A question of morales

[SatyagrahaKF]

My sifu has been cracking jokes about homosexuals, most of which are dirty and not in anyway light-hearted. He has been doing the same thing about blacks and I am starting to ask myself if I should even take the class there anymore. I am getting trained by very good instructors but if there is a compromise of my personal moral grounds then it might not be worth it. Any thoughts would be appreciated, thank you.

[Orion]

Are they jokes, or are they rude comments. Could be a bad sense of humour?

[Sohan]

Sounds inappropriate, for certain. You might speak to a senior instructor that you trust about your concerns and see if they might say something to your sifu, if you are uncomfortable confronting him yourself. A sifu should be held to the highest standard, and this behavior as you describe it is absolutely inexcusable.

With respect,

Sohan

[ninjanurse]

Definitely not appropriate behavior for a teacher of any art....if he is teaching an art. Or is he just teaching you how to fight?

[Dont call me Sir]

Make your views clear by using your feet! And I don't mean kick him, I mean walk and keep walking. Find another instructor.

DCMS.

[IcemanSK]

Sounds inappropriate, for certain. You might speak to a senior instructor that you trust about your concerns and see if they might say something to your sifu, if you are uncomfortable confronting him yourself. A sifu should be held to the highest standard, and this behavior as you describe it is absolutely inexcusable.

With respect,

Sohan

I agree with Sohan & NinjaNurse. That junk has no place in the training area. Is this person teaching children, too? I'd speak to the Senior Instructor. If it doesn't stop, I'd consider training elsewhere in a hurry.

[cathal]

To be honest I'd speak with the Sifu first to determine if it is a sense of humour issue or not. If it is you can respectfully request that he not make those comments/jokes in your presence.

If it turns out to be his belief system and not just humour...I would take that opportunity to leave. Informing his superior may be a wise decision because I don't think any MA organization wants that kind of attitude associated with it.

[TigerDude]

This has nothing to do with a "sense of humor." It has to do with the person's ability to see people as individuals, not as groups.

I would confront the person directly, tell them in no uncertain terms that it is not ok to talk or make jokes like that. Only by confronting people can we hope to change wrong behavior.

[granmasterchen]

confront the problem first, let the person know how you feel that you are uncomfortable about those comments. If you act profession then hopefully they will as well since they are suppossed to be professionals. IN many places of the business world that wouldnt fly at all, NO DISCRIMINATION, zero tolerance, and so forth, if you ever go to the military then you will never find a place to be as strict once you've left. I think it is a good thing to instill proper morals in people especially in the martial arts. I view the martial arts as well as the military on the same priniciple that each of them should be training you on how to improve yourself and society, neither should be SOLELY focused on making you an ultimate killing machine, that doesn't solve anything, we need to learn as people to THINK and fix the problem without people getting hurt, not beating a problem physically. So I think that if you talk to your instructor or whom ever it is that is making the comments then the problem should be handled, if the person acts unprofessional then you should probally leave, it is a sad state for something like this to happen but it is better for you in the long run and hopefully you will make an impression on this individual and he/she will change their ways and learn from the experience as well and everyone will become a better martial artist in the long run.

[bushido_man96]

Does he make these comments during class? If so, definitely walk. I feel that classes should be conducted in a more professional manner, and there is no place for this kind of behavior anywhere in society, anyways.

Martial artists should be ambassadors to the public of their arts, styles, and beliefs. If you feel that your morales are compromised, you should discuss this with the instructor, and then decide whether to leave or not.