches, and the refs like it's the most important thing on the planet. Some group is probably out there trying to put an end to high school football.
And what about the unofficial pickup football games where kids, teenagers, or adults voluntarily meet in a field, a park, or someone's yard to play tackle football without pads? Do you think anyone gets hurt in these games? In one pickup football game I got my right collarbone broke. In another pickup game, two bones in my left hand were broken. Kids or teenagers get hurt. It's amazing they don't. Fight clubs, backyard football, skateboarding, bicycle stunts. Shit happens and bones break and blood flows.
McCaskey, I'm not supporting fight clubs, but it's not this out-of-control crisis you seem to think it is. And you're right, Chuck Palahniuk is great.
posted by jr at 02:14 P.M. EST on Wed Aug 02, 2006 #
Story Link
How has NASCAR kept salaries of drivers secret?
By STAN CHOE
The Charlotte Observer
"....The copy of Earnhardt's contract with Richard Childress Racing in the Lexington courthouse has been heavily edited, to protect confidential details. The contract appears to show that Childress would have paid Earnhardt $7.2 million in salary from 2001-03; the racing icon died in a 2001 wreck. (Another form in the file indicates his self-employment income was $7.2 million.) Another life insurance application estimates his total income at more than $10 million a year....."
Anybody here that can pony up with a bigger salary which would connote any conceivable position of superiority to be able to comment?
Surely not me....
posted by katie82640 at 02:15 P.M. EST on Wed Aug 02, 2006 #
Yes, McCaskey....don't you see? People who dislike NASCAR just don't get it. They don't understand the nuance...the poetry that is the left turn. However, it is much much more than that. There is also the art of helmet-throwing, flashing yer saggy-tits, and a little fashion designing (beer can helmet, stained previously white tank top, aka "wife-beater", and cut off denim shorts)
posted by pink_slip at 02:19 P.M. EST on Wed Aug 02, 2006 #
McCaskey=Ignorant
Geez, fegualsma73, and here I was so understanding of your "health problems" while you're "living at home" at the age of...hey, how old did you say you were, again???
I know jr can take a little jab about his NASCAR in good fun. See, here comes his counter-punch now (ducking)....hey, sorta like 'Fight Club'!
posted by McCaskey at 02:21 P.M. EST on Wed Aug 02, 2006 #
NASCAR? What about it? How did this topic swerve to NASCAR?
According to some kind of sports media summit three years ago, the most popular spectator sports in the U.S. are: (in no particular order)
college football
pro football
auto racing
posted by jr at 02:31 P.M. EST on Wed Aug 02, 2006 #
Football injuries don't occur very often, but they still exist.
Football injuries DO occur all the time. That is why high school teams have not only student trainers, but also physical therapists and doctors at practices as well as games.
Geez, fegualsma73, and here I was so understanding of your "health problems" while you're "living at home" at the age of...hey, how old did you say you were, again???
I don't need your understanding for my health. Unless I choose to disclose something, it is none of your business, nor is my age quite frankly.
posted by fequalsma73 at 02:31 P.M. EST on Wed Aug 02, 2006 #
NASCAR, eh? This is my approach to NASCAR.
Back in March, I wanted to see the Tennessee Williams play The Glass Menagerie that was being performed by the Harvest Theatre at the Collingwood Arts Center. I wound up waiting until their final performance, which was on a Sunday afternoon at the same time as the NASCAR race from the Bristol short track.
Naturally, I went to the play and taped the race. When I got home from the fine production of the play, I made myself a big, delicious salad, opened a bottle of red wine, settled into the comfy chair, and watched a dandy race. A most delightful afternoon and birdwatching wasn't involved.
posted by jr at 03:12 P.M. EST on Wed Aug 02, 2006 #
McCaskey, I'm not supporting fight clubs, but it's not this out-of-control crisis you seem to think it is. And you're right, Chuck Palahniuk is great.
Look, I don't think this is some out-of-control crisis, and frankly I don't care a wit if this is about adults of legal age secretly meeting and bashing themselves silly.
My problem with this is that the story deals with teenagers and I think it was irresponsible and idiotic for Chuck Palahniuk to say "God bless these kids, "I hope they're having a great time. I don't think they'd be doing it if they weren't having a great time." He should have pointed out his book deals with adults and these aren't adults.
I made myself a big, delicious salad, opened a bottle of red wine, settled into the comfy chair, and watched a dandy race>
OK, now NASCAR sounds better, though I might need two bottles of red. And add a porterhouse, medium-rare.
posted by McCaskey at 04:55 P.M. EST on Wed Aug 02, 2006 #
I also like that movie called Aussie Park Boys. It is quite a little fighting movie. My wife say's it's stupid. It really is stupid. Yet, I have watched it probably five times now. I like the music in that movie as well. It's kind of like Fight Club, except most of the fighting is in alleys, and prison fighting. I think you would like it jr.
http://www.r2-dvd.org/article.jsp?sectionId=4&articleId=6857
posted by Bbcmjeep43 at 05:37 P.M. EST on Wed Aug 02, 2006 #
How can we mention fight movies and avoid Romper Stomper?
posted by GuestZero at 12:39 A.M. EST on Thu Aug 03, 2006 #
I was once kicked out of a NASCAR race for being too drunk.
I thought that was a requirement to being there.
posted by MikeyA at 05:42 P.M. EST on Sun Aug 06, 2006 #
I thought you could only get kicked out of a NASCAR race if you puked in the announcer's booth? Could be wrong - we all know this happens alot :-)
posted by katie82640 at 06:19 P.M. EST on Sun Aug 06, 2006 #
I didn't know you COULD get kicked out of a NASCAR race. lol
posted by fequalsma73 at 06:47 P.M. EST on Sun Aug 06, 2006 #
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