Great point, Toby. It is also complex.
When is the crap that stunk up the place- the result of a lot of bad teaching; and the fine ingredients by and large are best found outside the bowl!
I agree whole heartedly about the teacher being a jerk; it's why I find comments like this so atrocious
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Dan Harden wrote:
I make it easy. I don't recommend anyone. I tell people to go out and feel and make their own choices. Then they own their choices.
Why? It's the only way I currently know to be fair and open about it
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Mike wrote:
I'm tell 'em the same thing. And I always suggest that it's very important to find a guy they like and who seems like a nice guy, because that's how so much progress was made over the last 30 or so years. People I like and I think are serious, I give the best advice I can.
FWIW
Mike Sigman
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It's as if being nice is a sin. Of course "nice" is no qualification, but rarely have I heard it so consistently denigrated as a negative!
I'm not sure sure I agree about competition, testing and talking plainly though. if someone is looking for some thing that is rare and hard to find, there is a measure of plain talk that helps and it sometimes isn't exaclty equally complimentary of everyones efforts. I think some teachers efforts (not them as a person) are less than stellar and will not hold up to scrutiny in terms of Ip/Aiki. Others with skills are horrible people and or horrible teachers; and sometimes (as you recently noted to me privately)...they are both.
IOW, Mike is not all wrong in his sarcastic wit.
When is talking fact; talking smack?
When is not speaking plainly...talking smack to one searching?
There is a Japanese TMA teacher making the rounds who is crude, and rude to his students (all in the name of bujutsu); abusive at the slightest hint of challenge of his skills, and has proved rather conclusively that he sucks at teaching. On top of all of that, his skills are not exactly what some of the "IT" crowd would ever consider high level.
So...when does recommending him in public- while telling the truth behind closed doors- do anyone any good?
As I said, great point...but in truth it is a little more complex than a simple metaphor.
Cheers
Dan