…And how it applies to you.
Yesterday, I linked to a few pieces exposing what is an ongoing fraud within the submission grappling community. I noted at the time that the entire affair has limited appeal to most of the readers here, but today I want to walk that back a bit: it turns out that what we are seeing is “consensus history” in action — a manifestation of Chomsky’s manufactured consent being constructed and fortified before our very eyes.
And the way that is being done is by control of the Wikipedia entry on “catch wrestling”. As was noted in the posts I linked:
And — perhaps most egregiously — Shannon and his Scientific Wrestling followers have begun shaping history itself to sell their products: the Wikipedia entry for “catch wrestling” focuses almost entirely on the Japanese and Wigan influence on MMA; Cecchine — who essentially re-introduced catch wrestling to this country, and who then popularized it through his Lost Art of Hooking series, is routinely “edited out” of the entry, along with Lou Thesz, who actual historians will tell you was not only a “hooker,” but one of the greatest catch wrestlers who ever lived.
By removing Cecchine and Thesz, Shannon and Scientific Wrestling are able to establish Karl Gotch and Billy Robinson as the only “legitimate” lineage to hooking — this, despite Thesz’s own connection to the Japanese pro game. And by doing that — by essentially writing history to suit their own agenda — they are able to install as the only legitimate heirs to the hooking tradition those whose trained in Japan.
And so we have the surreal spectacle of having long-time Cecchine boosters Erik Paulsen and Josh Barnett listed as famous practitioners of catch wrestling, while the man responsible for putting out the material they have long recommended is written entirely out of the history of catch wrestling.
In fact, the entirety of the American strain of catch is being written out of online history: by marginalizing Thesz and regularly removing any mentions of Cecchine from the Wikipedia entry, those whose agenda it’s been to control the narrative of catch wrestling are able to marginalize the one strand of catch wrestling they don’t control, namely, the American hook wrestling tradition.
And in so doing, they have effectively rendered “catch wrestling” synonymous with Japanese pro wrestling — introduced to Japan by Karl Gotch, who spent the majority of his professional life as an American pro wrestler, surrounded by the remaining few hookers his followers now seek to erase from the historical record.
It’s a perfect — and perfectly invidious — cycle of contrivance, but it’s been enough to fool any number of people who now treat “Coach” Shannon (as he is referred to these days) as an “expert” in something that he’s barely trained in — with that expertise supposedly proven by his having written himself into the history of catch wrestling using Lulu or some other self-publishing outfit, and then “editing” Wikipedia’s to create the perfect historical record for selling his own products and “proteges.”
I’ve managed to add Cecchine’s name back to the entry, but — as has happened countless times — someone will come along and remove it to preserve the perfect history they have finessed and forged to fit their economic purposes.
They rely on our not being forever vigilant — and on the knowledge that because so few people are really directly affected by such maneuverings, those who complain can be kept at bay. At least, so they hope people think.
But here, we see just how such things play out, even on this very minor scale: Wikipedia presents itself as a kind of “reference” text. And yet, the history it offers here is completed one-sided, riddled with errors, and driven by an agenda that comes down to nothing more than one business’s attempt to control a niche industry.
Your assignment, should you choose to accept: extrapolate out from this a lesson about both the mainstream press and “history,” as it is currently understood.
I guess they’re using a program to send them an email or some other notice of when it gets changed… I used to have something like that on XP.
I heard this fellow named Zinn died recently.
I personally never heard of him before his timely demise, but from what I’ve gleaned from the discussion since, I figure he probably has a place in this discussion.
History as business. Zinn’s book does play a bit here, because he was economically tied to promulgating its central idea. He couldn’t merely defend them purely from a historian’s perspective. He wouldn’t have been able to peddle his “People’s History – the comic book” or “The People’s History – the stage play” if it was debunked.
Al Gore comes to mind too. Truth. History. Shambles.
“…extrapolate out from this a lesson about both the mainstream press and “history,” as it is currently understood.”
What, again?
History, as it is understood by one of the progressive retards that was around a few days ago:
These memes have taken deep root, and the leftbots spew them out, and truth has scarcely got its boots on.
Ooo, an analogy contest.
Scott Brown was elected because the people of Massachusetts were upset that they would have to pay for Virginian’s health care. They want that sweet sweet government intrusion all for themselves.
Even more recent, Obama’s #1 priority has always been a three letter word. J-O-B-S.
Eurasia has always been at war with Eastasia.
The Orwellian machinations at Wikipedia would be risible if it weren’t taken seriously by a substantial majority of its readers.
What was the name of the “scholar” who was policing everything on Wikipedia even remotely involving “climate science” and banning any user who dared disagree with him? It became enough of a public scandal that the Lords of Wikipedia had to cancel the guy’s Admin privileges.
Looks like it is already gone.
When it operates, truth operates in a morally asymmetrical environment. Just to state the obvious.
Here we go: William M. Connolley.
Cranky D was asking about programs that people need in an earlier thread. How about one that not only notifies you that a particular wiki entry had been changed but makes it as easy as possible to change it back, one click easy. Call it Wiki-War. Even chaos is better than lies spread as truth.
You do know your edits were reverted automatically by a bot, don’t you? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_talk:70.57.30.117
A bot? Great. Doesn’t that completely defeat Wikipedia’s supposed purpose?
I see one thing labeled XLinkBot on a page of 50 edits attributed variously to screen-names or urls, and some of these edits remove and others re-emplace information about Cecchine.
They rely on our not being forever vigilant, whereas they are tireless in their mischief.
Human entropy appears to be as relentless as the second law of thermodynamics: You can never sweep the kitchen floor so perfectly that it never needs sweeping again, and when it comes to those who would rule over you, you can never turn your back on the bastards.
linking wiki is silly.
I could cope with a bot if it looked like Liz Hurley, but not if it had autofire nipples.
The bot explains:
I’m still reading up on this a bit. (As you know, Jeff, I have a totally different background and find some of the history and terminology confusing at times.)
But, three things. First off, there’s something to be said purely for efficacy. I’ve modified some submissions from Tony’s advice and they’ve worked better. Case in point. That isn’t what I was taught yet it works, really well. He clearly knows what he’s talking about.
Second, as I mentioned on the other thread, that Jake Shannon guy doesn’t pass the smell test. Scientific Mind Control? C’mon, the guy’s a huckster, it’s obvious.
Third, just messing around with Google a bit this afternoon it seems pretty clear that this rewriting of history is as intentional as you say. Not just wiki. Google auto-suggest even. Then the links. Tony’s clearly been Google-bombed. But, what’s funny, then you go look at some of those links and you come across people saying how much they learned from The Lost Art of Hooking or how they liked his approach to the scarf hold or the like.
Okay, forth thing. Joe Rogan is a nut. Don’t believe me? Check out his twitter. There isn’t a piece of bullshit out there that guy hasn’t fallen for. Moon landing? JFK? The truth is out there, Joe, now get back into your isolation chamber and find it!
This is exactly why I have ignored Wikipedia as a resource for anything except (computer/video) games.
To paraphrase Penny Arcade, any system of reference where the truth is decided by the guy who yells the loudest and longest is going to have issues with accuracy.
Gee, I wonder why my daughter cannot cite Wikipedia in her papers for her graduate courses.
NOT
In other news, Krauthammer pares it all away down to the pith. Again:
Amen.
It’s a microcosm of a larger systemic attempt to rewrite history in general. Soon history will be nothing but a series of propaganda pieces dribbled out by the state run media. Welcome to 1984. Thanks Orwell.
Krauthammer is a sage.
He said that about Obama? Barrack Obama?
When was the last time Obama gave a speech and used a word you couldn’t find in a 6th Grade vocabulary list?
Hey look, Joe Rogan just fell for something new.
His tweet.
The actual story.
There’s a group on wikipedia dedicated to deleteing any heresy against global warming.
As an added bonus, they can get the wiki administrators to ban anyone who doesn’t agree.
“I heard this fellow named Zinn died recently.”
Good, another dead marxist.
A real affirmative action program might be to get Joe and some of his Progressive buddies to actually meet and hang out with some black folks.
Wikipedia is a depressing illustration of how (say) fascism isn’t ideological (it’s without fascist premises, I mean), but more like an emergent property of…everything? Of people doing things. Of unindividuated goal-havingness, or the sum of individuated same (if summed). So everything, almost.
That sucks.
The last time he mispronounced a word in a speech.
Stop beating a dead “corpse,” psycho. ;-)
I removed the Youtube link last evening and reposted the sentence or two. What is the bot’s newest complaint?
It does not fit Teh Narrative.
Actually, I’m still seeing what I wrote after the bot told me not to post Youtube links. It’s under Mixed Martial Arts. Are you all not seeing it?
Thing is, people have added similar info in the past and it has been edited out.
The ‘bot edit is not what I’m talking about, as I made that correction. If, however, the info disappears again — as it has before, without bot interference — we’ll know what’s what.
speak of “corpses”
link
I see it.
I am an enthusiastic albeit minor contributor to Wikipedia, and have been for years. Still, I share Jeff’s frustration, and therefore share Harlan Ellison’s much more intemperate expression of the same feeling, when the same thing happened to him:
Am I to understand you don’t despise Chomsky?
Not that Weisdouche turd-burglar again. Sheesh.
No, impermanence does not equal chaos. Really, that is nonsensical.
This Weisman is a satire wrapped inside of a parody masquerading as pastiche, or am I wrong?
Or a nozzle of douche. Take your pick.
Look under the “history” tab to see what’s been done and when. You can compare versions there, too.
No, impermanence does not equal chaos. Really, that is nonsensical.
Impermanence of what? Clouds? Trees? Critters? Civilizations?
None of them are permanent.
But if you can’t even rely on Han shot first or any of the Stuff Jefferson Said (4th. ed), then that, my friend, is the very soul of chaos.
Not only did Han shoot first, I would have expected nothing less of him.
It also showed him to a an artiste with a mere blaster. Myself? I would have emptied the clip (power cell?) into the greene twerp, then stomped the charred remains into paste. ‘Cause Greedo was a punk Bitch.
Talk down Han Solo? Talk down Han ‘frikking Solo? A heaping bowl of Fail, drowned in Weaksauce.
so a wikipedia edit war huh. wow.
so a sarcastic blog comment huh. wow.
What strikes me most about American wrestling is that it’s the only mainstream activity where hooking and catching are celebrated instead of condemned.
Yo yo Alan: You might have the wrong magazine.
nd the kickass references.
wikidickless is full of little hench-bitchs who will change your entry a few times and then accusing you of violating the 3x or POV rule. I am surprised they do it to catch wrestling, but in any political issue, watch out, the libtards spring from the digital matrix like an army of fast zombies.
A perfect example is this wikipedia entry. Jesus, when it was first started it got erased and mangled a few times, then finally it stablized.
Your assignment, should you choose to accept: extrapolate out from this a lesson about both the mainstream press and “history,” as it is currently understood.
If yous denies reality, brose, ‘youse is history’, just like the mainstream press corpse and soon the Obama Corpse.
Lords of their own make-believe domains. Something like winning at “World of Warcraft” I guess. How proud they must be…
Wikipedia is just misnamed. It’s not an encyclopedia, or a reference center, it’s just the world’s largest general-subject blog, holder of the Guinness record for Longest Sustained Pointless Argument.
Anything that anyone actually has an axe to grind about is unreliable on Wikis, which means that anything you’d actually bother to look up, you’re better off looking somewhere else.
I actually found it quite interesting, wouldn’t mind more links to the history of “hooking.” to tell the truth.
…truth has scarcely got its boots on.
Truth should wear slippers.
Well, Douglas, that’s the point. You’re getting less links. In fact, you’re getting a very small part of the story — the one “owned” by a relative few.