Harsh Realities
May 7, 2007 by nopstar
I came across these vids, a couple of weeks ago. I personally find it difficult to watch. It’s tough at times at times for my Thai and American side to reconcile anything. Part of me watches this and I feel really bad for these kids. When I think back to what I was doing when I was six, and look at these kids it bums me out.
Then there is the other part of me that understands that life is hard. This is just how it is for these kids. My trainer Bunkerd started fighting when he was about 10. For him, it was always something he enjoyed doing, plus it was a nice way to supplement his families income. He once told me that when he was a boy, he would always be pulled from school during rice harvesting season to work as a field hand. At the end of the harvest, his family would be paid a one sack of rice for one season’s work. I look at where he is now, and how long he’s come in his life and it’s damn astounding.
Most of the Lumpini and Rajadomnern guys started off like this. It’s a harsh reality… you look at all the champs and sometimes you forget all the thousands of kids who fight who’ll never be champion.
So what was that kid writing on the paper? A waiver of some sort? Its hard times, and unfortunately one of the ways out of such dire straits is sports such as Muay Thai or boxing.
strange.. i was actually thinking about this aspect of our sport today! i’m sure this is human rights violation at some level. anyone know of any established lower limit on age for boxing and such sports?
Muay Thai is a contact sport with a high risk for injury. Most notably you can recieve head injuries and brain damage that drastically effect the quality of one’s life. I hardly think a six year old is capable of making an informed decision about the pros and cons of devoting one’s life to Muay Thai. Most likely the young child is forced to fight or allowed to fight while remaining ignorant of the possible long-term effects of his decision. I don’t think I could have made a decision as weighty as becoming a fighter until I was about 18. I think it’s wrong and possibly cruel to have kids fighting at such an age. I don’t want to ramble here, but I also think it’s false to say that becoming a fighter is the best way to escape poverty. This post is about young Thai fighters and I am not familiar enough with the economic situation in Thailand to say that becoming a fighter as a young person in Thailand is not the best way to escape poverty. In America, however, the chances of making a lot of money as a boxer are pretty small and the variety of non-boxing opportunities are huge. Imagine if a young child spent as much time as is required to become a boxer reading and doing math problems. He would be a friggin’ egghead. The only really strong reason to become a fighter is the love of the sport.
Re-reading Nopstar’s post gives you an idea of the economic situation that still exists in Thailand. Remember, it is a 3rd world country. Leaving school as a kid to work the rice fields, all for a sack of rice at the end of the month… Fighting for a few dollars doesn’t seem much, but it is huge to these families. The poverty there in the country side is very real.
Aren’t the MT schools also responsible for their young fighters’ education whether it be sending them off to school or providing schooling in-house? I’m sure if MT was as popular in Mexico as in Thailand that would also be a huge help for those very poor families just to get enough food on the table.
No one said it was the best way to escape poverty. Just one of the ways. Education is always a good means to do this, but sometimes, the quick payday of a fight is more alluring than the stability of longterm success.
I have watched a few documentaries about the fighters and camps in Thailand. I know it is a way out of poverty for a lot of these kids and their families. I really don’t think it is any different than American kids being thrown into football, baseball, basketball, etc. as a child with hopes of making it to the pros.
I better revise what I said. Tong Po is correct that nobody said that fighting is the best way to escape poverty. I agree that fighting may be a very good way to escape poverty in Thailand. I still insist that, in America, fighting is not even a good way to escape poverty. In Mexico, the best way to escape poverty is to move to America! My friend’s mother’s housekeeper makes $30 an hour. She makes about 50K a year, cash. In America we have a public education system. If you are reasonably intelligent you can get good grades and go to college. If you can’t afford college you can work part time and take very cheap classes at city college. Eventually, if you save your money, you can afford your last two years at a State university and possibly receive financial aid. This will bring you above the poverty line. You can also go to trade school. Making a lot of money as a professional athlete, however, is highly unlikely. Making a lot of money as a professional boxer, in America, is even more unlikely. Only the top fighters are paid well, and the rest of the guys/gals are, well, just above or even below the poverty line. Many Asian cultures and the Jewish culture, reasonably I think, demand that their children excel in school. I hate to stereotype, but I think it’s true. “Books before hooks!”
First…I doubt that 8 year olds fighting in the ring are giving each other brain damage etc….
YEah its hard….what are you gonna do?
Pee wee football in the bible belt isnt hard?
Kendo in Japan at 6 isnt hard?
I know its all a bit different yet at the same time its very similiar.
Fisher…dude, this is Thailand, not America.
You cannot compare.
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Guys, the families give there kids to the gym’s if they kid is good enough. The gym gives them food and shelter which the living condition may not be fantastic it is most of the time better than what they had at home. these kids cant actually harm eachother to badly. The human body can take a hell of a lot more than a 9 year old hitting you.