As you have all seen Fight Club, you will all be familiar with the concept of homework assignments.
Though these were individually handed out acts of Terrorism for Project Mayhem, the first of these was given to everyone verbally
Start a fight with a complete stranger ... And lose
In the film this is a segue scene, an explanation as to why Tyler lets Lou beat him before agreeing to let them use the bar, then into a montage of Members trying to start fights. It is also a recruiting drive, as both the used car salesman and the priest join Fight Club, the next scene at the club, still in Lous basement of course, is the fight between the two of them on their first night, complying with Rule Eight. The priest can then be seen in the rest of the film, in the missions.
Away from the film, there are several assignments which members can choose to undertake as a learning experience away from the club. Whether you go out and do these is entirely up to the member. As per Rule One and Two, nobody talks about it. This of course removes the need to brag about it, to make excuses if you don't do the assignments, and to lie and pretend you have when you have not.
What you take from the experience is up to you.
Start a fight with a complete stranger ... And lose.
Start a fight with the loneliest guy in the bar. Lose intentionally so he gets laid.
Hit on a married woman in front of her husband. Your bruises will rekindle a dying romance.
Pretend to commit suicide. Remind people to live.
More Project Mayhem in style, less Fight Club. Same relevance
Break into churches and steal the bibles. Put encyclopedias in the pews.
For medical people. Falsely diagnose patients with incurable Illnesses. Force them to go and live their dreams.
Spike the drinks at a prom. Give them some memories to look back on.
In some cases it will be the lady that lays into the member while the husband stands back and watches
The point being is that the member learns how to take the beating, he is learning what it's like to lose a fight
Getting beaten up by a woman will let a member know how tough women can be and how never to underestimate anybody
Using another movie for example, at the start of the A Team film we see Hannibal tied to the chair taking a beating, about to be shot with his own gun and eaten by dogs. We are led to believe he has been caught and it's the end for him. The bad guys think that too.
Then we see him put the pin back in the gun, cuff the dogs and light the cigar, and that's when you know it was part of The Plan all along
By the end of the opening scene the bad guys realise this as well
Alpha Mike Foxtrot
The point being, Hannibals training enables him to put himself in a situation where he can take and handle a beating so he can use it in a plan.
Handy skill to have. The homework assignment is how you learn it.
Whether you do is up to you.
