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• 1 2018-09-12T19:41:13-07:00 Punching The Other 45 Qu'ils Boivent du Sang plain 2018-10-19T00:48:57-07:00

  "Now who discovered America? An Italian, right? What would be better than to get it on with one of his descendants?"
  -Apollo Creed, Rocky

  
  
  From an objective standpoint, Logan Paul’s horrific lack of judgment in Aokigahara cost him a great deal. Now excluded from the Google Preferred ad program, dropped from two YouTube Premium shows, and 60,000 subscribers below the previous day’s gain, Paul was disconnected from the dominant hegemonic male identity through loss of power. When KSI challenged him to a boxing match the day before his return to vlogging, Logan Paul seized the opportunity to prove himself through combat. The public acts of boxing and training for a fight provided Paul an avenue to reclaim his dominant identity and redeem his masculinity, all in one fell swoop.
   
  
  In "Eating The Other", master theorist bell hooks speaks briefly of "fucking [as] a way to confront the Other, as well as a way to... leave behind white 'innocence' and enter the world of 'experience'" (hooks, 368). Mason continues this work in the digital age, noting the "Humanitarians of Tinder" are made attractive through "encounters with others, and especially through the intent to return to whiteness" (Mason, 832).  I wish to draw this thinking toward Michael Messner's formative essay, “Masculinities and Athletic Careers”, in order to elucidate how exactly punching a Black Briton can redeem the reputation of a white American known for filming a Japanese cadaver. Messner's ethnographic survey of young athletic men led him to conclude that “violent sports as spectacle provide linkages among men in the project of the domination of women, while at the same time helping to construct and clarify differences among different masculinities” (Messner, 79). Messner takes a moment here to elaborate that these "different masculinities" are based primarily on race. If fucking the Other gives an identity "spice", what of the intimate activity of punching the Other? This violent colonial fantasy acts to clarify one fighter as primitive, while the white pugilist becomes an "experienced" figure of biopolitical regulation. As this theory concerns Logan Paul, we see a demonstrated need to escape the legacy of Aokigahara. In order to prove that he is no longer the innocent boy he was on New Years Day, Paul had to accomplish two explicit goals: force his opponent “play the role of the ‘primitive other’”, and develop his own “positional identity” as hero, differentiating “between self and Other” by clinical use of his sharp right jab (Messner, 79). 
  
  At first appearance, the United Kingdom press conference does not go particularly well for Logan Paul. Spurred on by KSI, the primarily British crowd spends much of the press conference throwing items at the stage and loudly chanting “Fuck the Pauls!” In contrast to the swaggering image of a confident Ohio gladiator Paul put off at the Los Angeles press conference, Paul here appears to cower behind the table, never leaving his chair. KSI continues shouting abuse with infrequent interruption until Paul dismisses himself, dropping the microphone on the table as he leaves a defeated man.
  
  
  Instead of laying low before the fight, Logan Paul posted a vlog and a Tweet explaining that he walked off stage during the U.K. press conference because he is tired of the "fugazi". "KSI," Paul intones solemnly into the camera, "you are the exact person that I am working hard not to become... Every single day, I am working to craft a better version of myself. And you are not" (10:44). Paul goes on to detail and show clips of KSI's past troubles with misogyny and sexual harassment, even while claiming that he is "not going to sit there and talk about" it (13:30). Framed as a defense against KSI's continuing comments regarding Paul's girlfriend, Chloe Bennet, these actions replay the classic fantasy of defending the white woman against the brute and his horde. Paul even takes the time to explictly locate his own misogyny within an old music video, "No Handlebars." By sacrificially deleting this video on camera, Paul purges his misogyny and contains it within the Other: "This type of content no longer represents my brand and the person I am becoming" (15:47). In the response video's final section, Paul addresses the "Face 2 Face" interview as evidence that KSI is delusional and less mature. "I recognize this type of behavior" says Paul, "...you are me, moments before I flew to Japan... You, my friend, are a stepping stone for me to get better" (16:12). KSI becomes an object for Logan Paul to compare to the boy he was in the Japanese forest. By placing himself in opposition to a seemingly misogynistic foreigner while simultaneously asserting that the Aokigahara incident is his singularly defined turning point, Logan Paul has completed his redemption before even stepping into the ring.
  
  
  In the final face to face interview, both fighters are asked if they will be fighting emotionally. Paul immediately answers that he will be relying on a plan, while KSI notes that "everyone has a plan until they are punched in the face" (KSIvsLogan, Face 2 Face, 10:45). Paul has been painting a narrative of both out-working and out-thinking his opponent throughout the past months, and this distinction of learned strategy becomes a stereotype of boxing Justin D. Garciá conflates with a “culture of the mind” (Garciá, 332). In comparison to Paul's jabs and clinches, KSI’s “warrior style” of throwing wild punches and relying on a “willingness to withstand barrages of punches” is more based in a “culture of the hands” (331-332). Paul takes full advantage of this contrast in his reaction video, noting that KSI is by no means a professional boxer. "Fighting KSI is like fighting a dog," Paul notes, "the dude became animalistic, not a boxer" (Logan Paul Vlogs, Dear KSI, 7:17) This specific mention of KSI as inhuman builds on another of Logan Paul's problematic recurring jokes, in which he compares KSI's laugh to that of the cartoon character Scooby Doo. Paul finishes his analysis stating that KSI "was just throwing haymakers from down here, none of them were, like, legit boxing punches. When I spar, I'm sparring professionals" (7:25). Again, KSI is equated with a scrappy and unprofessional animal, while Paul is a learning and growing young man.
  
  
  
  With these problematics established, the only thing left to consider is the aftermath of the match. Messner notes that talented young athletes from minority groups are frequently exploited for their toughness and, “when their bodies are used up, excreted from organized athletics at a young age with no transferable skills” (Messner, 72). KSI makes it clear throughout the process, particularly in the Face 2 Face, that he intends to pursue boxing as a profession, while Paul makes it similarly clear his future is not in fighting. Whether this juxtaposition is intentional or not, Paul’s constructed identity as more than a body able to give and receive punches leaves him unmarked and free to continue onto other projects within entertainment. In contrast, his brawling, Othered opponent is consumed by the ring. 
• 1 2018-10-13T18:19:42-07:00 Day of the Fight. 9 KSI VS. Logan Paul - FULL FIGHT #KSIvsLogan plain 2018-10-17T19:18:42-07:00 08/25/2018 From the perspective of constructing Logan Paul's redemption, the fight itself is both the final crucial piece and a simple box to check.
  
  
  • 0:28: Logan Paul enters to his diss track.
    • Clad in a black sequined robe and a black face mask version of his brother's mask, he presents a striking image. It is difficult to discern how the crowd reacts to this moment.
    • Outlined against the American flag, and outside his robe, Paul presents an image of an American icon.
  • 5:53: A montage of KSI training leads into a splash screen of the fight's promotional poster.
  • 6:17: KSI enters, also to his diss track​.
    • Branding himself as "The Nightmare", KSI wears a Union Jack robe and a full black face mask. One announcer notes with trepidation that the mask is "sinister."
  • 8:27: Match is officially announced.
  • 9:53: Logan Paul is introduced as "America's number one YouTube star", but further as an "actor, recording star, video superstar." In contrast, KSI is introduced as "the U.K.'s number one social media superstar."
  • 12:20: The referee explains the rules as the fighters face up in gladiatorial style. The stains from Jake Paul's blood are visible on his shirt.
  • 12:59: First round begins.
    • Paul's longer reach clearly controls the first round, with several unanswered attacks.
    • Later in the round, Paul lowers his hands and begins taunting KSI. This is a power move; when KSI tries to take advantage of his arrogance, Paul smashes back with a devastating salvo.
  • 17:12: Second round begins.
    • This round again belongs to Paul, but KSI begins taking advantage of clinching to neutralize Paul's reach.
    • One announcer claimss that KSI "needs to go into beast mode", a problematic term associated with former Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch. 
    • KSI lands a late punch seconds after the bell rings, causing Jake Paul to enter the ring. Any potential fight is quickly dissipated.
  • 21:30: Third round begins.
    • KSI is immediately given a warning concerning his punch in between rounds.
    • The fight begins to swing toward KSI, with KSI launching awkward haymakers and making space inside Paul's inner guard to attack the body. Paul is now clinching to force KSI to keep his distance.
    • Paul uses his wrestling experience to take KSI down to the ground at one point, and the referee immediately pulls the two apart and has a word with them. Paul later frames this as a cheap takedown.
  • 26:18: Fourth round begins.
    • This round is more neutral, with no concise victor. The crowd continues to be on KSI's side, chanting, "Fuck you Logan!"
  • 30:29: Fifth round begins.
    • Though KSI appears to have more energy remaining, Logan's patience and reach allow him to take advantage of a few key openings. Overall, this is another inconsequential round. 
    • Throughout the event, influential YouTuber Keemstar's anti-Paul chants have been audible on the live-stream. At this time, we can hear him chanting, "Logan's fading."
  • 34:35: The sixth and final round begins; both fighters exhaustedly stagger out of their corners.
    • This round alternates between KSI launching wild haymakers and a clearly exhausted Paul forcing KSI to clinch so he can stay upright. Neither fighter is able to offer any finishing combination, and eventually the judges must decide who is the victor.
  • 43:18: After an extended period of deliberation, the judges announce that the fight is a majority draw at 57-57. 
    • Given that there was already a second fight confirmed, it is unclear whether this ruling is somehow rigged. One announcer seems to agree, skeptically asking, "doesn't that set up perfectly?"
  • 44:18: KSI gives his post-fight interview, seemingly unable to believe that it has been a draw.
  • 44:39: "There's only one thing we can do. I think we gotta have a rematch." -KSI
    • Smiling, Paul strides over to KSI. When asked if he accepts the challenge, Logan responds that "it's what the people want." Despite the fact that both fighters are publicly contractually obligated to fight again, framing it as a choice lets the myth continue.
  • 46:48: "Earlier this year especially, a lot of people were questioning your heart. There can be no questioning your heart right now." -True Geordie to Logan Paul
    • Paul has battled his way to reforming his image, even to a skeptic like True Geordie.
  • 47:25: A seemingly bitter Paul taunts KSI for his injuries, and KSI follows suit.
    • Just a few moments later Paul yells, "The storyline continues!" Acknowledging the immaturity as manufactured is another way Paul separates his true self from the annoying YouTube idol. 
  • 48:22: Logan Paul publicly thanks KSI for allowing him a chance to be forgiven.
    • During this speech, Paul also acknowledges he has not earned forgiveness yet. The journey must continue.