An Ode to Purple
Last Saturday, I went to Savoy to test for my next rank in TKD. After doing well, getting to spar for the first time in a test, and kicking the living crap out of the guy I was sparring against, I was rewarded with a purple belt. Now, some of you might be thinking, damn, that's the girliest color possible, and if you wear it, you just might be a homosexual. However, I am here to defend my right to wear this noble color.
Traditionally, purple came from a dye made from snails. The Phoenecians in their city of Tyre in modern day Israel traded this dye and got freaking rich off of it. They sold it to the Romans who used it to grace the capes of their Praetorian guards and was a signal color of the Caesar (pronounced: "Kie-sar", not like the dressing). In dark age and medieval Europe, the dye became a sign of royalty, as kings were the only ones who could afford it.
Purple is also the color of the medal the American military gives to it's critically wounded. In WW2, if you lost a leg, or jumped on a grenade to save your squad, you might be awarded a purple heart to honor your sacrifice. In Vietnam, they apparently gave purple out like candy. John Kerry's got 3 Purple Hearts and he got them all in 4 1/2 months. According to the standard in WW2, he should be a no-armed, 1-legged hop-a-long missing an eye and a kidney, however, this isn't the case. In fact, the Kerry campaign can't even produce a casualty card to document that Kerry was even injured when he received his second one. Kinda makes you question that whole "war hero" thing he's been pimping to the American public like we're not smart enough to know the real value of purple.
Now, somewhere along the line, girls took the color from the royals and made it effeminate. It's my mom's and my sister's favorite color, as well as Beth's. The twist is that every guy who tries to wear purple now is assumed to be a flamer. I would LOVE to see someone try and call a Praetorian a flamer. He'd have a gladius shoved through his stomach before he finished saying the word! So, now that I have a purple belt, I'm going to wear it proudly, and anyone who's got comments can face the Wrath of the Praetorian =)
Traditionally, purple came from a dye made from snails. The Phoenecians in their city of Tyre in modern day Israel traded this dye and got freaking rich off of it. They sold it to the Romans who used it to grace the capes of their Praetorian guards and was a signal color of the Caesar (pronounced: "Kie-sar", not like the dressing). In dark age and medieval Europe, the dye became a sign of royalty, as kings were the only ones who could afford it.
Purple is also the color of the medal the American military gives to it's critically wounded. In WW2, if you lost a leg, or jumped on a grenade to save your squad, you might be awarded a purple heart to honor your sacrifice. In Vietnam, they apparently gave purple out like candy. John Kerry's got 3 Purple Hearts and he got them all in 4 1/2 months. According to the standard in WW2, he should be a no-armed, 1-legged hop-a-long missing an eye and a kidney, however, this isn't the case. In fact, the Kerry campaign can't even produce a casualty card to document that Kerry was even injured when he received his second one. Kinda makes you question that whole "war hero" thing he's been pimping to the American public like we're not smart enough to know the real value of purple.
Now, somewhere along the line, girls took the color from the royals and made it effeminate. It's my mom's and my sister's favorite color, as well as Beth's. The twist is that every guy who tries to wear purple now is assumed to be a flamer. I would LOVE to see someone try and call a Praetorian a flamer. He'd have a gladius shoved through his stomach before he finished saying the word! So, now that I have a purple belt, I'm going to wear it proudly, and anyone who's got comments can face the Wrath of the Praetorian =)
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home