"Professor" Alan Thornton "10th Dan" awarded an MBE

Discussion in 'General Martial Arts Discussion' started by Dean Winchester, Jun 21, 2014.

  1. Hannibal

    Hannibal Cry HAVOC and let slip the Dogs of War!!! Supporter

    I'm not entertained - I'm glad a liar was exposed as such. Frankly it's should happen more often then we wouldn't have the stink of Kim, Dux, Mundt and countless other charlatans


    How is this different than when Bob Spour was exposed for false military ranks? That's was all over the papers.

    Save the sympathy for someone who needs it...This piece of crap doesn't
     
  2. bassai

    bassai onwards and upwards ! Moderator Supporter

    He's accepted an award essentially from the queen and prime minister , that he appears not to deserve , how is that not worth national media coverage ?
    As I've already said , he gambled big , and lost big.
     
  3. LemonSloth

    LemonSloth Laugh and grow fat!

    Is there any actual footage of him doing anything?
     
  4. Ero-Sennin

    Ero-Sennin Well-Known Member Supporter

    There's a thread going on about it now, with a side order of "waaaahh" :p
     
  5. aaradia

    aaradia Choy Li Fut and Yang Tai Chi Chuan Student Moderator Supporter

    The article or two posted here seem to be using this case and the case of the shady doctor who won this award to expose a bigger issue.

    Personally, I fhind the case of that doctor far mroe damaging to this award. Guy cheats a medical study by using his own urine sample in place of others? Lies about medical stuff? How is that guy still practicing medicine, much less receiving an award for service in the medical field?

    A potentially fraudulent MAist seems like small potato's by comparison.

    But again, both cases seem to be exposing a bigger underlying issue and THAT is why this case is turining into a big issue. If this has been a larger issue, those two probably aren't the first to receive awards they shouldn't. They just had the misfortune to be the ones that brought this larger issue to national attention.

    But no, I don't feel any sympathy for them. If you are guilty and get caught, that is just karma to me.

    I haven't even gotten a black sash yet. But I have EVERY test document carefully in a file and I know exactly where it is. Because those sash tests mean a lot to me. I cannot fathom how somoene who claims to be that high level on a public stage claiming service in such a way cannot know where their documentation is........
     
  6. Janno

    Janno Valued Member

    "Proportionate" is a matter of opinion. The fact is, he committed an action, and there were consequences. If the consequences are unpleasant, then there's a lesson there for him to learn.

    In fairness, many charlatans end up in their situation because of the people around them who fuel their aggrandising. Bob Spour is the perfect example of someone who (being driven by Richard Grannon, who was so desperate to stand on his shoulders) went along with the increasingly exaggerated stories about his past and eventually ended up becoming part of a deception that was too big for him to control. This guy is likely the same.

    But do i feel any sense of pity? No. And here's why: I believe that a person - any person, martial artist or not - should have integrity. Without integrity, they are just an animal - an organism that is born, feeds, sometimes reproduces, and dies. It is a person's integrity - their spirit, their duty, whatever you want to call it - that makes them greater than the sum of their parts. Perhaps my point of view is somewhat idealistic, over-romanticised, or morally presumptuous. But i see people making good and bad decisions every day: It is their ability to make sacrifices for what they believe is right, and to take responsibility for their mistakes, that reminds me that as a species, we're ok.

    Just today, i taught a seminar, and afterwards one of the attendees thanked me on FB, describing me as a great military/LE instructor. I could've gone along with this slightly inaccurate statement, but my integrity didn't allow it, so i thanked him for his words and clarified (publicly, in writing) that whilst i do train many LE/mil personnel, i'm not a teacher of LE/mil SOPs. I do not believe that this makes me a better man than anyone else. I just believe that the day i turn my back on integrity, is the day that my worth as an individual becomes little more than a potential organ donor.

    I feel no pity for those who have tried to steal honours that are clearly meant for their betters, and failed. And i feel no pity for those who suffer as a result of their poorly thought-out schemes. Instead, i feel pity for those who've made genuine sacrifices - sometimes the ultimate sacrifice - to benefit others instead of themselves, and whose efforts have gone unnoticed and unappreciated. People like this? Hopefully a bit of shame will help them grow a spine and they can make some kind of positive contribution to society in the future. If not, then they can go and join all the other oxygen-thieving meatsacks on humanity's broken-pile.
     
  7. Happy Feet Cotton Tail

    Happy Feet Cotton Tail Valued Member

    Putting aside whether or not this guy deserves the nation-wide public humiliation, I'm not certain that what he has received is all that bad.

    Granted I wouldn't want to be in his shoes but does anyone actually think the papers are going to seriously pursue him?

    I'd honestly be surprised if there was a follow up story printed once he's formally stripped of his MBE and if there is I can't imagine it being a big peice. I expect the negative press is going to make this Thompson bloke take a good hard look in the mirror and potentially affect his ability to market himself online now that a web article is floating around exposing him. However I'm betting that his story will be used to wrap fish by the end of the week and he'll just fade back into obscurity with a bruised ego.
     
    Last edited: Jun 30, 2014
  8. Ero-Sennin

    Ero-Sennin Well-Known Member Supporter

    I ran out of breath reading this in my head! :jaw drop:

    :)p)

    #FullStop
     
  9. Happy Feet Cotton Tail

    Happy Feet Cotton Tail Valued Member

    Fixed it for you, but just this once. In my defense it's late and I'm ill.

    #Punctuationisforhealthypeople
     
  10. Dale Dugas

    Dale Dugas My door is always open

    http://www.bullshido.net/forums/showthread.php?t=123202
     
  11. Dale Dugas

    Dale Dugas My door is always open

    He is just another liar who attempts to defraud the public into thinking he has some rank he actually does not.

    Mouthboxers suck, and should be outed.

    We need not support such lying cheating conman. Because that is what he did. He conned people into thinking he was something that he was not. He does not have what he claims to have. All lies and fabrications. Even his holistic healing degrees are totally suspect. That spells out a con being perpetrated on anyone who comes into contact with this person.

    He made the mistake of believing his hype. This award was for services rendered to the Martial arts community. He was claiming disability from injuries sustained from work.

    Seems he kept training and got ranked while he was taking disability payments. Another con.

    Lying conman suck. period. no need to support this at all in any sense of the word.
     
    Last edited: Jul 3, 2014
  12. aaradia

    aaradia Choy Li Fut and Yang Tai Chi Chuan Student Moderator Supporter

    :topic: But since it is on the bullshido thread posted here.

    So, that is what is behind Wooden Hare's requested permaban. I was wondering what happened.

    I liked the guy's posts, although I didn't always agree with him. Sorry to see that he thinks whining on another forum about MAP is what he thinks adults do. Really, how goofy is it to use a thread about this MBE debate/ debacle to air his issues with this forum? How disappointing.
     
  13. philipsmith

    philipsmith Valued Member

    Received this from the honours committe - lets see what happens

    "Dear Mr. Smith,

    Thank you for your email below concerning the award made to Alan Thornton in the Birthday honours list. I’m sorry that you feel that this award was the wrong decision.

    Honours nominations are considered by one of nine expert honours committees, each chaired by a non-Civil Service chair and comprising a majority of independent members, all selected after open advertisement. The chairs of the nine honours committees then take their recommendations to the Main Honours Committee and agree the final List for submission, through the Prime Minister, to The Queen. You can find information on the composition of the committees here: www.gov.uk/honours-committees.

    The nomination for Professor Thornton, like any other, was considered on merit by the relevant independent committee, in this case Sport Committee.

    I regret I am not able to comment further on individual awards. I can only offer my assurance that honours committees consider nominations very carefully before making their recommendations and expect to see individuals going beyond expectations in their contribution to their profession, community and/or public life. Committees are also guided by the breadth of the impact made. You may find the information at www.gov.uk/honours/types-of-honours-and-awards useful as a point of reference.

    However, I will ensure that the concerns you have raised are carefully considered by the appropriate people.

    Regards,

    Alison

    Alison Bennett
    Team Leader, Honours Operations | Honours and Appointments Secretariat | Cabinet Office"
     
  14. Dead_pool

    Dead_pool Spes mea in nihil Deus MAP 2017 Moi Award

    I was with you till I noticed your website says you treat

    "Spiritual blockages"

    Care to explain what that even is?
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 23, 2014
  15. rne02

    rne02 Valued Member

    Yes he is, people do it all the time, there are no rules or laws against it. If someone creates there own style of any art, and creates their own syllabus and creates there own ranking system, they can do whatever they want. That doesn't mean they *should* of course, but he is well within his rights to do so.

    Unlike a driving licence there is no standard for black belt, a black belt from one club isn't equal to a black belt form another.

    How did the people that first started using the Dan grading syllabus a 100 years ago their grades? They created there own version of an art, created their own syllabus, and started handing our grades to students. You don't have to be born in Japan to have the divine right to self award yourself titles.
     
    Last edited: Jul 23, 2014
  16. LemonSloth

    LemonSloth Laugh and grow fat!

    He didn't create his own ranking system and even he admits that his style is only "slightly" different from the usual karate norms. There was also another interview in which he openly admitted that his grades were unusually fast.

    The question of who gave him his grades, however, is a far more telling one. He looks like his grades are the product of being passed up a belt mill.

    That aside, there's the whole thing about pride and principle. IMO, accepting guys like this who seem more interested in chasing grades than developing their understanding makes us all look bad.
     
    Last edited: Jul 23, 2014
  17. Aegis

    Aegis River Guardian Admin Supporter

    What rank did Jigoro Kano award himself in Judo? As far as I'm aware, he didn't. What about Ueshiba with Aikido? Likewise.

    The true pioneers of martial arts have never needed to promote themselves to high rank. They're happy with the title "founder" (or local equivalent).
     
  18. aikiMac

    aikiMac aikido + boxing = very good Moderator Supporter

    And building on that -- over a period of decades those founders demonstrated an uncanny level of skill that warranted the formation, and delineation, of a new martial art. *THAT* is why the martial arts community accepted them as masters and founders, and accepted the new martial art style.

    If this Alan Thornton guy can do the same, if over a significant stretch of time he can consistently demonstrate a level of skill like what Mas Oyama had (to pick a very recent version of karate), then great -- the martial arts community will embrace him. That's totally cool. We'll be all " :happy: "

    If not, then he deserves criticism for his unsaintly arrogance and fraud. :(
     
    Last edited: Jul 25, 2014
  19. axelb

    axelb Master of Office Chair Fu

    Hi website made my eyes bleed, although not directly related to Martial arts ability, it always makes me think twice about the organisation.
     
  20. LemonSloth

    LemonSloth Laugh and grow fat!

    I wonder how long it would take the Honours Committee to reconsider their decision, or even if they would actually release their announcement of a decision either way?
     

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