The Fall of Faith

I apologize for all the ranting I've been doing lately. I've been having difficulty finding a new job, and acclimating to a new lifestyle rather forcefully, so I haven't had much time to paint. But I promise, soon I'll have new things for you all to ogle and nitpick, I swear it! However, today, I need to vent about something rather dear to my heart...

As none but a few of my dedicated followers know, I am a devotee of the European style of swordplay. I personally have studied the actual martial art for two and a half years straight, as well as 8 years of historical studies before that. Commonly called fencing, but nothing like the sport played nowadays, my style of swordsmanship was developed by the masters, going back through Cabijos and Rhodes, as well as the Greco brothers, and several other renowned swordsman from the 17th and 16th centuries. We do not prance about waving play swords, nor do we roll and tumble like acrobats, as the Olympics or the movies would have you believe. A historical fencer with blade in hand is a tuned lethal machine, capable of besting many other fighting styles, save for other swordsmen, whom we had much in common. Look closely at  Chinese longsword fighting, or samurai katana combat, and you will see INTENSE similarities with European long sword, rapier, and saber styles. So saying one is better than the other is false and insulting.  That is point one. We are not athletes, we are martial artists who have developed lethal skills with live weaponry.

Point two is this: If you are going to use a sword, knife, or dagger, or even any bladed weapon... LEARN EVERYTHING ABOUT IT. For God's sake, would you walk onto a range with a rifle and shoot it like a pistol? NO!!! Similarly, you inspire a dreadful amount of disrespect and contempt when you call a gladius, one of the most feared weapons of the Roman Empire, and a recognised symbol of Bronze Age imperial doctrine, a dagger. A dagger is a weapon used to stab, an assassin's blade. A gladius is the ideal sword for Roman Legion formations. The difference is astounding, and it shows to anyone that you don't give a damn about history or the symbol you claim to care so much about when you can't even name it properly, much less wield it in any sort of manner even vaguely approaching efficient.

My last point is for all the 'scholars' out there, who say stupid things about history that make absolutely no sense, and then have the gall to claim you have proof, when 500 years of historical evidence refutes everything you say. My point is thus: STOP. Please. I beg you. Stop making up facts. Stop claiming you read it in a book about a guy who read a book that said it. Stop claiming utterly retarded ideals like knives being used strategically in combat situations, or longbows being unable to penetrate two barn walls with a point blank shot, or any other number of silly ideas that you had playing video games or drinking beer. Go out, and actually read the word for word translations of 15th century manuscripts detailing combat. Look at 17th century dueling transcripts. Actually shoot a longbow, made in the traditional fashion. ACTUALLY STUDY AT THE FEET OF A MAN WHO HAS DEVOTED HIS ENTIRE LIFE TO THE STUDY OF THE HISTORY AND APPLICATION OF MEDIEVAL AND RENAISSANCE WEAPONRY. That is what I wish to say. Do those things, and then actually make an informed opinion, instead of listening to sources that seem to want to do nothing more than cloud the waters with the opinions of men who do not know a single thing about armed combat, or history in general. This also applies to other topics as well. DO NOT weigh in on topics that you have no fucking idea about, or where the only information you have comes from people who have no training, experience, or even any backing other than biased personal opinion to validate their arguments. To do so insults the topic you weigh in on, and it insults the people you are conversing with, and most of all, it insults yourself. Please heed my warning.

I hope something good comes from this, but I know nothing will. Please forward this to someone you know who is in need of a good pick me up, if only to prove that there are others out there who are as disgusted as they are. I also want everyone to understand that these are simply the prime examples I could find off the top of my head. If I wanted to include every single instance of idiocy, I would be seven pages in before getting halfway through. I wish you all the best, and regular painting threads will resume soon. Thank you...

Good night, and Good luck.