In The News: Jordan Van Toast Opens Community Clinic
Posted August 24th, 2008 by The Zang Fool
In a surprising move that has bolstered the upstart community acupuncture movement, renowned Buddhist acupuncturist Jordan Van Toast has opened a community acupuncture clinic in Seattle, Washington. The grand opening of KommuniKi Kommunity Klinic (KKK) saw 100 residents of Seattle treated by the legendary Jordan himself, who was happy to announce the unveiling of a powerful new treatment.
“We at the KKK want to help as many people from Seattle as we can, and that is why I developed this new treatment strategy that works on all conditions and removes evil Qi. You may have heard of the internal dragons treatment and the external dragons treatment. Well if you come to KKK, you will get the Grand Dragon treatment!” Jordan said in his inimitable way. The Grand Dragon treatment consists of kyutoshin moxa on CV17, CV12, CV6 and bilateral ST18. In effect, the Grand Dragon treatment creates a burning cross like effect on the patient. “We burned 100 crosses at KKK with the Grand Dragon technique. It is very strong treatment.”
Jordan also commented that he believed that local boutique acupuncturists have initiated a negative publicity campaign in an attempt to weaken the community acupuncture movement. “I put out a press release that KKK was coming to town, thinking that people would be happy. Then, many people came screaming and yelling outside the clinic. ‘KKK, Go Away!’ people chanted. It was very strange.”
Regardless of the controversy, KKK has had a strong opening. Jordan commented that he is happy to have had so many men respond to the opening of the clinic “So many bald men have come. Scalp treatments have been very easy. I burned crosses on their heads. You can do the Grand Dragon Treatment on GV20, GV22, GV24 and both GB16’s. I knew that KKK would reach a more male audience. I am very happy.”
KommuniKi Kommunity Klinic is open 6 hours a day, 6 days a weeks until 6pm.
Out of line
Dear Zang Fool,
I normally appreciate satire, and up until now, I've enjoyed your postings on the front-page blog. Unfortunately, I feel compelled to point out that this posting crosses a line and is distateful. There is no humor in singling out an individual practitioner and equating their name with the Ku Klux Klan. Satirical or otherwise.
-David
Yuck.
I, too, can appreciate sarcastic humor. What I don't appreciate is a specific person being targeted. Nor do I appreciate something as ugly as the KKK being used as part of the 'joke' or whatever it is one wants to call it.I'm picturing some of my patients, and how they would respond to reading this particular blog. I'm guessing that many of them would, at the very least, be confused by it. Some would be disgusted, some would wonder why I ever sent them to this website, and others would be personally offended. What's the point of this particular blog, anyway? If it's to use humor to help us open our minds and THINK and to have thought provoking DISCUSSION, then that's a good thing. I'm willing to bet that the blog writer is clever enough to use humor to get the point across, without being so negative. If the point of the blog is humor only, then perhaps it should go to the members-only section in order to avoid confusing the general public.
Here's the Line
In poor taste...
While I appreciate the merits satire and sarcasm as much as the next person, I have to agree with David, this post is inappropriate. Esp. for the front page. What is said and done on the front page of CAN reflects heavily on CA punks as a whole. I feel that, like the total flameout between a pair of CAN members last month, the Zang Fool's Blog is best relegated to the forums and members only access.
Wade
http://www.qi-well.com
where is the line?
The line
Lisa,
To be honest, I'm not sure where "the line" is. Although I'm the one who first used the term, I don't think there is a steadfast rule saying which topics are open to satire, and which just go too far. Like everything else in life, it is relative.
When I first read ZF's posting, I had to read it twice. My initial reaction was "wow, did he just go there?... yep, he just did..." However, it wasn't until much later in the day that I decided to comment. Your question above prompted me to question myself and to ask what it is I find so objectionable.
When I was seven years old, I lived in rural North Carolina. For halloween, my mother made me a ghost costume out of some old sheets and a pillowcase. Well, I got my ass kicked at school that day for looking like a Klan member -- in that part of the country, "ghost" was not the first image that came to mind when people saw my costume, and the humor of the mistake was not felt by all. Particualrly me (ouch.)
No, I don't object to ZF's article because of painfull childhood memories. I object because the subject matter under scrutiny does not warrant the level of satire. In other words, the silliness of our profession is a topic that is definitely open to satire; however, singling out an individual practitioner and making Klan connections in their name is too much. Matsumoto would be very justified in being angry should she read this. The Klan is an organizaion who has a very srong emotional impact on the psyche of our country -- I cannot say the same about Matsumoto's practice.
I have a link to the CAN front page on my website. I put it there so patients can find out more about commnity acupuncture. Most of these patients are not LAcs, and most of them don't give a shit about the silly baroque spectrum of our profession, they just want to find out how they can get healthcare for $15. ZF's article might have been more appropriate in the "State of the Acupuncture Profession" forum, that is availble only to private subscribers. While I would still find the article distasteful, at least the audience there would have demonstrated an interest in the topic by being a subscriber.
I want to clarify that while I find the article to be in poor taste, I don't support censoring it. I just hope that ZF, in the future, will put more thought into the context of his peices before publishing them. I also, hope that ZF will contribute to this thread of comments.
Thank you,
David Lesseps
www.circleca.com
Using a real person
For me the line was crossed in using a real person whom I can only assume is unknowingly the target of this post. It's one thing to use a giant conglomerate like Walmart in a satirical post, but this is one real practitioner whom as far as I know has nothing to do with CAN. It my have been a clever funny post, but once I read the name of somebody I am familiar with it lost all humor and just left me confused wondering what the Zang Fool is trying to accomplish with this.
A made up name which could even have been a play on the name of any "famous" acupuncturist would have been a better idea IMO.
Offensive or not, it's just
re: where is the line with satire
we are all so different here and that is one of the great things about CAN - so i am not sure we can draw the line collectively and it would be weird and perhaps a bit authoritarian if we tried. but i do agree with guest that the novelty of these mock news posts seems to be wearing off. i am also weary of insulting a specific person in this way without knowledge of their personal history. yes, this was a creative post, but i cannot see it sparking a thoughtful discussion about acupuncture profession (except perhaps this one about limits of satire / civility on the blog).
thoughtful and funny are not mutually exclusive. rememebr that our patients can easily read these blogs.
-tatyana
clever but not funny--
--that's my vote on this one.
I think...
the word SLANDER comes to mind. I would would vote to remove this blog posting... this was not in good form.
Hmmmmm
I am of the opinion that if this sort of satire were going to continue on the CAN sight, it should probably be moved to the "members only" section. I too have directed many people to the site to learn more about CAN, and I'm not sure that this sort of inside "joke" would help promote the basic ideals of CAN. Whether or not it is appropriate at all is another conversation entirely.
why the disrespect?
what?!
Huh?
?funny.
Seriously, though...
Hmmmm. What to say? I suppose that it would have been best for me to state my intention as a blogger on CAN before I started writing. I have updated my account info in order briefly state just what my intentions are in writing on the front-page blog. In addition, I hope this response will fill in the blanks of that short description. Also, I will be starting an independent blog page that I will post on more regularly and pick and choose what goes up here.
It is not my purpose to be funny, though it may be incidental at times to my writing. Humor is a means, not an end, as I am a satirical writer. It is my intent to bring about positive change in the acupuncture profession by increasing its availability, not just by jabbing folks on the cheap, which helps, but also by jabbing acupunks in the brain, which is critical. CA is a great idea, but if there is no one around pushing it out to the world, well then how is it going to spread? CAN is a great way to push people and different people push in different ways. My vehicle for this push is the written word in the form of satire. And every piece I’ve written is an attempt to address an issue, while also prompting discussion.
I feel awkward explaining the meaning of a piece to those who obviously didn’t get it. I am not sure that that is the role of any writer. But, here goes…
This piece employed basic irony to critique the branding of treatment strategies, as well as the branding of ones practice. Hence the conflict between the name of our heroines practice and the treatment strategy she is using in her clinic. It is also ironic that in their attempts to heal a community and open a CA practice, a practitioner inadvertently inflames racial tensions due to the employ of an unfortunate branding catastrophe. This piece needed a famous practitioner with the first letter of the first name to be a ‘K’, to form the brand ‘KKK’. I only know of one. I hardly think that this will damage her reputation. It appears to only be damaging mine. Regardless, libel (slander refers to the spoken word) is “the communication of a statement that makes a false claim, expressly stated or implied to be factual, that may give an individual, business, product, group, government or nation a negative image.” (Wikipedia) Anyone who thought that this piece was meant to be factual seriously needs to have his or her head examined. I'll go on record stating that Kiiko is not now nor never has been to my knowledge actually
working at a clinic called 'KKK' or using a grand dragon technique.
This piece also criticizes the comfort that those in the alternative medical field have with magical thinking, a lot of whom in our field are in favor of an entry-level doctorate. Of course I also find this ironic, how the Nei Jing represented a monumental leap in medicine in that it declared that it was not your angry ancestors that made you ill, but rather the weather and your emotions and now there is a desire to increase educational standards by some of those who believe that it is spirits or dragons that make us sick. I am not talking about the metaphorical use of dragons, but those who use the idea literally. The people who open the windows in their clinic when they do this treatment so that the dragons can escape. This is how I was taught. This is rational discourse for some in our profession. The same profession that whines about not being taken seriously by mainstream healthcare practitioners.
Lastly, there is the tidbit about a foriegn born acupuncturist burning crosses on the heads of white supremicists. A dash of irony with a twist of poetic justice.
I also recognize that these issues are not the most pressing issues in the world or in the acupuncture community. This was just one small piece with just a little bit to say and I am a little surprised at the backlash. I was hoping for a lot more actual discussion from the Wal-Mart piece, but I got nothing. So it goes.
In the end, I wonder what the future holds for the CA movement when we have an issue with oversensitivity. What is “the line”? What is an “appropriate level of satire”? Who can possibly define such things? I think if the intent to harm is absent, one is on the right side of this elusive line. Satire is about the intent to bring about positive change. There is a difference.
As for my place on this blog, it is not my decision to resign to the forums. The stated purpose of the front-page blog is to “prick, prod, and provoke both the imagination and the conscience of the acupuncture profession.” I hardly think that my presence on this blog will offend so many patients as to warrant such a hasty move as that. But again, that is not my decision.
Excuse me while I change back into character...
(Probably) My last comment
Zang Fool Wrote:
I feel awkward explaining the meaning of a piece to those who obviously didn’t get it.
ZF, I "got" your intent. From what other commenters wrote, I think they "got" it as well. Just because someone didn't agree with your method and choice of content, it does not mean they had any lack of understanding of your point. To be honest, I find your claim immature and lacking respect for your audience.
Satire is as open to criticism as any other literary form. When I dig into my brain, and pull out some of the lessons I remember from art school (many years ago) one that stands out is the concept of the art making process not being complete until a work of art interacts with an audience. I would say that this holds just as true, if not more so, for satire. You put your work out there, and I admire you for the bravery it took to do so. Now, you need to be able to listen to your audience and take the criticism. Otherwise, I might jump to the conclusion you just don't get it.
Thank you,
David Lesseps
right
right. is there anything I can do for extra credit, professor?
raven speaks
First, my disclaimer. I grew up in a 99% white community in Maine....and am myself white....so when I first read the post, I laughed alot, and the potential harm did not occur to me.
Reading the concerns of some commenters, I find them somewhat compelling. But I also found much wisdom in Lisa's and ZF's replies.
It seems obvious there is no intent to slander Kiiko or to link her with the KKK in any way. Prick, prod, and poke? Definitely yes. But seriously attack? Is anyone really thinking that? In fact, ZF very artfully takes swipes at the KKK itself.
The acupuncture profession as a whole - does take it self far too seriously. Americans in general take themselves far too seriously.
Intention is most important. But this is just my opinion, and as usual, I take myself far too seriously. Please lambast me if you like, and I will use your comments to crucify the (metaphorical) demon within me - the self-grasping, self-cherishing I (which believes itself to exist truly, inherently but does not.)
All true religions seek to gain access to that level of consciousness which is not ego-bound.</
clarification
About my subject title...I went for a walk in the woods yesterday and heard a raven squawking at me overhead....perhaps laughing, or calling me out of the mentally fabricated prison of my ego.
All true religions seek to gain access to that level of consciousness which is not ego-bound.</
I thought it was an
I thought it was an interesting post, it was a good point and parts of it were quite funny. The Zang Fool's goal may not be about trying to be funny, but he/she knows it has to be funny to keep people reading. Using a real practitioner just didn't sit right with me. I'm not sure she qualifies as enough of a public person to be fair game for satire. The biggest problem is by bringing Kiiko into it the whole point of the post was lost.
A good satirist overshoots sometimes. This will pass. Overall I like having the Zang Fool around.
I 'got' the message . . . just didn't entirely like the delivery
It's likely impossible for us to come to a consensus regarding where 'the line' is. That's life. I believe that ZF didn't purposefully try to malign Kiiko. For me, the approach was overdone to the point of distraction. But that's just me.
public person
I never took a class from Kiiko, but I certainly heard about her and some of the magical treatments that seem to get associated with her.....lineage. I would say that it is difficult to use the argument that she is not fair game for some gentle poking and prodding because she is somehow a private person.
By my understanding, she is a significant figure in the history of American acupuncture. She's written some fairly widely read books (within the acu-community). Sort of like being a politician - whether left, right, or center - they are all fair game for political satire because they are in the public eye. Possibly ZF went too far...but I don't think censorship is called for in this case.
All true religions seek to gain access to that level of consciousness which is not ego-bound.</
It's just my opinion that
It's just my opinion that using her real name just because it started with a K wasn't a good idea. I know some people hold her up as someone important in the field I just don't know if that means it's okay to use her for a public blog that she has nothing to do with. It bothered a lot of people and the message was lost so the post wasn't very usefull except as another censorship debate.
This is inappropriate
Even though I abhor most things considered to be politically correct, I feel that this posting is inappropriate. Using humor about violent racist acts does not in any way help to make acupuncture more accessible or constructively provoke the conscience of the acupuncture profession. If acupuncturists, as a group, tended to be a racist bunch who needed to be reminded that racism is evil then satire along these lines might be appropriate. Brilliant satirists such as Chris Rock appropriately use shocking racial material to attack racism but would find no point in using offensive racial material to attack, say, corporate greed. There is potential here to offend and alienate many people who do not find cross burning humorous and rightfully fail to make the (satirical?) connection between violent racist actions and acupuncture. Even when used appropriately, the potential for misunderstanding is huge as Lisa pointed out in her comment about the audience reaction at the Tropic Thunder screening she attended. And of course the use and listing of acupuncture point nomenclature and locations will be lost on non-professionals and only increases the possibility of misunderstanding by those who don't get the 'joke'. I hope none of my patients who have been positively moved by their CA experience and have been encouraged to check out this website to further their understanding of what we are trying to accomplish read Zang Fool's post.
I never recommend this
I never recommend this website to my patients. I'll print out the LOC if they need referrals, but I won't send them here. There are too many things I read that I'm not about and I don't want them to have to question the me they know.
Is this meant for patients? I always took it as being for practitioners. If we are sending a lot of patients here it should be moderated differently, and many blogs should be in the members section.
Would this be a bad time to
Would this be a bad time to confess that I am, in fact, Chris Rock?
So sue me.
Humor is a funny thing (pun intended). It can be light and sweet, gentle and chiding, dark and biting, savage and out of control. How it is intended and the audience that receives it strongly influences the outcome. In this case, a good part of the audience was offended.
I laughed when I read this, marveling at this guy's genius. And then immediately the guilt surfaced: Hey, lay off our teachers; that's our Asian custom. I'm not crazy about Kiiko, but she was one of my earlier teachers, and I think that all of our teachers, if they have helped us, deserve to be protected from this kind of stuff. But humorists know no boundaries like this. I get offended by viciousness and stupidity and bad taste. I wasn't offended by this.
In Hawaii we grew up cracking racist jokes all the time, I am not exaggerating. We still do. And there's no rancor involved; just recognition of our differences and prejudices. I've offended Jewish folk inadvertently by cracking a Jewish joke, forgetting my mainland manners momentarily. I've been treated badly in the past because of my appearance as an Asian, which came as a huge shock to me when I left Hawaii. My kids have been chased down by classmates pulling their eyes upward calling "Chinese! Chinese!" They've grown up vaguely uncomfortable of their racial differences, in California, which wouldn't have happened had they grown up in Hawaii. I'll bet every one of you has some kind of story like this. Lisa's was being Working Class. I could point to several of you and describe your "story", but I'm not sure I should. I can cite Lisa's because I know she won't be offended by being singled out like this.
Humor is a very important tool that humans use to cope with darkness. I think it brings issues into a kind of light where we can look at these feelings and thoughts without letting them depress us. Life ain't perfect, but we want it to be so. Humor helps immensely in that our laughter allows these imperfections to be cast in a acceptable light: it's nothing but a drama, entertainment, and then it's gone.
Zangie is CAN's "monster child", if you will, that perhaps needs to be whisked back into the kitchen where visitors can't see or hear him. But he's family, and I think he offers a valuable and unique contribution. Maybe we can ask to put his blogs into Philosophy of the Profession. I hope our discussion isn't going to turn off the spigot that was opened on the front page. He has a huge reservoir of talent, anger, insight and observations, and his offerings are appreciated by some of us, perhaps many of us. I think it's great that he's able to inject into our forum this kind of interpretation of AOM's woes.
Who are the audience?
I think it's important to clarify that. If this is for acupuncture practitioners than there is a lot more leeway in the blogs, it's lets people know whether CAN is for them because many of us are a little, or a lot sassy.
If this is meant for patients to be reading, some censorship might be in order. Our patients come from all different walks of life, with different experiences and tolerance levels, and that deserves respect. These are the people that make us, we can't practice acupuncture without them. As is, I don't send patients here. I still have a link, but I don't think many of my patients really get into my links. No one has ever mentioned CAN.
I want to add that as a practitioner I love this site, and appreciate ZF's posts. If the post had been in the member's forums, few if any of us would have had a problem with it. Patients shouldn't be expected to try and understand where these posts are coming from. They don't need to know or care about the state of our profession.
Hi guys, this is a funny
Hi guys, this is a funny thing to chime in on as my first post, I'd rather be asking for advice re. treatment techniques, but have to say- my reaction to the Zang Fool blog was to remove the CAN link from my web page- What I hoped with that link was for patients and general public to find out more about the community acupuncture movement, but I feel uncomfortable with the blogs being the first thing patients see= this blog entry being the one that finally sealed it for me. Thanks otherwise everyone for everything, I do love coming to the community and website-
Bit Uptight
Too Serious
I was reading Common Dreams website this morning...an interesting interview with Joan Baez speaks to this conversation we are having here...
In 1963 Baez was given the job of driving King and Jesse Jackson from
an airport to a march. "They laughed all the time and told racist jokes
about themselves, and I realised that nobody could see that side of
them. They had to be seen as serious, and I related to that. We got to
a restaurant and I asked them: ‘Don't you have a big march to
organise?' They said: ‘We just have.' You get a public image that you
have to live up to but your private reality is often very different."
All true religions seek to gain access to that level of consciousness which is not ego-bound.</