My Nasty Encounter with the MAGA Phenomenon Circa 1968

      MAGA mentalities have always been around. The only difference is that during those years it was referred to as bigotry and racism. Now it has the hifalutin name of MAGA. But a turd by any other name is still a turd regardless of how you dress it up.

     This encounter took place in Chicago at an apartment complex managed by this Anglo American who obviously considered Latinos second class citizens unworthy of entering the building in the same manner in which every other tenant was going, through the front building entrance. Instead, he wanted us, my mother and me, to used the alley. Now, he didn't tell us that personally. He just had his two dogs harass us whenever we tried. They would come charging, growling and placing their slimy snout on our legs in threatening ways until we actually began using only the alley entrance.

     Well, this continued for a while until one dark Evening when I was ready to leave the apartment with my girlfriend and said I was going to use the alley to leave the building in order to avoid getting bitten, my mother  vehemently. Began suggesting that I use the front entrance like everyone else.

     Needless to say, I didn't much relish the idea of taking on two dogs and their 300 six foot six master so I started to decline. But I wasn't too happy about continuing to abide by racist demands either so I figured I would give it a try. I armed myself with this cloth-hanger instead of accepting the tube and the knife as was being suggested, because I didn't want to seriously injure the dogs. Stupid idea since they sure as her didn't have my well-being in mind. In any case, I proceeded to leave the building and the JW female companion refused. Instead she remained  in the safety of the lobby from where she observed the whole thing with this sadistic smile on her  hypocritical religious face.

      So I went out alone toward the entrance to the building's front yard. I noticed that all the attention of the Manager his friends and family, who were on the entrance lawn,  were now suddenly focused on me.  They had been previously chatting but dead silence as soon as they saw me exit the building.  Picking up on that hostility,  their two dogs  ran towards me barking and growling. The manager an his family stood looking on as if amused at my predicament, as if they were spectators in some Roman arena awaiting the execution of some miserable gladiator to be torn apart by wild beasts.

     Not wanting to participate in providing that kind of entertainment, I desperately tried to open the gate, but the fear of the dogs made me fumble. So in self defense, I whipped out the flimsy curtain hanger and took a  southpaw boxing position.  I suddenly realized just how flimsy and clumsy that rod was and how unwieldy. Its sharp edges were  cutting into my fingers and it was very flexible.  So the impacts I delivered could very well prove useless. But I was trapped and had no choice but to use what I had at hand. 

     Meanwhile, the two dogs, a male that looked like a mix between a Saint Bernard and some other large breed, retreated temporarily. The male dog just stared, but the female began circling me and  barking and egging it on. That's when he began growling and lunged for my feet. I swung  at its head two times and connected, but it felt as if I was hitting thick fur on its neck. And as flexible as the rod was, that would not do.   
     I also backed up to give myself some room and re-chambered. Again it lunged with the same result. But the third time I connected on the forehead and that stopped him dead in his tracks. Now  he just stood there barking weakly  with dazed eyes and looking as if he were about to pass out.

     At that point, the 300-pound six-foot-six SOB racist Anglo American MAGA freak, began confidently striding towards me as if he was about to take the dog's place. Of course, he expected me to run. I imagine he was used to having smaller men run from him,  but I wasn't in any running mood at that moment,  so I stood my ground and prepared to swing the rod at him as well once he came within striking distance. . He noticed what I was about to do, and cautiously backed away taking a stand beside his drowsy dog and telling me that his dogs were not about to bite me. Oh Sure, they were playing! All dogs bark and growl and lunge with their bared teeth when they play-right?

     Well, next day, I could hear the dog yelping in pain in the Manager's apartment below ours.  Apparently, I had done it some damage. It really bothered me to hear those yelps, since I really didn't want to hurt that dog. In any case, I was granted the privilege of using the front entrance from that point on and they felt that they had done their duty of trying to do MAGA. The one that should have had his racist  head bashed in was the owner of the dog not the dog.