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Clifford Geertz, author of Deep Play: "Notes on the Balinese Cockfight", traveled to Bali in 1958 with his wife. When he arrived in the area, he noticed that none of the people who inhabited the area would even acknowledge him or his wife. However, after attending an illegal cockfight in the Balinese village, both Geertz and his wife are forced to run from the local police who are shutting down the cockfight. Once the Balinese people witnessed the two showing the same response to the police as the rest of the village, they acknowledged the similarities between themselves as well as the humanity of the two white people who seemed so foreign. "What we had actually demonstrated was out cowardice, but there is fellowship in that too."
After Geertz establishes this connection with the Balinese people, he is able to understand the significance of not only the cocks, but also the cockfights and the respect that the Balinese people have for each other, and the sport. Geertz learns that while the Balinese man's cock is representative of his ego and masculinity, it also is representative of "what he most fears, hates, and ambivalence of what is... The Powers of Darkness". In Balinese cultures, cockfighting is not done solely for sport, but rather is a societal way of bringing people together. This is proven through the unanimous respect for the umpire of the sport. According to Geertz, the umpires judgement and authority is never questioned, a fact that is surprising when considering the egotistical nature of cockfighting. The umpire is " a judge, a king, a priest, and a policeman" showing that the Balinese people have not only the utmost respect to cockfighting, but also to their opponents.
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