Orientalism and combat sports

Orientalism And Combat Sports
Orientalism is a worldwide known phenomenon presented by Edward Said that
argued how the east is projected in the west and how the west has a tendency to
eroticize it. That cannot be completely denied as throughout historical documents
and in literature Asia has been presented as a land of a different culture where
everything is different and magical.
In the west by giving this sort of an image eastern goods have been sold and
helped made the western business man profits. But what people fail to understand
is how the east is presented in a condescended manner and how it creates an
image globally where the east is categorized as something lower than the west.
Combat sport is an interesting example of how the image of east and its name is
used to sell sports. All across the U.S.A we can see posters of Muay thai classes
in which an 'Asian' man is presented in such a manner that he is supposed to
attract the learners by the fact that he is Asian. The posters claim to teach the
learners muay tahi techniques and give them muay thai training. The problem
that lies with it is that the image through which it is sold still remains
condescending. It tries to portray how the east has suffered and has come to the
west to find refuge.
Now, these muay thai classes though might actually give muay thai training
and actually do make the student an expert in this 'exotic' combating technique but
simultaneously embeds a condescending image of the east and how it can be
bought. Now the fighter who learns this rather new way of combat might be of any
race and class but the message definitely gets across of how the east should be
looked down upon.
Learning about muay thai techniques is not anything wrong but the projection of
this sport does become problematic. The sport continues to be eroticized and
presented in a manner that east is the field of the west from where anything can be
bought and brought in their land. Muay thai nobody considers to be presented in an
academic fashion where it can be taught from respectable and experienced teachers
from the east. But rather this Thai sport gets treated as a commodity which can be
taught by any Asian man because he is Asian and looks different and exotic.

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