Extended Family: The Interviews (1965)

Traditional Consequences

Int: whoa do we have a problem Mary?

Mary: yeah I'm looking for my lip stick.

Bunny: oh yeah. I still got it from this morning.

Mary: Bunny. (Smiling) I should whoop you for that. Always stealing my stuff. Give it back.

Bunny hands over the lip stick.

Mickey: man speaking of whoopins, Andre, you remember when Mama used to take us downstairs into that room and whoop our behinds man?

Andre: yeah bro. with them wet dish towels man.

Mickey: aww man. I hated that stuff man. She would go like "pow" whooo man that junk hurt man.

Mama: wait a second, used too?

Int: uh oh.

Mama: used too?

Bunny: see Mickey you got something started now.

Mama: (smiling) Boy I will still pop your skin with my dish rag if you give me a problem. And I don't care how old you are. You can be 197 for all I care.

Int: so that's you guys deal with behavior issues.

Mama: oh yeah. I don't play no games with that.

Int: yeah. We all can tell.

MamaCarrie: yeah. She gets it from her father, who is no longer with us.

Int: oh. I'm sorry to hear that.

Mickey: you're talking about PapaTony?

MamaCarrie: yeah him.

Mickey: I really miss him.

MamaCarrie: me too. Don't worry Mickey. we'll see him again soon. Anyways Carolyn is a lot like me in personality but when it comes to discipline, she is the spitting image of her father.

Int: so is that the only thing you would use though? Face towels and such?

Mama: no. I would pick up anything.

BigJoe: yeah but if there is a crowd of kids not doing what she asks to do, she'll bring out PapaTony's old buckshot. Do you guys remember?

Mary: yeeeah! Man that was scary. She snuck outside to our area, and fired that stuff in the air. Like "BOOM". Oh my god, I thought that a bomb exploded.

Everyone laughs.

Mary: then that's when I turned around and seen Mama holding the buckshot in her hand. Going like "didn't I just tell y'all three times to get in this house and come to the dinner table?"

Everyone continues laughing.

Aunt Mona: yeah Mo'callie you was kinda rough.

Mickey: Naw Aunt Mona. Naw, she's not rough. It's just that, when it comes to obedience, she means business. She does not play.

Mama: yeah. Tell her Mickey. I don't play no games.

Mickey: hey do y'all remember when we stayed with Aunt Ruby and she used to do this boot camp kind of discipline.

Velesa: my god. Yeah! And it ain't like the usual kind of boot camp. While Aunt Ruby was sitting in the chair holding a Belt in her hand, We had to hold like 4 or 5 textbooks up in the air for like 10 minutes. And if we dropped 1 book. She would swing that belt across our back a few times.

Bunny: Velesa, you think that's something. Man we had to hold our feet up 6 inches from the ground for the same time. And if either foot touches the ground, same reaction, She'll take her belt off, and start swinging if you don't put your feet back in the air.

Int: oh wow. (To Audience) Well you heard it all folks, you know what's probably gonna happen if you get up off the couch during break.

Papa: jump through that screen and whoop your behind.

Everyone chuckles

Int: we'll be right back after these messages.