APAD: In the country of the blind, the one-eyed man is king

7
7grizzly
楼主 (文学峸)

Meaning:

Among incompetents, even mediocrity passes for brilliance

 

Background:

 

The first known reference to this proverb is in Why Come Ye Nat to Courte?, a

poem by Englishman John Skelton, published around 1522. The poem is one of a

number in which he takes Cardinal Wolsey to task, with pithy lines such as

these:

 

    He is so ambicyous

    So shamles, and so vicious

    And so supersticyous

    And so moche oblivious...

 

Some years before, Skelton had been appointed tutor to the future Henry VIII and

was on good terms with Thomas Wolsey, but he ended up in prison later in his

life, most likely having offended the, by then, very powerful Cardinal Wolsey.

Not long after, Skelton retired from court and became rector of Diss, a town in

the East of England, well away from the intrigue of the Tudor court.

 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

This truism is often cited in the BJJ community. I read it in Rickson's book(I

think) and heard it in podcasts where martial artists reminiscing the pre-UFC

days. [Rorion Gracie started UFC in 1993 to market his family-style jiu-jitsu.]

The idea is that as most people don't know ground fighting (wrestlers pin but

don't submit) and overrate their ability to defend themselves, someone with

basic BJJ skills could easily dominate. When his boy asked if there was magic in

the world, Jocko Willink, the former Seal commando of the Battle of Ramadi (Iraq)

fame, answered in three syllables: "Jiu-jitsu."

盈盈一笑间
Hello master, U r the king of Jiu-jitsu in 美坛, aren’t u? lol
7
7grizzly
Sure, why not? As if MYSJ needs one :-) Any benefits?
盈盈一笑间
Does a king need a coronation ceremony? 哈哈哈
7
7grizzly
No. These days, kings prefer liquid assets :-)
盈盈一笑间
哈哈哈哈哈. Here you go ~ ~

移花接木
Is Tai Chi just a joke or crook?

 

7
7grizzly
There you go. Even an emperor wouldn't say no to them :-)))
7
7grizzly
I think it's a meditation in movement. Great exercise.
最西边的岛上
Right, our cat is themost handsome one among the smart cats

(even he's not the smartest one there); and the smartest among the handsome cats (even he's not the most handsome one there).

Yours is apple to apple; mine is apple to orange.  Just for fun. ;-)

7
7grizzly
You mean the guy in the video? Probably both :-)
7
7grizzly
Cats seem to care little, while humans quibble :-)
盈盈一笑间
Is 气功 just a joke or crook?
移花接木
混元形意太极门掌门人,徐晓东said so. a bounch of crooks

那玩意也不健身,练**的早S的人多了

7
7grizzly
:-))) The proof of the pudding is in the eating.
7
7grizzly
I shudder at the thought of young ladies armed with 气功 :-)))
盈盈一笑间
Maowi is very handsome ! I like his photo.How old is he?
盈盈一笑间
Ziyi Zhang in 卧虎藏龙?LOL
盈盈一笑间
Handsome in smart ones. It’s hilarious. haha
7
7grizzly
Heard of 卧虎藏龙. Don't remember watching it :-)
方外居士
石人一只眼,挑动黄河天下反。独眼龙厉害着呢!
7
7grizzly
For 独眼龙 to be 厉害, others have to be blind :-)
方外居士
高,实在是高!
最西边的岛上
He's 13 now, NotYoung, but still wild, crazy and full of fun
颤音
all the blind men unite and expel the one eyed man
唐宋韵
山中无老虎,猴子称霸王。
妖妖灵
我要是在工作时这么说,会不会被警告?:)
7
7grizzly
Some blind men have to be brave/desperate.
7
7grizzly
That's a great translation!
7
7grizzly
Many things we say here are MYSJ-only :-)
盈盈一笑间
You really enjoy that song, don’t you? Haha
m
moonlight7
学了没地方用?~
7
7grizzly
Sorry. I was joking. Of course one can and should use them