by JOHN THURSTON » Mon May 03, 1999 5:26 am
Allen et al:
Allen, I hate being repetitious, but on another forum I cited the infamous "God Created Men, but Sam Colt made them equal.
In some situations an unfortunate truth, in others, not unfortunate.
Van Sensei:
Hoplophobia is a word I did not know. It apparently has an interesting "root".
I hope you don't mind if I discuss it briefly. See "Socrates" on the Western Arts forum.
"Hoplon" is/was the (Attic?) Greek word for shield. At the time the city states in Greece (400 BCE+) had, by and large, compulsory military service. The armies, normally, were not "standing armies", the city states were too small.
The "Citizen Soldiers" were dubbed, as I recall "Hoplites" because of the shield they carried.
So, the word implies an interesting twist of a "phobia" against not only offensive, but clearly defensive "arms".
I am going to try and find some material of the Weaver stance. My training was a bit on the eclectic side, so, I may fall into it, (the stance) without being able to explain it.
Well, I suppose I can 'give it a shot' although it might be like trying to explain Sanchin after re-reading a book on Uechi or Goju.
JOHN T