Voluntaryism (Fight video included)

[goodsamaritan]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9r2GAAaiKs (this video was posted in the sporting events forum)

For those who can't watch the video: a highly trained fighter beats the [censored] out of a young, morbidly obese guy who has obviously never fought before in his life. The fight occurs in a ring and the fat guy presumably agreed to the fight and was not randomly jumped on the street. As it turns out, the guy doing the ass kicking is 17 and is slightly younger than the morbidly obese guy.

My question: Is the trained fighter doing anything immoral by participating in this fight and destroying the fat kid?

Even if you don't technically consider what the fighter did to be immoral, I imagine that you must feel at least some sort of disgust at his actions. Where does that disgust come from if not from some sense of morality?

[tpir]

Kind of off-topic but why did this fight even take place? Was it "take on a pro fighter" night? And why didn't the ref stop it when the kid wasn't defending himself at all.

[ZeeJustin]

Absolutely nothing wrong with it unless there is some unknown factor like the kid being coerced into it.

When watching the video, I wasn't thinking "you evil person. How can you fight this kid?"

I was thinking, "You stupid kid? Did you actually think you could possibly win? Just give up now."

And lol @ the description:

[ QUOTE ]
IFL fighter Ben Rothwell beats the [censored] out of some fat kid who got lost on his way to buy Magic cards.

[/ QUOTE ]

[Borodog]

[ QUOTE ]
Where does that disgust come from if not from some sense of morality?

[/ QUOTE ]

Personal preference. I don't have to think that two dudes playing the back nine is immoral to find it disgusting.

When my cat hoarks up a hairball, it's disgusting, but not immoral.

[goodsamaritan]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Where does that disgust come from if not from some sense of morality?

[/ QUOTE ]

Personal preference. I don't have to think that two dudes playing the back nine is immoral to find it disgusting.

When my cat hoarks up a hairball, it's disgusting, but not immoral.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ugh, after I made this post I knew I shouldn't have used the word disgust because people would equate it with gross, which is obviously not what I was getting at. Certainly the type of disgust that most people feel when seeing a a helpless fat kid get the crap beat out of him is not the same thing as what the feel when seeing a cat barf. What I really should have said is "disapproval," as in "that guy would be a better person if he had chosen not to fight the fat kid."

Do you really think that your feelings towards a guy who participates in a fight like this vs. a guy who doesn't is really on the same level as preferring the red sox over the yankees.

[Borodog]

Still personal preference. He would be a better person if he didn't beat up the fat kid, bit that still doesn't make it immoral.

[AWoodside]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Where does that disgust come from if not from some sense of morality?

[/ QUOTE ]

Personal preference. I don't have to think that two dudes playing the back nine is immoral to find it disgusting.

When my cat hoarks up a hairball, it's disgusting, but not immoral.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ugh, after I made this post I knew I shouldn't have used the word disgust because people would equate it with gross, which is obviously not what I was getting at. Certainly the type of disgust that most people feel when seeing a a helpless fat kid get the crap beat out of him is not the same thing as what the feel when seeing a cat barf. What I really should have said is "disapproval," as in "that guy would be a better person if he had chosen not to fight the fat kid."

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't want to come off as a nit, but I can agree with your statement "that guy would be a better person if he had chosen not to fight the fat kid" and still not think it's immoral. I think Borodog was probably interpreting the word 'disgust' in the way you intended; but, a sub-optimal decision isn't necessarily immoral.

Not totally analogous, but to relate this situation to some other recent threads, I can think Michael Vick is an [censored] for what he did to those dogs, and make a reasonable prediction that I wouldn't like him if I had met him, I can even be highly critical of his decision and what it is doing to his psyche, but still not consider his actions immoral.

[Nielsio]

[ QUOTE ]
My question: Is the trained fighter doing anything immoral by participating in this fight and destroying the fat kid?

[/ QUOTE ]


Ofcourse.

Anyone recognizes in a second that this kid has serious mental problems. And what does the other guy do? He let's all his rage and anger loose on the kid. So this means that the stronger guy also has severe mental problems.


If I had to guess I'd say the stronger guy was physically abused as a child.

[goodsamaritan]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Where does that disgust come from if not from some sense of morality?

[/ QUOTE ]

Personal preference. I don't have to think that two dudes playing the back nine is immoral to find it disgusting.

When my cat hoarks up a hairball, it's disgusting, but not immoral.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ugh, after I made this post I knew I shouldn't have used the word disgust because people would equate it with gross, which is obviously not what I was getting at. Certainly the type of disgust that most people feel when seeing a a helpless fat kid get the crap beat out of him is not the same thing as what the feel when seeing a cat barf. What I really should have said is "disapproval," as in "that guy would be a better person if he had chosen not to fight the fat kid."

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't want to come off as a nit, but I can agree with your statement "that guy would be a better person if he had chosen not to fight the fat kid" and still not think it's immoral. I think Borodog was probably interpreting the word 'disgust' in the way you intended; but, a sub-optimal decision isn't necessarily immoral.

Not totally analogous, but to relate this situation to some other recent threads, I can think Michael Vick is an [censored] for what he did to those dogs, and make a reasonable prediction that I wouldn't like him if I had met him, I can even be highly critical of his decision and what it is doing to his psyche, but still not consider his actions immoral.

[/ QUOTE ]

At the risk of getting into semantics, to me the phrase "better person" is commonly understood as having moral connotations. There are certain types of people who I would prefer more (because the are more attractive, like the things that I like, etc.) but I would not say that they are better people.

[ZeeJustin]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
My question: Is the trained fighter doing anything immoral by participating in this fight and destroying the fat kid?

[/ QUOTE ]


Ofcourse.

Anyone recognizes in a second that this kid has serious mental problems. And what does the other guy do? He let's all his rage and anger loose on the kid. So this means that the stronger guy also has severe mental problems.


If I had to guess I'd say the stronger guy was physically abused as a child.

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't agree with any of those assessments. There's money involved. Even the most normal of people will do all kinds of crazy [censored] if the money is right.