The Art of Fighting BS

Professor Rob Tuck, author of the Critical Ninja Theory substack, comes on the pod and discusses his curious road from specializing in Japanese literature to becoming an expert on the historical and mythical ninja. He discusses how his academic background and research led him to debunk many popular misconceptions about ninjas, highlighting the distinction between historical 'shinobi' and the fictional 'ninjas' popularized by media. With insights into his research process and experiences in academia, Rob underscores the importance of critical literacy in understanding Japanese history. He also delves into amusing aspects of ninja fiction and its cultural impact, making the conversation both enlightening and entertaining. 00:00 Introduction and Background 00:27 Discovering the Ninja 00:55 Research and Collection 02:29 Support and Academic Journey 05:20 Critical Ninja Theory 11:20 Real History vs. Fiction 17:16 Ninja in Popular Culture 21:47 Misconceptions and Realities 35:12 The Flexibility of the Ninja Concept 35:45 Western Influence on Ninja Weapons 37:15 Japanese Perception of Ninja 39:25 Ninja in Western Media 41:48 The Fascination with Ninja and Martial Arts 45:17 Anime and Japanese History 54:49 The Evolution of Ninjutsu 57:58 Conclusion and Final Thoughts Media mentioned in the show Resources and More https://criticalninjatheory.substack.com Bullshido · 54 Critical Ninja Theory with Prof. Rob Tuck

In this episode, philosopher Aaron Rabinowitz, PhD., from the 'Embrace the Void' and 'Philosophers in Space' podcasts, joins the discussion to delve into the nuances of Taiji (Tai Chi), masculinity, martial arts in general, and the philosophy of moral luck. Aaron talks about the importance of healthy masculinity in the context of martial arts, the philosophical concept of luck and how it challenges traditional notions of free will and responsibility. He further discusses his experiences with Tai Chi (Taiji), the value of different martial arts styles, the just world illusion, and the Creator Accountability Network. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 00:38 Healthy Masculinity and Political Directions 01:54 Martial Arts and Masculinity 04:52 Aaron's Martial Arts Journey 06:48 Understanding Taiji 28:40 The Philosophy of Luck 47:31 The Just World Illusion and the illusion of Deservingness 48:39 Hardwired for Fairness 50:20 Social Dominance and Masculinity 51:12 Privilege and Luck 54:38 Restorative Justice and Criminal Reform 56:30 Community and Cancel Culture 01:08:41 Masculinity and Virtue 01:14:45 Final Thoughts and Recommendations Aaron's Taiji instructor can be found at:https://members.molingtaiji.com/index.php The Embrace the Void, and Philosophers in Space podcast can be found on all major podcasting platforms, and at the links below:https://www.voidpod.com/ https://0gphilosophy.libsyn.com

Dr. Jason Goldsmith from The Immunology Podcast comes on to discuss the looming appointments to federal agencies overseeing the American healthcare system including Dr. Mehmet Oz, and RFK Jr.—and all the fallout we should expect from the upcoming changes. Listen to the episode below (like a weirdo), or on your favorite podcasting platform (as long as it's Apple Podcasts or Spotify, we have no idea where you're getting this from otherwise). Bullshido · 52 The Wonderful Land of Oz

With how social media is these days, it almost seems reasonable to assume that anyone who demonstrates a lack of social skills and/or a fixation on edgelord, meme culture is on the spectrum. And in a culture where so many young males are being raised by the internet rather than strong men in their actual lives—and everything that results from that—the issue can get even more confused. In this episode, Jack talks to Phrost about his experience working with actual autistic people, the particulars of the condition, and their place in our society, while Phrost goes into the history of the term "Weaponized Autism", and the ways in which young men are victimized by our culture, then weaponized by the worst actors in our culture—against their own best interests. Then, as always, the show goes off the rails. Enjoy. Listen below or subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, etc. Don't forget to leave a comment and a rating. (A good one, MF.) Bullshido · 51 "Weaponized Autism vs. Actual autism

For our 50th episode, we invited a few people to join in live and help us rank a set of popular conspiracy theories on their threat value to society brought by people who sincerely believe in them.

If you have an internet connection (which you do, otherwise you're reading this in the far future via gravitational waves or sophons or something), you're probably aware that a significant portion of any fandom is wet garbage on a hot day—and we're not just describing the smell at your local convention. And as we've been pointing out for the past several decades here on Bullshido, where there are sad, pathetic losers, there are the people who make their livelihoods preying on them by validating their garbage opinions. No bro, it's not your fault nobody invites you to the panel discussion, "they" are out to get you. In this episode, Phrost and Jack discuss a few examples of these people, such as "The Critical Drinker", explain the history of the weaponization and monitization of nerds, incels, and related losers, and try not to cut back on the profanity... and fail at that, and then fail at bleeping it out in the audio, because fuck it.

In this episode we discuss the burning dumpster clown assault rifle rodeo that is America right now, and Phrost nearly gets himself canceled over a "hard-R".

In this episode, Phrost and Jack do a short dive into the "Manosphere" —the corner of the internet that targets emotionally vulnerable dudes (mostly younger), and exploits that vulnerability to sell them garbage supplements, "how to get a date" programs, and much worse.

On this episode of The Art of Fighting BS Podcast, Steve Mix and Phrost discuss an overview of how disinformation works and how to counter it, then the discussion goes completely off the rails and ends up about the origins of the "warrior cop" mentality and how much law enforcement sucks as a career. Also, violent terrorist acorns. Listen here, or anywhere you get your podcast episodes, via iTunes, Spotify, SoundCloud, actual clouds, or the 5g reception from your latest Covid booster shot. And subscribe to our Patreon here to get the raw episodes on the same night they're recorded! Bullshido · 46 - Disinformation, Soldiers vs. Cops. vs. Acorns And here's the video referenced in the podcast: https://youtu.be/LmUphvIxIig

Steve Mix joins Phrost and recounts his experiences on the darker side of the Internet, the differences between police and soldiers, and art. Listen here below, or subscribe to The Art of Fighting BS podcast on iTunes, Spotify, or Google Podcasts. Bullshido · 45 Messages From the Dark Web

Gabe Pearlman is a BJJ Black Belt under one of the first Americans to receive a black belt in the sport, Tim Burrill. We discuss the role training in a full contact style plays in having a meaningful life at all ages, the differences between BJJ gyms, and the value of a BS-free training experience.

Dr. Jason Goldsmith (MD, PhD) and attorney Dante Bradley, join us to discuss the massive drama and BS in the... *checks notes* world of Dungeons and Dragons.

Matt Thornton of the Straight Blast Gym is an icon in the martial arts world, and in particular, has been beating the drum about functional training even longer than we have. In this conversation we discuss violence, how it is an unavoidable part of the human experience, and how to ensure good men are better at it than bad.

Ever dream about just saying "F it" and going to train an obscure martial art in a foreign country? Alyxe Khei did, and then lived that dream. He joins us on this episode of The Art of Fighting BS podcast to discuss tips and advice for people who want to visit exotic places and get punched by the people who live there, and we delve into the real history of Martial Arts and how ethno-nationalism looms over virtually every one of them.

Should you get the new bivalent booster? After all the back and forth between public health officials and social media influencer/grifter cranks, you'd think this would be a simple answer.