Thursday, July 9, 2009
Would like to go on record as saying that I was quite dismayed to see your prominent article featuring MMA (mixed martial arts) in the past issue [Living, “Throwdown at the Showgrounds,” 7/2/09]. I had foolishly hoped that the overall intellectual level of the Santa Barbara area would continue to keep such sadistic pastimes away. It’s sad enough to see these types of activities going on in moronic city neighborhoods, but not in Santa Barbara!
Civilized countries do not allow chicken, dog, or bull fighting, and rightly so. Public hangings, floggings, and burning at the stake are now just history. Yet we are still promoting two human beings, or more, climbing into an enclosed space and doing just as much damage to one another as they possibly can, with an audience of cretins cheering them on!
Regular boxing is bad enough (I did it in college), but sadism masquerading as sport is something no intelligent, civilized society should participate in or allow. Violence breeds violence. To use it as entertainment is disgusting!
Please, in future try to look at the overall effect of what you are putting on your printed page. Think of this kind of savagery as you would sexual abuse of small children—it has the same roots. You have a civic responsibility, as we all do, to make the world a little better place than you found it. To promote MMA in any way ignores that important fact. — Bud Stuart