Forged in Fire is an Exemplar for Homicidal, Weapon-Bearing Americans

On a late Tuesday night, I heard the fervor of a man on a TV show exclaiming his affinity for a knife. Handcrafted to cut through even the thickest of flesh, contestants display their beloved knives to Wil Willis, a former Army Ranger and current host for a series of competitions, in which master “bladesmiths” and weaponry enthusiast forge their swords to ultimately test and complete a task observed by a panel of judges. The prize for the winner is $10,000 and, of course, the prestigious title of Forged in Fire Champion. The show is aired by the History Channel.

Will Bagley, from Alabama, contestant in Forged in Fire, 2016.

Most contestants choose to dress in “medieval attire” or as a Samurai of some sort, attempting to beat the clock by violently slashing obstacles in a given path. Obstacles range from thick pieces of meat, milk cartons, enormous ice statues, tree bark, and lavender. Sweat and intensity embody the competitive atmosphere as participants cross their fingers in hopes of maintaining a sturdy knife throughout the challenge.

An informative introduction of the participants is shown prior to engaging in the challenge, briefing viewers where the participant is from, their interest, and, of course, why they chose to be featured in the show. I can only describe what I had observed as an art consumed by aggression, risk, and an ambivalent sense of immature connotations. The desire of zealously slicing something with a weapon was not uncommon. Some of these people grow up loving weapons and embracing them and the destruction they may cause, since such young ages.

“I suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, overcame it, and at times, I’m depressed. I just want to slice something,” said one contestant in the show Forged by Fire, aired by the History Channel. I firmly believe that this is indicative of America’s fondness for weapons. Again, weapons that have the potential to murder and cause havoc when in the hands of the unqualified. People who suffer from illnesses or that have been just so isolated in their lives that they find a sort of niche in “playing” with knives. Most contestants, to no surprise, come from the rural south and parts of the Midwest. It only compacts the renowned southerners, in love with their weapons and conservative views.

Of course, I am not oblivious to the fact that, in many rural areas of the states, guns are essential aspects of life, especially for hunting. And, of course, we are generally comparing a knife to a firearm which, indeed, may seem to narrow the severity of such a contrast. However, both knives, exotic ones held by people especially, and guns, at the end of the day, derived from the same violent abstract. The destructive disposition is upheld by both the knife and gun; this is especially so when it is possessed by grown men who choose to master the art of the throwing knife. It seems both premature and indicative of aggressive behavior.

Forged in Fire, in a sense, serves as an exemplar for homicidal, weapon-bearing American fervor. If my claims seem rather cynical, it is just a rather insightful observation. Because it happens much too frequently; I see contestants, primarily from the South and Midwest of the United States, admiring dangerous weapons in such a similar philosophy of violence.

I am not against the second amendment at all. In my, what many would deem liberal, viewpoint, I believe that Americans should be able to bear arms—however, through more extensive background checks and mental health requirements and certain gun quotas. Various policies that may provide more security from the damage potential of a weapon are essential to me. However, looking through a non-partisan lens, I can say that Forged in Fire exposes a standing culture that embraces firearms and weapons in the United States. As a matter of fact, this weapon loving dogma is far from novelty.

America was basically nurtured through a series of amendments drafted in the Constitution, and one of those was right to bear arms. The culture isn’t necessarily vile, but it can get violent. Take, for instance, Nikolas Cruz, the 19-year-old school shooter of Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida. Violent tendencies were a part of the isolated Teenager, even prior to having devastated students and families. It was not uncommon to see police in his driveway, attempting to assuage his uncontrollable temper. Neighbors of the Floridian went as far to deem him a “problematic neighbor.” As he was often seen pointing his weapons out to distances and shooting neighbor’s property with BB guns and being abusive to animals. Nicolas, so often, talked about hurting animals.

Photo of Nicolas Cruz attempting to go incognito on his social media account

Nicolas Cruz often displayed his weapons arsenal on his social media pages. Along with many other brutal posts. Students described his behavior as both “strange” and “hostile.”

While this may seem like almost a non-sequitur—for a show aired on the History Channel to be compared to weapon bearing Americans—it is, in the end, parallel in ideology. America holds an impulsive culture of violent weaponry with tons of potential. Nicolas Cruz is the timeliest epitome. Not all contestants in the show Forged in Fire are of such violent nature, obviously. There are people who simply enjoy weapons and are far from the aforementioned. However, the truth still upholds itself in what appears to be a standing zeal of weapons.

Feature: http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/z3t2hv4. Information on the gun culture in the U.K., compared to the U.S.