Troy Patterson recently posted a commentary on "The Lovely Spectacle of UFC Fighting" over at Slate.com. He describes himself feeling "melancholy" and "sad" after watching an episode of UFC Unleashed.
I know how he feels ... I felt the same way after reading his article.
Mixed martial arts is a sport that continues to grow and evolve. Its critics, unfortunately, do not.
When a detractor of combat sports uses a term as obsolescent as "human cockfighting", they fail not only their audience, but also themselves.
Patterson's condescending perspective on the merits of cagefighting represents not an opinion, but a form of mass hysteria that has gripped the frail and timid souls in our media who are capable not of critical thinking, but of simply pointing and condemning.
To cast judgment on the UFC after watching an episode of "UFC Unleashed" is like writing a movie review based on a film's three-minute trailer. Or, sitting on a boardwalk bench and muttering "steroids" under your breath every time a rippling meathead passes you by.
I've always respected a dissenting opinion. What I do not respect, however, is rampant generalizing and arguments that render themselves fact simply because "John McCain said so back in 1995."
It is my opinion that the article in question has less to do with the contempt of cagefighting and more to do with masking the brittle psyche of columnists like Patterson.
At its core, this article is nothing more than a self-affirmation that Patterson has been able to distance himself from the sadistic world he envisions of 18-34 year olds who still live at home and thirst for violent stimuli like Grand Theft Auto and Reservoir Dogs.
I won't flat-out call him insecure, but I have a feeling that Patterson is the kind of person who will run into Wal-Mart for batteries and become deeply insulted when a slack-jawed patron mistakenly asks, "Excuse me sir, do you work here?"
I guess one could infer from my tone that I was a little annoyed by this article.
Perhaps that was Patterson's intention? To imagine me grunting and beating on my chest like the primate he thinks me to be?
Actually, I'm more annoyed by the incoherence of his article than I am at his petty name-calling.
Maybe I should lighten up.
Like they say: "Sticks and stones can break my bones but an insipid commentary by Troy Patterson will never hurt me."
Or the UFC for that matter.