You Kick the Back of this Seat Again & I'll...........
Sep 9, 2002, 10:55 am
#61
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eperaltaotero, I have been in situations where ethnic slurs have been directed at my wife. Some may think me a wimp for just ignoring them but frankly it was much harder for me to ignore them than to insult back or become violent. The way my wife and I look at it is that we are not going to let some other person's ignorance dictate our actions unless we have to for reasons of self defense (words can only hurt you as much as you let them, also if you allow yourself to get caught up in the emotions of an argument your ability to asses your situation will be diminished).
On the other hand we were once in a situation where a taxi driver in DC became abusive and actually grabbed my wife's arm restraining her while shouting at her right in her face, unfortunately I had to disorientate him a little. If you can see the aggressor is about to become, or is already being, violent then I think acting in self defense by striking hard and, if possible, striking first is an option that is worth considering. Then make a hasty exit before the aggressor has time to recover.
Bottom line for me is if I can avoid a fight or escalating things then I do my best to do that (I did many years of martial arts when I was younger and this was what my teacher was always saying, it seems to have stuck with me).
On the other hand we were once in a situation where a taxi driver in DC became abusive and actually grabbed my wife's arm restraining her while shouting at her right in her face, unfortunately I had to disorientate him a little. If you can see the aggressor is about to become, or is already being, violent then I think acting in self defense by striking hard and, if possible, striking first is an option that is worth considering. Then make a hasty exit before the aggressor has time to recover.
Bottom line for me is if I can avoid a fight or escalating things then I do my best to do that (I did many years of martial arts when I was younger and this was what my teacher was always saying, it seems to have stuck with me).
Sep 9, 2002, 12:06 pm
#62
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<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by dhacker:
What disturbs me is how quickly some FT'ers thoughts turn to violence.</font>
What disturbs me is how quickly some FT'ers thoughts turn to violence.</font>
Sep 9, 2002, 12:55 pm
#63
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How would I react? well I can't say I would be the first one to toss a punch especially in a war of the words. One reason, is I'll fight fire with fire in this case on barb for another.
However if it does become physical (and the other party would have to initiate the physical contact), I will be the first to defend myself and go on the offensive (there aren't any rules when it comes to this point either) as the best defense is a good offense, however its always in my mind to grab their hands not knowing if they have a weopon or not. If I think they do have a weapon, then I'm much less likely to have a physical confrontation or bail out of the situation real fast. I don't go looking for confrontations, but know full well that if It comes to that, I can/will defend myself in anyway that I can.
However if it does become physical (and the other party would have to initiate the physical contact), I will be the first to defend myself and go on the offensive (there aren't any rules when it comes to this point either) as the best defense is a good offense, however its always in my mind to grab their hands not knowing if they have a weopon or not. If I think they do have a weapon, then I'm much less likely to have a physical confrontation or bail out of the situation real fast. I don't go looking for confrontations, but know full well that if It comes to that, I can/will defend myself in anyway that I can.
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by eperaltaotero:
dhacker,
You're right, it also does disturb me that my thoughts will turn violent. Perhaps people react differently to certain situations.
I wouldn't consider myself a violent person, but if someone comes up to my GF or me, and started to insult me, I wouldn't hesistate to strike that person.
Yeah, I could say I should act civilized and avoid any confrontation, but if someone continues to insult and provoke me, I prefer to stop him using a different option and prevent this behavior to continue.
How would other people react ?? Very interesting question..
[This message has been edited by eperaltaotero (edited 09-09-2002).]</font>
dhacker,
You're right, it also does disturb me that my thoughts will turn violent. Perhaps people react differently to certain situations.
I wouldn't consider myself a violent person, but if someone comes up to my GF or me, and started to insult me, I wouldn't hesistate to strike that person.
Yeah, I could say I should act civilized and avoid any confrontation, but if someone continues to insult and provoke me, I prefer to stop him using a different option and prevent this behavior to continue.
How would other people react ?? Very interesting question..
[This message has been edited by eperaltaotero (edited 09-09-2002).]</font>
