Many are familiar with the Disney classic Mulan, enchanted by the story of a young girl turned war hero. In one scene, viewers witness Captain Li Shang rip “Ping” to shreds as he turns him into a man using a series of brutal tasks and exercises. Let’s not forget the harsh comments about his girly fighting style.
A recent case has broken out between Miami Dolphins players Richie Incognito and Jonathan Martin. Rumors suggest that Incognito wasn’t bullying Martin based off of race or out of anger problems, but to toughen up the young man.
Sound like Mulan yet?
Players and Pundits are coming forward to say that the Dolphin’s coaches directed Incognito to “toughen up” Martin, so he would become a better player. Players said the point was to teach Martin a lesson in manhood, hoping he would confront Incognito. However, Martin left without lifting a finger and filed complaints against the infamous, raging guard.
It’s hard not to blame Martin for leaving. Incognito was caught sending messages threatening to kill Martin’s family, and using derogatory language as a way of “toughening up” the young player.
Incognito claims that it was just “locker room talk”, meant to prepare Martin for the harsh language used on the field.
Threatening someone’s family and pushing them till their last button doesn’t always seem the most effective method of manning up a person. As long as he is performing satisfactorily, why should his level of manliness be a matter of concern?
If manning up Martin really was Incognito’s purpose, there are a multitude of different ways to go about that. Then again, men aren’t always held in the highest regard for being sensitive to feelings.