I imagine some of our readers here at Blogging Blue are fans of UFC and possibly Ronda Rousey. And I can sort of understand why fans would want to dress like Rousey for Halloween. And even if we accept the violence involved in UFC…and we shouldn’t…we really really should put this ‘sport’ out to pasture…this video is just plain sick. It shows young girls and women dressed as Ronda Rousey…girls that look like they could be as young as 2 or 3. Beyond the skimpy outfits…I can’t imagine encouraging toddlers or pre-school or even elementary aged girls to pose in stances that simulate violence. I can’t imagine why these girls would even know about Ronda Rousey or UFC or want to dress as her for Halloween?
Are kids this age actually exposed to UFC fighting? That’s OK with society? If they were exposed to a nipple the prudes of the world would be screaming bloody murder…but are willing to turn a blind eye to real blood and potentially real murder?
There is absolutely no reasonable explanation for this. None. Although I am tired of the dozens of Frozen princesses that visited my home for trick or treat last night…I’ll take a hundred more over such a violent representation as a Ronda Rousey costume. Time to cut this crap out.
BTW: I normally wouldn’t have seen this video except a local elected Democrat posted it on Facebook. I suggest that it be taken down…and I FB messaged that privately.
Where do we draw the line? Boxing, wrestling, football? I believe the count is now nine dead high school football players this year. 52% of high school wrestlers will receive an injury and if they go on to wrestle in college the rate jumps to over 70%. Are these contact sports considered violent in the same manner as UFC fighting?
I didn’t see one Rhonda Rousey costume at my door but I saw many boys and girls dressed up as Green Bay Packers. If the video contained little boys dressed up as Mohammed Ali would the reaction be the same? What if they were dressed up as Clay Matthews? What if the little girls were dressed as Layla Ali?
Let’s face it societies lust for blood sports hasn’t changed much since the days of the Roman coliseum. Don’t get me wrong I also find this in bad taste and would never expose my children to this level of violence. I think the real issue is the graphic visual nature of the sport. Camera angles catching close-ups of open wounds and blood soaked people are disturbing. However, statistically one is more likely to sustain a severe injury playing football or wrestling.
Most of the little girls in this video are so young they probably have no idea what the UFC is or who Rhonda Rousey is and are the unfortunate models of parents living vicariously through their children. So, where do we draw the line… Should we stop idolizing those involved with violent contact sports or just those involved with bloody violent contact sports. Should we reclassify contact sports by the severity of the injuries sustained or by the amount of blood spilled? Should we put warnings on costumes about the possible association to bloodsports, make parents take a class or maybe we could include proper costuming into the children’s curriculum. What’s really in question here… the violent nature of the sport, the skimpiness of the costume or the influence the character may have?
Maybe, we should start with the realization that we are a violent warring nation. Our soldiers are recognized and honored for the number of enemy soldiers killed. Should we tell children they can’t dress as an “American Sniper”? What about the devil or Darth Vader.
My original reaction to this was who cares but I actually would care. I would care my neighbors, coworkers and other parents would think I was a complete asshole for dressing my child this way. I also would care someday my child would look back and say “dad what the hell were you thinking”? These irresponsible parents will have to answer those same questions and in that their lesson will be learned (or not).
With all of that being said the real question should be… Is Rhonda Rousey any less of a role model then Laila Ali, Clay Matthews or The American Sniper? Is her level of commitment and training not worthy of recognition through the role-playing that is Halloween? I think Ms. Rousey is a great role model (with proper explanation and censorship) and deserves recognition for her dedication to her “sport”. I would care but do I really care… NO!