Comment inspired by Charles C. Earl’s Weblog.

Racism & the Mosquito

Yes!! Yes!!! How do I make the font bigger in a comment? I guess by repetition. YESSSS!!! Yes!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you Charles for discerning it to be time for your voice to step up. Much appreciated. We’re all different, like everyone else. All similar, each unique. Maybe no-one is born equal, though we’re all born with equal value as human beings. Rather than equality, shall we make a move towards equanimity?

I’m reminded of of a professor showing up at the Black Belt Tae Kwon Do Class I was instructing in college for P.E. credit — read in: wage theft under the guise of credit completion, honor back then, I didn’t yet know any better at 19. Though, kinda the wrong environment to show up making trouble, though hey, some people are also trained to have a pre-Approved Darwin Award Applications.

I laugh, it was straight out of a Kung Fu Theatre movie with someone coming in the challenge the Master, except here, humorously, with no martial skills… or even a thoughtful demeanor.

In shoes mind you in the dojo, she jumped the knee wall and bolted across the floor towards me spewing all the while with words I won’t repeat here how I needed to remove the 2 black people and 3 Korean people from my class or else!

Smiling, calm as a daisy, though not going down like one, “Madame, this class is based on a system from Korea, and occasionally the way I teach it, from China or from within me. I’m not sure of your geography acumen other than knowing how to get to a fanatical church, so I’ll throw you a bone. Koreans, Chinese, and Africans are closer to this art’s geographical origin than you or me are here. Maybe we should both leave and stop wonderment and curiosity and experience and serendipity and exchange from continuing to poison the world.”

I still smile. She Was SO beautifully conflicted, both wanted to agree and also was in total (alleged) disagreement, because I stood her up with one hand (voice) while the other hand yanked her carpet from under her… though you also saw the check mate on her face. “Hmmmmmpopphhh.” And, she spun, and was towards almost gone. She stopped and turned around before she straddle-moved over the knee wall to which I, “Madame, there are rules that are made to be broken. So, next time you visit, make sure to take off your shoes.” 

 She bolted out as fast as she came in. Guess her fanatics sent the wrong busy-body, certainly not a hostage negotiator. I turned… “Class, can we agree that the last one to get to class locks the door?”

One of my students, ironically 2 Dans higher ranking than me (another story) chimed in, “Mr. Hoggard I thought you said that conflict wasn’t the point, not to pick fights or further them, and you just destroyed her with words. Isn’t that furthering one?”  

I smiled and bowed my head. Looking up…

“I did say that. One part of not picking or allowing fights is… Be peaceful, but know when to let motherf***ers know so they DON’T start in further. I should clarify further about violence. To yes or no it requires thoughtfulness… hmmm. Class, here’s an example, ’Man who have mosquito land on testicles learns very quickly that violence is not the best 1st course of action.‘ That’s how I got rid of her as the mosquito.”

They all laughed, and we got on with class. Though, things like that happening? Unacceptable. Of course it was Texas Bible Belt, Lubbock, 1989-1990. Let’s face it. Teaching a martial arts class, mostly inherently Eastern, that in itself was an academic minority subject to judgments and racism.

Like Lewis Hamilton expressed when asked recently if he thought racism was getting worse: “No, I don’t. WIll Smith said it best. Racism isn’t getting worse. Now, it’s just being filmed.” 

I Will Say It Out Loud…

The George Lynch MURDER

was a modern lynching.

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