STINK OVER STENKA: CITY KNOCKS LOCAL RUSSIANS’ FIST FEST

NY Post ^ | January 28, 2002 | GERSH KUNTZMAN

[BrooklynGOP]

Unfortunately, I mean that figuratively, rather than literally.

In the latest example of political correctness run amok, it looks as though the city is going to prevent the organizers of this month's Russian end-of-winter festival in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, from staging a 1,000-year-old Russian tradition that calls for two teams of 50 bare-chested men to slug it out with their bare fists. Can you imagine the hubris?!

[Ditto]

I wonder what would happen if some gay group wanted to stage a "fist fest" in the park?

[PBRSTREETGANG]

Sounds like it's made for pay-per-view!

[riley1992]

"We will have an ambulance standing by. We're not barbarians."

"I am not an animal! I am a human being!"

[Ratatoskr]

Is the Post being tongue in cheek here? If these Russkies have been on our shores long enough to learn the ancient American tradition of lawsuit, this thing looks like a potential gazillion dollars marching out of the city's coffers.

[BrooklynGOP]

Nah. I am sure they have all kinds of release forms..

[Ratatoskr]

I doubt there's such a thing as a legally binding release form that covers bare-knuckle fist fights.

[BrooklynGOP]

Sure. Just sign a paper that says that you won't hold any responsible for any injuries/death that you might sustain from it... I had to sign a form like that when I used to practice judo.

[Ratatoskr]

Just sign a paper that says that you won't hold any responsible for any injuries/death that you might sustain from it...

That won't cover an infinite range of behaviors. Not these days, anyway. You couldn't sign a release allowing someone to shoot at you, for example, and eliminate the shooter's liability. And I believe bare-knuckle fighting is against the law these days.