Fight Club

As a Gen X’er, growing up things were different. Is that a bit of an understatement? At this point you are probably thinking….”enlighten me Al”..Well for one thing, things were often settled with fists. Pugilism over pacifism. Yes, that’s right…whether it was sticking up for yourself in school, or not backing down from a challenge from the neighborhood bully, or even coming to blows with your best friend after a silly argument…it just happened and was just considered a normal part of life in the 70’s and the 80’s…”see you after school” really needed no further explanation if you were a student in school at the time…elementary, middle/junior high, or high school….you knew what you had to do after the last class let out for the day…you trudged across the street to the Presbyterian Church (oh the irony) and met your opponent at the SIDE of the house of worship…in a grassy area that doubled as a boxing ring sans the canvas and ropes. It seemed like most of the students in the school were there too…encircling the combatants without an adult to be found. And why WOULD they be there? Obviously it wasn’t a school sanctioned event like a field trip…and like most if not all activities of our generation, there was no parent or teacher involvement. And we drank water from a garden hose.

From what I remember, these fights didn’t last very long….usually a few headlocks were exchanged, a few roundhouse punches were thrown that often missed their mark, and the occasional bulls-eye shot to the solar plexus that ended things with the losing combatant clutching their stomach, momentarily gasping for air, and shedding a few tears. I remember one particular fight where one of the combatants attempted a low blow and hurt his hand on the other’s massive belt buckle…sinister stuff.

It seems surreal now but these fights were not violent – I know that sounds contradictory but as soon as a winner was declared, it was over. Period. Both fighters would walk away, one more proudly than the other, and the crowd would slowly wander away, most of them getting on school buses to go home for the day. Ho hum. That was it.

Here is the Captain Obvious statement for the day….it was simpler times. Things weren’t settled with guns, knives, or other blunt instruments. There were no shelter in place alerts, school lock-downs, or active shooter drills. I remember having FIRE drills…that’s it. But times have changed significantly and I find that very sad.

Now was I ever involved in one of the main event bouts? Well, occasionally I was a spectator but was never invited to the main stage…thank goodness as I don’t think I would have fared very well. I have delicate hands and a pretty face. However, I did have a scheduled bout once, a week in advance with one of my best friends when I was 11, but I will leave that story for another time.

Thank you for reading my story….more to come…until next time!