When
I was the Director of the Bayview Hope Transportation Academy from time to time
I would conduct “Intake Interview” with potential candidates seeking entry
approval. One of the sections of the
intake interview was designed to gather information about the candidate’s “background”. The program was created for the underserved
(e.g. transitioning from welfare to work; previously incarcerated – felonies or
misdemeanors; former substance abusers; etc.)
So clearly it wasn’t to pass judgment but to determine if they would be
a good fit for the vocational training program.
For example: if someone had a
DUI/DWI within the last ten years they would not be accepted, no
exceptions. As I was preparing this blog my mind went back to several intakes where a candidate discussed
an assault charge. Whenever someone from
my cultural background used the phrase or similar phrases to: “I hadda handle
my business” or “I hadda do what I hadda to do” my interpretation was that
there was a fight. However, when I spoke
with someone from a different cultural background who used the word fight, I
asked for clarity to ensure we were on the same page. Ironically, the word fight for them may have
also meant they had an argument. There
are multiple definitions for the word fight and there are various types of
fights. Let’s review the definitions
first, shall we?
Fight
(www.dictionary.com): a battle or combat; any contest or struggle; an angry
argument or disagreement. A bout or
contest; a game or diversion in which the participants hit or pelt each other
with something harmless; ability, will, or inclination to fight.
The word fight is used in a variety
of phrases that do not necessarily translate into violent exchanges, for
example, song titles: “Don’t Fight the Feeling
(Too $hort); “Fight the Power (Public Enemy 2005; Isley Brothers 2004); Fight
for your Right (to Party) Beasty Boys and Blondie; Fight For You – Mali Music. Many of us are familiar with the fight
expressions: Fighting for my life; I’m gonna fight until I win; Let them fight
it out, etc.
Types of Fights:
· A Food fight: The
only ones I have witnessed have been on the screen. Most people from my culture would get a
beat-down from on high for wasting food that their parent(s)/caregivers worked
hard to provide, soooooooo …..
· To fight the passage of a bill – A “bill” is a piece of
proposed legislation that either originated or was modified in the United
States Senate. In order to become law, a senate bill must win majority approval
in both the Senate and the House of Representatives and then be approved by the
President of the United States.
Obviously if a member of Congress opposes the bill they will fight it
and lobby to get others to do so;
· A pillow fight – they always look like so much fun on screen
(e.g. TV, the theater, etc.), but if you have ever been in a pillow fight with
a hater or aggressive opponent(s), those feathers or foam stuffing can hurt;
· A water fight – the ones you voluntarily enlist in are the
best, the ones that you are volunteered for are the worst. Point in case: early 2000 during Indian
Summer for the Bay I drove to SF with my freshly silked waist length hair. My car did not have air conditioning so all
my windows were down. As I approached
the complex where my daughter and sons lived at the time, I noticed a young
bruh running towards my car with a huge bucket as I was stopped temporarily at
the guard check-in station of the complex.
As I retrieved my license from the guard, I felt a gush of water as if
the heavens had opened up inside my Honda Civic. As I looked up to see the young bruh running
from my car towards a larger crowd that was laughing uncontrollably approximately
40-50 yards away I realized they were playing some type of water game and I was
playing too, except no one bothered to tell me.
Instinctively, this saved, sanctified, holy ghost filled woman smashed
on the gas, halted to a stop, got out of my car and demanded to know “who that
little niggah” was that just threw a 5-gallon bucket of water in my car. Of course no one answered, thankfully. I instinctively pulled out my phone to call
my son and I heard someone say jokingly:
“who she callin’, the “poh-lice”?
Thankfully Te’Mon didn’t answer.
As they snickered at me, I announced that I was Te’Mon and Lonnell’s
momma, and somebody was gonna pay for me to get my hair done again. Sweetie, you could have cut the silence with
a chain saw. The entire mood shifted,
out of nowhere someone (not the culprit) appeared with a towel attempting to
dry my car off as I stood there fuming.
Can you say, “game over”. As my
right ear was ringing from being doused with water I quickly came to my senses
and realized that someone might get seriously hurt if I didn’t calm down.
· Dog Fighting: is a type of blood sport, generally defined as
pitting two game dogs against one another in a ring or pit for the entertainment
of spectators or the gratification of the dogfighters AKA "dogmen". In rural
areas, dog fights are often hosted in barns or outdoor pits; in urban areas,
fights may occur in garages, basements, warehouses, abandoned buildings, back
alleys, neighborhood playgrounds, or in the streets. Dog fights usually last
until one dog is declared a winner, which occurs when one dog fails to scratch,
one dog dies, or one dog jumps out of the pit. It is alleged that the loser, if not killed in
the fight, is typically killed by the owner through a gun, beatings, or
torture. However, sometimes dog fights end without declaring a winner. For
instance, the dog's owner may call the fight. Dog fighting is big money. Revenue is generated from stud fees, admission
fees and gambling. Dog Fighting is also
a felony in all 50 states, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin
Islands. In addition to being a felony
in all 50 states, the federal U.S. Animal Welfare Act makes it unlawful for any person to knowingly sell, buy, possess, train,
transport, deliver, or receive any dog for purposes of having the dog
participate in an animal fighting venture. The act also makes it unlawful for
any person to knowingly use the mail service of the US Service or any
instrumentality of interstate commerce for commercial speech for purposes of
advertising a dog for use in an animal fighting venture, promoting or in any
other manner furthering an animal fighting venture except as performed outside
the limits of the States of the United States. Worldwide, several countries
have banned dog fighting, but it is still legal in some countries like Japan,
Honduras, and parts of Russia.
· Rooster/Cock Fight: A
cockfight is a blood sport between two roosters (cocks), or more accurately
gamecocks, held in a ring called a cockpit. These fights date back as far as
1521 in the Philippines. The combatants,
referred to as gamecocks, are specially bred birds, conditioned for increased
stamina and strength that possess congenital aggression toward all males of the
same species. They are given the best of
care until near the age of two years old; conditioned, much like professional
athletes prior to events or shows. There
is also big money in cockfighting where the gamecocks fight enough to cause
significant physical trauma and if to increase the entertainment, it is a
common practice to attach metal spurs to the natural spurs. While not all
fights are to the death, the cocks may endure significant physical trauma. In
some areas around the world, cockfighting is still practiced as a mainstream
event; in some countries it is regulated by law, or forbidden outright. Advocates
of the "age old sport" often list cultural and religious relevance as
reasons for perpetuation of cockfighting as a sport.
· To fight for a cause: freedom of choice; human trafficking; breastcancer awareness; MADD; civil rights;
the war on black and brown people, I mean the war on drugs;
I’m out of time, we’ll continue the
fight journey tomorrow.
In His New and Excellent Service
Tania
Not Tanya
No comments:
Post a Comment