A Rant on "Rankism"

Don't you hate when people think they're better than you? It seems like in every group of people there's always some sort of clique that has this problem. Sergeants think they're better than privates and corporals, cheerleaders think they're better than band geeks, CEO's think they're better than all the lowly corporate underlings below them, etc. Some people just have an inner craving to be superior, and will use any excuse to feel that way. This is especially easy to spot in martial arts because of our rank system. There's a special term a friend and I invented for this special kind of arrogance: "rankism."

The qualifications for a rankist are as follows:

• Especially proud of their belt rank or title
• Bossy towards lower ranks
• An attitude of superiority
• Being a jerk to lower ranks or only wanting to socialize with people of a particular belt color

Basically, these people are the KKK of the dojo.

I know, we're supposed to have a special sort of respect for those who out-rank us. But what some people forget is that there's a special sort of respect for lower ranks too. That's why instructors bow back to students at the beginning and end of every class: respect is supposed to be mutual. It's a rank system...not a caste system. Unfortunately, I've seen my share of brown belts who act like aristocracy. They strut around, telling people what to do all while doing nothing themselves. Shouldn't the highest ranks be working the hardest to set a good example? Shouldn't they be the most disciplined, most respectful, most encouraging and most enthusiastic? While it's important that brown belts lead and instruct, their number one priority should still be self-improvement.

Of course, it's not just brown belts. I've seen rankism at every level...even Tiny Tots. It's a personal issue of the heart; no belt is to blame. I've seen yellow-belted rankists boss around white belts just as I've seen students soar all the way to black belt with enough humility to never be rankist at all. Some just want the feeling of superiority...and any sort of belt advancement will give them an excuse. It's a sinful human desire. Look at Eve: everything about her was perfect, but she was tempted by the possibility of being better. It was arrogance that made her eat that forbidden fruit. That's why martial artists need to be constantly checking their own hearts. With each new belt, the temptation to be vain grows a little stronger.

So if you're a martial artist like me, ask yourself if your rank and skills give you confidence or vanity. There's a difference. If you're confident, you should be selfless: striving to do your personal best while leading and encouraging others. If you're vain, you see no room for improvement in your own training so you spend all your time correcting everyone else. There is nothing more obnoxious than a vain, rankist martial artist.

Last month, I earned my San-Kyu brown belt. As soon as I stepped off that mat as a new brown belt, I swore to myself I'd never be a "brown supremacist." I would treat my purple and green-belted friends exactly the same as I always had, I would teach people the same as I always had, I would be the same exact person in a different color belt. If anything, I would push myself harder to be a better martial artist, instructor, friend, and person. That's my goal, anyway. I'm not very good with self-discipline so I'll end this blog post with one last request; if you EVER see me acting like a rankist...hit me over the head with a nunchuck.