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  • Help on some research...

    Not sure if I've posted in the right place or not....guess we'll see...

    Hi all. I need some help with something. I'm doing a Junior research paper for my High School. I'm really low on ideas. It's a persuasive paper on anything ranging from argument or incident with pro and con opinions. It can be anything to do with America from Post WWII to Present. I was wondering if you might know any topics involving martial arts in America with lots of pro and con sides. I need enough information on it to cover 5-6 pages, 1200 words. And some articles written by some people with some kind of credentials or credibility, if possible. If you manage to think of anything, please let me know.
    Last edited by Drail; 02-07-2004, 09:50 PM.

  • #2
    You came to russbo.com looking for people with credibility?

    Or, people that knew people with credibility?
    Experienced Community organizer. Yeah, let's choose him to run the free world. It will be historic. What could possibly go wrong...

    "You're just a jaded cynical mother****er...." Jeffpeg

    (more comments in my User Profile)
    russbo.com


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    • #3
      I need to be able to cite my sources for this paper, so I'm looking for anyone that I can prove knows what they're talking about. I don't feel that there is no one here without a strong opinon, or knowledge on any matter. Just I need to convince my teachers that wherever/whoever I get my facts from wasn't from just anybody. I'm going to need articles on the topic though because I have to annotate those articles and hand them in as part of the grade. I'm really just looking for a way to make research as painless as possible by writing on something that hits close to home with me.

      This site isn't the only one that I am trying. I'm posting this on other forums to see what I get. Sorry for the trouble.

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      • #4
        No trouble.

        Few things. Are web sites credible resources to your teachers? I know in the past that some college students cited russbo.com as sources for their papers, and their college professors accepted them. But, I guess it depends upon your teachers. Some might think that magazine articles are credible sources, when in reality, mostly, they are dribble meant to satisfy the advertisers. Just compare Time and Newsweek, and the different ways they present the same thing.

        Martial arts in America. Man, that's a tough one. But 1200 words is not a lot. Hell, some of my posts have that many. It's not going to be the topics that are tough, it's what you use as the sources to back your pro's and con's up.

        But, an interesting topic would be the misuse of the Shaolin name. There are plenty of web sites of schools out there that pretend to be Shaolin related, but aren't. There are real Shaolin schools run by monks who are discredited by American ones. It might be a somewhat complicated issue, but, an interesting one at that.

        One that always fascinates me, is the misrepresentation of Shaolin history, which has become a hot topic in the US now, by various US commercial martial arts schools. Comparing web sites that present different views of Shaolin history would be easy. And, comical, at the same time.

        The other would be the alteration of imported traditional Chinese martial arts by commercialized American schools.

        Or, how about the nightmare process of obtaining visas for Shaolin temple monks in the post Sept 11 American world?

        Oops, didn't finish writing that novel yet, did I...

        I'm sure the rest of the gang will have better suggestions.
        Experienced Community organizer. Yeah, let's choose him to run the free world. It will be historic. What could possibly go wrong...

        "You're just a jaded cynical mother****er...." Jeffpeg

        (more comments in my User Profile)
        russbo.com


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        • #5
          Thought of something else last night while I laid in bed.

          Imagine that. Living in Las Vegas. Saturday night. A town full of amoral beautiful women. Laying in bed thinking about someone's high school research project.

          There must be an imbalance in the force.

          Anyway, another thought popped into my head. Bruce Lee. I realize that he's a god to many, but, in reality, you could discuss his impact, the pro's and con's of, on the importation of martial arts in the US. Whether his movies were instrumental in bringing a good practice of traditional martial arts to the US. Or, whether those movies were detrimental.

          Lot's of info on the net on this guy. Interesting topic, one which you won't find an easy answer to (which makes it easier to argue for or against any position you take).

          You can look at it from many different ways. From how he presented the martial arts concept in his movies, to, how he lived his life (and how he took care of himself, now, there's something to get into).

          I don't recommend the visa topic. I'm still having trouble putting it all together myself. And I lived through it.

          I'm sure the others will have more thoughts on this. And maybe, even on this topic...
          Experienced Community organizer. Yeah, let's choose him to run the free world. It will be historic. What could possibly go wrong...

          "You're just a jaded cynical mother****er...." Jeffpeg

          (more comments in my User Profile)
          russbo.com


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          • #6
            I meant to reply earlier but I've been kept occupied.

            I can't express my gratitude for the help you're giving me. It's more then I could have asked for.

            I can use Internet sources for sure. It is where I like to draw my resources from being that my library is poorly stocked on information about the martial arts world. I fear there is a great lack of knowledge about the Chinese martial arts in my region of the world; I take an hour drive twice a week to go to my Jow Ga Gung Fu classes.

            What make finding a decent topic so difficult is that I need something that involves American society to a fairly strong degree. The idea of presenting how the Shaolin name is interpreted by schools in America is indeed interesting but I'm thinking that I would need to keep referring to issues that deal outside the US. It's kind of the same for the history of Shaolin; I'd need to define what Shaolin is along with the history and knowing me I'd get into great detail about something while important somewhat distant from something kind of related to America.

            I think Bruce Lee's movies and accomplishments on the US is a really good one; Lee is even an Asian American. I could definitely discuss the interpretations of his movies in the US. But with all the rumor garbage about him, I'll have to search deep for the straight legitimate facts and people with credible opinions. However It is probably better I try and make the argument about a solid event in history or topic that isn't arguing about a single person's impact. Perhaps I could include Lee's impact with his movies with a broader topic on media influence.

            Now talking about the whole Visa experience does sound complicated. However maybe I could try and use some small details of the rough process to discuss in general how foreigners are being handled in the US now after Sept. 11. That is certainly a proper issue.

            Once again I appreciate the help very much.

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            • #7
              Careful. You've only got five pages, lol. Don't tackle too large of a topic. Keep it simple, concise, and effective.

              As for Lee, there is a lot of garbage out there, largely because the Lee camp tried to hide some personal issues of his. It would be a tough topic to tackle, because you're going to be dealing with a lot of rumors. But, rumors and allegations, based upon some educated insights, make a paper interesting. As long as you identify these issues as such, and not as purely factual. In fact describing the reasons why these allegations and rumors are just that, makes it even more interesting. Especially in Lee's case.

              Forget the visa thing. It's a nightmare of an issue, one which I have to get back to soon. You won't find any good sources on the net, or anywhere else, for that issue. What the US government describes, and what happens, are two different things.

              If you're looking for an historical event that has really altered life in America, other than Bill Clinton's new found use for cigars in the Oval office, that has to do with martial arts, I'm at a complete loss. I'll have to wait for another Saturday night to think about this.
              Experienced Community organizer. Yeah, let's choose him to run the free world. It will be historic. What could possibly go wrong...

              "You're just a jaded cynical mother****er...." Jeffpeg

              (more comments in my User Profile)
              russbo.com


              Comment

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