Hand-to-hand combat in residential neighbourhoods gets syndicated viewership online. Confused you scratch your head at their fascination with drama outside of a boxing ring. Meanwhile spectators ready their popcorn for the latest parking lot squabble on WorldStarHipHop. They never fail to provide play-by-plays in the comment section as though Floyd Mayweather is fighting. All you can think of are the pending misdemeanor assault charges that are soon to follow, which doesn’t appear favourable in the highly competitive job market.
Far removed from physical confrontation you managed to avoid even small skirmishes most of your life, outside of one tiff in elementary school. Long story short you were provoked as they proceeded to grab your arm forcefully, so you thwarted their aggression by applying greater force. They ended up with their face pressed against a gym mat while you evaded detection and escaped reprimand from the teacher on-duty.
Most clashes start off as verbal exchanges. Although it’s not your forte you could go toe-to-toe in a shouting match. If you don’t take what others say as a personal affront you’ve already demonstrated self-discipline and an upper hand in terms of emotional maturity. It’s easier said than done. It’s best to keep your ego in check, don’t let it body check you. Self-restraint is a virtue for most, unless you are Somali or a Spartan.
The unspoken rule of Somali feuds states:
“To turn the other cheek only happens if you let the other party dharbaax (hit) you.”
Apparently you shouldn’t give your enemy the opportunity to go to town with you by hurling insults or slapping you silly. Rather you should have the last word – a sign you have won. If things get physical you must grab any object within arm’s length and take a punitive strike against them. It’s not unheard of to find Somali politicians employing these tactics in parliament. They don’t call it the political arena for no reason.
I had the displeasure of witnessing a fight breakout at an event I organized several years back. While wrapping up the event, suddenly a girl burst out of the gymnasium and snatched a bag of ice from our table. She then proceeded to chase a girl down a hallway and gave her a stone cold Steve Austin smack down and her friend joined in the fight by grabbing a tinfoil pan. After the event transpired I came to find out the petty girl-on-girl assault was a romantic rivalry – a man was involved. It was an embarrassing incident but I felt even worse for the janitor, he should have booked the day off.
The only other altercation I witnessed was at another Somali event. I don’t mean to ruin it for you, since many of them go on without a hitch. On this one occasion the event planners told the guests they were having an intimate party. The attendees mistakenly assumed it was a club instead they were ushered into an Eritrean Restaurant. It was an inexpensive venue with a hefty fee to get in. The DJ happened to be a classmate with a questionable taste in music so he came for free. The Southern Smoke mixtape was the soundtrack for that evening with memorable songs like Get Crazy and Put em’ up, it certainly set the stage for chaos to unfold. The unsuspecting guests were misled that females would be present in full effect, but it turned out that the male to female ratio was 5 to 1. If you didn’t know any better you’d expect the Village People to spring into action and sing YMCA. Instead the chicanery of the event planners coupled with excessive amounts of testosterone led to a rough and tumble between some men. That concluded the climatic night.
Both these incidents were avoidable. They were partly attributed to temperament and cultural values that dictate that aggression is the solution to conflict. It appears customary to use any means necessary to win whether it’s through vitriol, fists or in extreme instances weapons. If individuals around you are brutish it may be necessary to mimic their mannerisms to act as a deterrent against a possible threat. This might be an adequate means of survival if you live in a conflict zone, but in the diaspora there is a different lived experience. Ultimately, if you don’t start anything and try your best to avoid troubled waters you are better off for it. We shouldn’t let the undertow of our emotions pull us in and then have to deal with our actions and their resultant consequences.
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What are you thoughts?
What did you read?
You are from somewhere in Northern Europe so I get it. 
I can give you a summary. 
Some ten-man strong force comes out and wouldn't be able to tell you what happens after. I'll come around few mins later wondering 
happened and why is this biiij bleeding.. 
