Charity Starts at Home: The Good Fight

[DISCLAIMER]

Charity Starts at Home

Admittedly, I have long admired many hip hop duos. It’s difficult to pick which one I ultimately cherish the most. Nevertheless, the Durham, North Carolina (NC) duo Little Brother (lyricists Phonte and Big Pooh) are undeniably within my uppermost favorite category!

As other fans of the group may agree, Little Brother was subjectively at their peak when record producer, record executive, and DJ 9th Wonder (“9th”) was part of the collective. Oh, how I miss the music all three individuals created before 9th left the group in 2007!

In any event, I remain grateful for what was. Moreover, I’m glad that 9th continued collaborating with Little Brother members on their solo projects. For instance, Phonte released his album Charity Starts at Home in 2011, as 9th produced many of the tracks.

For context, there appears to be some dispute online regarding who originated the phrase “charity begins at home”. Therefore, I won’t ascribe its origin to any particular source. All the same, I appreciate what one source states about the phrase:

The original meaning of this proverb was that a person’s first responsibility is for the needs of their own family and friends. However, nowadays the ‘home’ referred to is frequently not an individual household, but the UK [United Kingdom] as a whole. When discussing overseas aid, this phrase is often used to argue that the UK should tackle its domestic problems before spending money to help those in need abroad.

This phrase is bandied around as if it’s some kind of universally acknowledged truth — like ‘practice makes perfect’ or ‘scissors beat paper’ — which automatically trumps any other argument. Really, it’s just a group of words which doesn’t make that much sense if you encourage people to think about it for a while.

The point of charity is to help those who need it most. Imagine if someone’s house burned down, and their next door neighbour refused to help because they had rising damp in their walls and so needed to sort that out first because, after all, ‘charity begins at home’. Only the most heartless person would do that, right? The scale and urgency of need must surely be taken into account when deciding where charity is deserved.

Given that I maintain small-l libertarianism views (i.e., I’m not aligned with the big-L Libertarian Party), I remain skeptical about the perspective of the UK source. Even so, I appreciate that a countervailing outlook to “charity begins at home” was elucidated.

From my standpoint, personal responsibility and accountability (collectively “ownership”) for one’s own affairs is preferable. Given the proposition of the UK source, I may choose to help a neighbor whose home has burned down, though my neighbors aren’t entitled to my assistance.

From this view, personal ownership for one’s own condition or circumstances is a matter of self-reliance (dependence on one’s own efforts and abilities). In this way, I interpret the album titled Charity Starts at Home as Phonte expressing personal ownership regarding his own affairs.

The Good Fight

On Charity Starts at Home is the track “The Good Fight”, which uses a sample of Roszetta Johnson’s song “Who Are You Gonna Love (Your Woman or Your Wife)” (1971), as Phonte (whose nicknames are Tigallo and Te) states in the introduction:

When you wake up this morning

I want you to go to the mirror

And I want you to look at yourself in the eyes and say, “Fuck you!

Fuck your hopes, fuck your dreams,

Fuck all the good you thought this life was gon’ bring you!

Now, let’s go out here and make this bitch happy.”

New Tigallo, new Tigallo, new Tigallo, new Tigallo

Arguably, the lyricist’s outlook is one of cynicism (contemptuously distrustful of human nature and motives). Specifically, I presume that Phonte disputes his own irrational beliefs about how life supposedly should, must, or ought to meet his stringent expectations.

Suppose Phonte told himself, as the late psychologist Albert Ellis, who developed the psychotherapeutic modality I practice once said, “There are three musts that hold us back: I must do well. You must treat me well. And the world must be easy.” How may this impact his view?

When truthfully admitting to himself that inflexible demands tend to cause the effect of self-disturbance, then Phonte may cynically mock his unhelpful must scripts regarding life. With this arguably helpful view, the lyricist moves forward to his first verse in which he states:

Everybody prays for the day they see the light

But the light at the end of the tunnel is a train

Five dollar gas, and poverty rates

Are rising much higher than your hourly rates

So if you thinkin’ ‘bout quittin’, you should probably wait

‘Cause everybody gotta do a fuckin job that they hate

“Go and live out your dreams,” that’s what they tellin’

Fam[ily] in my ear all day, and they yellin’

“Keep it real Te, and don’t ever sellout”

But how the fuck you sell out when ain’t nobody sellin’?

Using a straightforward approach to working an undesirable job, Phonte maintains flexible propositions (i.e., “should” and “gotta”) concerning the late philosopher David Hume’s philosophical razor about which I stated in The Is-Ought Problem:

His formula addresses moral or values-based judgements contrasted with non-moral or facts-based observations. Considering this matter, one source poses the question, “How do descriptive statements (an ‘is’ statement) so quickly turn into prescriptive statements (a ‘should’ statement)?” […]

Though we may think otherwise, one source accurately states “it is not obvious how one can coherently move from descriptive statements to prescriptive ones.” Still, this doesn’t stop many people from violating Hume’s principle.

Hume’s distinction between description and prescription is something Phonte addresses in “The Good Fight”, even if only inadvertently. I view this as a healthy perspective. Continuing with his presentation on the track, the lyricist states on the hook:

Tired of playin’ with y’all

I wanna fight the good fight, but it ain’t payin’ me, dawg

NC, make ya money

VA [Virginia], make ya money

To my man still hustlin’ hard, tryna get it at whatever the cost

Wherever you at or whoever you are

That’s me, make ya money

All day, make ya money

Per my interpretation of the hook, Phonte takes personal ownership over his own circumstances. On one hand, he works an undesirable job. On the other hand, he recognizes that he needs money in order to live. If he chose to “fight the good fight” by pursuing other interests, then he’d starve.

Therein, it’s worth noting that the phrase “fight the good fight” means to try very hard to do what is right—being in accordance with what is just, good, or proper. This is a subjective matter. What I deem as “good” may be considered “bad” to another person.

Given this viewpoint, I argue that there’s no credible evidence for objective morality (the notion that certain actions are inherently right or wrong, independent of human opinion, culture, or personal perception). With this assertion, I now submit that Phonte states in his second verse:

It’s like chasin’ a high, you just wanna get a hit

Just wanna get a taste, just wanna benefit

Every day we wake up, there’s the legitimate

Struggle between doin’ what’s right, or just doin’ some nigga shit

Baby bro wrote me, say he feel like he lost me

I’m like, “Dude, I’m tryin’; back the fuck up off me”

My single friends say, “Te, ya family’s beautiful”

I’m like, “If only y’all niggas knew what it cost me”

This shit don’t come with no blueprints

And with every change it seems more like a game you could never win

I tell my peoples I ain’t rich

But this harvest is the farthest from broke a nigga ever been

Phonte adequately notes a dilemma (a usually undesirable or unpleasant choice) when admitting, “Every day we wake up, there’s the legitimate struggle between doin’ what’s right, or just doin’ some nigga shit.” In a less crass manner, consider the following scenario.

Phonte could do what he considers “right” by providing for others through legal means. Similarly, he provide through use of illegal means, which is considered “wrong.” Either way, other people depend upon him. Doing what’s right is hard. Doing what’s wrong is easy.

The dilemma exists in that the demand upon Phonte to provide is significant. Therefore, doing what’s right while accomplishing this goal is acceptable. Yet, although not socially acceptable, doing what’s wrong (i.e., “some nigga shit”) is an enticing option.

Thus, “The Good Fight” is a matter of moral and ethical consideration. A “moral” is a person’s standard of behavior or belief concerning what is and isn’t acceptable for the individual and other people.

Morals thus relate to what’s considered good, bad, right, wrong, or otherwise acceptable or unacceptable. An “ethic” is a set of moral principles, especially those relating to or affirming a specified group, field, or form of conduct.

Whereas morals relate to what is thought of as pleasing or displeasing behaviors and beliefs, ethics – based on morals – are the social rules by which we pledge to live. In Phonte’s song, he appears to psychologically grapple with his aims through subjectively moral and ethical means.

Copyright Troll

I appreciate “The Good Fight”, even though some people may not like Phonte’s cynical outlook. Personally, it’s preferable to consider morals and ethics when attempting to provide for the well-being of others. Challengingly, this is something I’ve experienced for almost half a year.

In September 2025, I began receiving written communication from sources regarding copyright (the exclusive legal right to reproduce, publish, sell, or distribute the matter and form of something, such as a literary, musical, or artistic work). This is in relation to my blogposts.

For a number of entries which were designed to provide for the well-being of others, I posted photos from various sources. This was done with expressed attribution (the ascribing of a work, as of literature or art, to a particular author or artist). In essence, I cited my sources.

Thereafter, I received a number of requests to remove the photos. I complied. However, I subsequently received written communication from a law firm that demanded money for seeming to have mistakenly and allegedly violated copyrights of unspecified individuals.

Rather than upsetting myself with unfavorable beliefs about the matter, I began researching the topic online. As well, I consulted legal counsel that was familiar with the process. Fortunately, I found sources which adequately addressed the matter. For instance, one source states:

A copyright troll is a party (person or company) that enforces copyrights it owns for purposes of making money through strategic litigation, in a manner considered unduly aggressive or opportunistic, sometimes without producing or licensing the works it owns for paid distribution.

Critics object to the activity because they believe it does not encourage the production of creative works, but instead makes money through the inequities and unintended consequences of high statutory damages provisions in copyright laws intended to encourage creation of such works.

Both the term and the concept of a copyright troll began to appear in the mid-2000s. It derives from the pejorative “patent trolls”, which are companies that enforce patent rights to earn money from companies that are selling products, without having products of their own for sale. It is distinguished from organizations such as ASCAP, which collect royalties and enforce copyrights of their members.

Rather than naming the parties involved with ostensible extortion (the act or practice of extorting—to obtain from a person by force, intimidation, or undue or illegal power—especially money or other property), I’ll refer to the aforementioned entities as parties X and Y.

Party X, an overseas conglomeration of businesses, claims that I’ve violated copyrights of the entities it represents. Party Y, a stateside law firm, professes to represent party X regarding alleged copyright infringement. Both parties X and Y appear to be copyright trolls.

Now, as Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is informed by Stoic philosophy, this blog entry is part of an ongoing series regarding a book entitled The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman.

This book helps with my situation. The authors quote Stoic philosopher Seneca who stated, “How disgraceful is the lawyer whose dying breath passes while at court, at an advanced age, pleading for unknown litigants and still seeking the approval of ignorant spectators” (page 234).

When thinking of copyright trolls, I consider this matter using a Stoic perspective. Specifically, as stated by Seneca, the parties X and Y of the world seem to rigidly cling to unhelpful narratives about a counselor and social worker turned psychotherapist who’s trying to help others.

For context, throughout my blog, I’ve noted that in childhood I was subjected to sustained and repeated traumatic experiences from both my mom and dad. In junior high school, I was then placed into a children’s home. At that point, I began informally serving as a life coach.

In high school, I befriended gang members while attempting to help improve their level of functioning and quality of life. It was then that I started using my personal beeper as a crisis support line for other adolescents. Simultaneously, I stated in Hulk:

Metaphorically speaking, there’s a Hulk inside of me. He’s been there for as long as I can recall.

He’s served his purpose well, perceivably keeping me safe from the danger of childhood trauma. He sharpened his skills, gathered strength, and challenged himself as a means of growth in association with suffering when I hung out with gang members in adolescence.

Although I was nicknamed “2-Nice” by my gang-related friends, a member of another gang set once stated to me something like, “You’re fucking crazier than any of us! I’m gonna call you ‘Suicide-Psycho,’ ‘cause you’re fucking crazy, ese!” […]

Because of my Hulkified opposition to authority and resistance to perceived oppressors, I was booted out of the branch of misguided children. Additionally, I’ve been fired from more jobs than I care to discuss and I’ve been the source of conflict in many relationships of various types, and throughout my life. […]

I suppose my answer to this is in the context of what Jordan Peterson once stated, “You should be a monster, an absolute monster, and then you should learn how to control it.” Rather than stating what I think should, must, or ought to be the case, I’ll instead comment simply on what is the case [in Hume-esque fashion].

I have a monster inside of me. Of this, I’m not ashamed. Now, contrast Peterson’s aforementioned quote with something else he once stated, “A harmless man is not a good man. A good man is a very, very dangerous man who has that under voluntary control.”

You see, from my perspective—largely aligned with the referenced Peterson quotes, the person who was born without the struggle of pain, trauma, hardship, and immense suffering is not virtuous for not having committed acts of violence. It seems like pacifism would be the default function of such an individual.

To me, one who’s worthy of admiration in this context is the person who is born with, or perhaps created through environmental influence, the capacity for enacting violence and aggression though who chooses peace over extreme force. It’s the individual who overcomes one’s own struggle that I think is worthy of acclaim.

Stated within that blogpost, as it applies to copyright trollery, is my subjective concept of morals and ethics. I’m not a psychotherapist due to some erudite upbringing and a pretentious desire to work with disadvantaged and marginalized populations. I’m actually from that population!

Unlike my gang-affiliated friends that I left behind, who would’ve boasted about the theft of personal property if you’d asked them about various criminal exploits, I didn’t set out to steal anyone’s intellectual property. In fact, I cited my sources and credited original creators.

However, now parties X and Y apparently view it morally and ethically prudent to target a 100% disabled veteran who undercharges clients, provides free content about REBT in a poorly written blog, and who has overcome his unproductive nature in attempt to fight the good fight.

Regarding this matter, I’m not self-disturbed. Through the perspective of the ABC model, I take personal ownership for my own reaction to undesirable events such as copyright trolls pursuing me. Thus, I’m not a victim of copyright trolls. Rather, I’ll fight the good fight as long as I can!

As a side note, for the sake of posterity, and in a stunning display of hypocrisy, both parties X and Y have reproduced two of my own copyright images (taken by and of me, through use of a photo-triggering mechanism and stable platform) when claiming that I reproduced images.

The above image (left) was originally posted in Slow Is Smooth, Smooth Is Fast (7/3/2025). The above image (right) was originally posted in An Insane DEIA Trap (1/12/2025). Parties X and Y were unauthorized to reproduce both of these personally-owned images in their documentation!

While fighting the good fight, this matter can be raised in a domain other than the current blogpost. It isn’t my wish to pursue this matter legally, as I’d prefer to let bygones be bygones. All the same, I’m addressing this apparent violation by parties X and Y in this post.

Conclusion

While some people disagree with the phrase “charity starts at home”, I don’t. Because I’ve daily practiced self-care and daily practiced REBT, the metaphorical home of my mind is where charity began in childhood—renovating my accommodations ever since then.

From this view, I like Phonte’s song “The Good Fight” and how the lyricist morally and ethically considered the proposition, “Every day we wake up, there’s the legitimate struggle between doin’ what’s right, or just doin’ some nigga shit.” He apparently helped others either way.

In similar fashion, I’ve tried to help others through my non-monetized blog. Truly, I’ve lost count of how many people have thanked me for my efforts. Still, there’s a legitimate challenge not to revert to my old nonadaptive behaviors when being threatened by parties X and Y.

Much of what I practice with clients in professional sessions, regarding care for mental, emotional, and behavioral health (collectively “mental health”), is shared with the world for free. Correspondingly, I apply these methods to my own life so that I can fight the good fight.

By no means have I conducted myself perfectly, as I’m merely a fallible human being. Nevertheless, I complied when copyright trolls initially demanded that I remove various images from my posts. Thereafter, the trolls increased their apparent extortive efforts.

In consideration of what I stated in Hulk, I’m not the sort of individual who would likely cower in the face of behavior which is ostensibly intimidating (producing feelings of fear or timidity). Although I’m not a monster, there is a monster inside of me. I prefer to keep him subdued.

I’ll continue doing this through active use of Stoic principles, which includes incorporation of Hume’s is-ought problem. Even though I may believe that I preferably oughtn’t to be bothered by parties X and Y, it simply is the case that they’ve darkened my metaphorical doorstep.

Truly, “there’s the legitimate struggle between doin’ what’s right, or just doin’ some nigga shit.” Now, to the person reading this while also experiencing significant challenges in life, I invite you to consider that if I can subdue inner conflict, then you very well may also be able to do so.

Phonte demonstrated his ability to do this by regarding his unproductive beliefs with cynicism. I do this through use of REBT. How will you do it? If “charity starts at home,” and your metaphorical home of mental health is a matter of personal ownership, what will you do?

Will you fight the good fight—however subjectively you regard what “good” is? Or will you let entities such as copyright trolls and others rob you of your ability to self-regulate (manage your beliefs, emotions, and behaviors in response to environmental demands)?

At the end of the day, I have an interest and goal to remain out of a box and above ground (i.e., out of incarceration and alive). With the relatively little time I have left before I die (hopefully sooner than later), I’ll fight the good fight by trying to help others. And what will you do?

If you’re looking for a provider who tries to work to help understand how thinking impacts physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral elements of your life—helping you to sharpen your critical thinking skills, I invite you to reach out today by using the contact widget on my website.

As the world’s foremost hip hop-influenced REBT psychotherapist, I’m pleased to try to help people with an assortment of issues from anger (hostility, rage, and aggression) to relational issues, adjustment matters, trauma experience, justice involvement, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression, and other mood or personality-related matters.

At Hollings Therapy, LLC, serving all of Texas, I aim to treat clients with dignity and respect while offering a multi-lensed approach to the practice of psychotherapy and life coaching. My mission includes: Prioritizing the cognitive and emotive needs of clients, an overall reduction in client suffering, and supporting sustainable growth for the clients I serve. Rather than simply trying to help you to feel better, I want to try to help you get better!

Deric Hollings, LPC, LCSW

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