I’d like to start by thanking DJAceBoogie404, without whom this blog would not be possible.
You see, I was searching YouTube for footage of Chris Rock’s recent live special where he finally breaks his silence and talks about his confrontation with Will Smith. And after getting catfished by a few misleading videos with really nice thumbnails I finally came across DJAceBoogie404’s masterpiece. Aiming an iPhone at his television, he captured the final 8 minutes of the special where Rock goes all in on Will. No commercials. No commentary. Just the occasional chuckle when DJAceBoogie404 couldn’t hold back.
It’s been a year since Rock was famously assaulted by Smith at The Oscars after making a fairly flat joke about Will’s wife, Jada. I’m going to assume that no one reading this blog needs more of a recap than that.
I know that some people back Will on the actions he took that night. His wife was being teased and he came to her defense. While I understand that position, I personally don’t agree with it. I’ve been on Team Rock since the slap went down. You can be upset about a joke. You can even address the fact that you are upset about a joke. What you can’t do is resort to violence to express that upset.
But that’s just me.
I consider Rock to be one of the greatest stand-up comedians of all time. The thought of him taking an entire year to craft a response and utilize his best skill to broadcast it live truly had me intrigued.
It also got me thinking.
For quite a while now I have stopped addressing, commenting on or getting riled up about, how do I put this gently, bullshit training modalities.
For one, I don’t think it’s good business practice. It is way better to focus one’s attention on the positive contributions they can make towards the people and things they care about. No question about that.
From a personal perspective, in the past, whenever I did call out the nonsense, I tended to feel like the Will Smith villain. The big, overly-muscled meathead bullying influencers or trend-driven facilities by claiming that their methodologies were unproven, their business practices charlatan and their motivation was to prey on the insecurities of the masses - even though their reach and audience were bigger than my own.
But as I watched Chris engaging in his signature prowl across the stage as he oscillated between calling Smith his hero and a bitch, still visibly shaken by the incident twelve months later, I couldn’t help but identify more with Rock.
Because even though my plight is not nearly as public or high profile and, to this point, has not resulted in even the slightest hint of violence, it is very personal to me.
Training has given me a lot. It has given me health and capability. It has given me confidence and camaraderie. It has allowed me to make a living and provide for my family. And it has allowed me to positively influence and help others.
And if you can’t stand up for others, who can you truly stand up for?
There are people out there - some of whom I know personally and many more that I do not - who are selling you absolute horse shit. And it’s not that they don’t know better. They most certainly do.
But they are praying on your insecurities, lack of knowledge and the public desire for something new and shiny and doing you harm in the process. And their motivation is purely self-serving.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not expecting anyone to run a charity organization. And I’m happy for all fitness businesses and trainers and gyms to make money and gain success. It’s necessary.
But a cash grab can’t be the only motivator. And many, many times it is.
I’m not claiming that we are the only ones out here fighting the good fight. I’m not even claiming that we never get anything wrong.
But our main goal is to take training seriously and do what works so you can experience your most powerful self.
While others are just out there looking to slap you in the face.
I’m not going to let that happen.
Like Chris Rock, it’s time to fight back.