Thread by @mariliacout

@fvckinashman @KarlitoRichII @JoLuehmann 1. Thanks, Jay. Yeah... the Gracies have had connections with oppressive violence in Brazil from day one. Their recent interaction with the fascist dictatorship (1964-85) is still not sufficiently told. @UrbanAntonio has been collecting pieces here and there.

@fvckinashman @KarlitoRichII @JoLuehmann @UrbanAntonio 2. There is another phenomenon that grew as an offshoot of Gracie-inspired BJJ: the neonazi BJJ groups in large cities like Sao Paulo, Rio and Brasilia. Their shady relations with the repression institutions is still not sufficiently documented, as a lot about ....

@fvckinashman @KarlitoRichII @JoLuehmann @UrbanAntonio 3... what happened in the dungeons of the dictatorship. Anyway, they have established a strong tradition of fascist support in BJJ. They openly support Bolsonaro and we believe (but have no hard evidence) that several MMA ...

@fvckinashman @KarlitoRichII @JoLuehmann @UrbanAntonio 4... fighters in Brazil were intimidated into publicly supporting Bolsonaro. It's not hard to understand why: their tentacles are long and they can end a career. If you go back to social media in 2018, all of them posted something ...

@fvckinashman @KarlitoRichII @JoLuehmann @UrbanAntonio 5... supporting Bolsonaro.

If any of you find info written in Portuguese about that, send it my way and I'll translate it. We have some awesome people in the fights there like @souljacker and @JrGabrielBjj but the left is still microscopic in BR MMA.

@fvckinashman @KarlitoRichII @JoLuehmann @UrbanAntonio @souljacker @JrGabrielBjj 6. As to the claim that MMA is a product of capitalist lsakdf;kjfd and patriarchy a;kdfj;sjdf... In a capitalist society, all the infra and superscructure are controlled by the rulling class by definition.

@fvckinashman @KarlitoRichII @JoLuehmann @UrbanAntonio @souljacker @JrGabrielBjj 7. We don't throw the baby out with the bathwater for this reason. Marx was the first to point out that the arts and the sciences were Humanity's patrimony, DESPITE being controlled by whatever ruling class there is. There is still space for ...

@fvckinashman @KarlitoRichII @JoLuehmann @UrbanAntonio @souljacker @JrGabrielBjj 8. ... a lot of progressive and culture-building action (again, despite the ruling class' control of society's superstructure). Sport is one important manifestation of human culture. All sports derive, at different levels of abstraction, from the arts of fight.

@fvckinashman @KarlitoRichII @JoLuehmann @UrbanAntonio @souljacker @JrGabrielBjj 9. The fights are not evil, pro-capitalist and pro-patriarchy any more than science or art. There are more right wing practicing individuals and directors/institutionally empowered folks in the sports than in the arts or science.

@fvckinashman @KarlitoRichII @JoLuehmann @UrbanAntonio @souljacker @JrGabrielBjj 10. For that reason, one can appreciate MMA (I do, and I watch the fights every Saturday) while disapproving of right wing behavior. A combat sport fight is a ruled game.