What would make you attack?

So I want to know what would make you fight? Fist fight. And more importantly...ATTACK. It isn't important what would make you defend yourself. That is different. Most people might consider fighting back if someone else throws the first punch. So for your...what would make you throw it?

For me? It would take a lot. It would have to involve endangering others or physically harming them. Maybe some form of threats? But I'm not sure. I've only threatened to attack and meant it to ONE person in my life. And I was in high school. I was also being "bullied" and goaded by someone who should have known better.

But again? To throw the FIRST punch? That is tough.

stonewall50 said:

So I want to know what would make you fight? Fist fight. And more importantly...ATTACK. It isn't important what would make you defend yourself. That is different. Most people might consider fighting back if someone else throws the first punch. So for your...what would make you throw it?

For me? It would take a lot. It would have to involve endangering others or physically harming them. Maybe some form of threats? But I'm not sure. I've only threatened to attack and meant it to ONE person in my life. And I was in high school. I was also being "bullied" and goaded by someone who should have known better.

But again? To throw the FIRST punch? That is tough.

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Blatant and sustained personal insult, and not something minor either. It would have to be rather severe, and aggressive.

Don't get me wrong. It's pretty rare that I'll actually get fighting mad, and I'll usually excuse myself from a situation well before that point.

I'm also no fool. I'm not going to charge into a fight I know I can't win. I prefer to fight on my own terms, if possible.

However, make no mistake. It can, does, and has happened in the past.

It'd take a lot, probably a threat of harm to a loved one and I couldn't find an alternative. Being a 6'5 smartarse means I've avoided more fights than most people have gotten into, and I haven't been in a situation where I've been violent since junior high school.

stonewall50 said:

So I want to know what would make you fight? Fist fight. And more importantly...ATTACK. It isn't important what would make you defend yourself. That is different. Most people might consider fighting back if someone else throws the first punch. So for your...what would make you throw it?

For me? It would take a lot. It would have to involve endangering others or physically harming them. Maybe some form of threats? But I'm not sure. I've only threatened to attack and meant it to ONE person in my life. And I was in high school. I was also being "bullied" and goaded by someone who should have known better.

But again? To throw the FIRST punch? That is tough.

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I don't really think I would ever throw a first punch without any clear physical threat while in my right mind. I could see it if I was actually a bit unscrewed, or lost in trauma or something. But it's not a logical thing where I can say, "If they did X." It would be a completely illogical reaction.

I don't think attacking if someone is endangering others really counts. You're still defending the well-being and safety of people, even if it's not necessarily you. So I'm not factoring that into my thoughts.

I cannot muster the irrationality to attack someone for any other reason. That just seems stupid.

I am as capable of anger as anyone and I can get raging mad, but for some reason, I just never reach a point where I take that out on another living being.

I could be the first to make contact though. I have been a couple times. Both times, it was because a man was trying to corner me in with his size -- strangers on the street. I have pushed them away from me with a fair amount of force. I don't think that's attacking since the goal is to end the confrontation and I'm not necessarily trying to cause injury, but it's not exactly self-defence either since it's not like they're going to try to rape me right on the street in broad daylight. They're just being macho idiots.

But people of that low of an IQ don't seem to understand words, so a push it is. They don't see it coming -- they expect a woman to cower instead. And they're not going to actually attack me because there are a million other people there who would see them do it. Straight to jail.

So it catches them by surprise and gets them to get out of my way with no further bull****. Their slack-jawed expression of shock is a bit priceless too, I have to admit.

Gathomas88 said:

Blatant and sustained personal insult, and not something minor either. It would have to be rather severe, and aggressive.

Don't get me wrong. It's pretty rare that I'll actually get fighting mad, and I'll usually excuse myself from a situation well before that point.

I'm also no fool. I'm not going to charge into a fight I know I can't win. I prefer to fight on my own terms, if possible.

However, make no mistake. It can, does, and has happened in the past.

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And see that is the thing. I don't know if I can bring myself to fight over words. But then again...some things that are said...like Direct threats? Idk. I don't know if I can even count that as "attack" or "throwing the first punch." A threat is the first punch to me...if it is realistic.

stonewall50 said:

So I want to know what would make you fight? Fist fight. And more importantly...ATTACK. It isn't important what would make you defend yourself. That is different. Most people might consider fighting back if someone else throws the first punch. So for your...what would make you throw it?

For me? It would take a lot. It would have to involve endangering others or physically harming them. Maybe some form of threats? But I'm not sure. I've only threatened to attack and meant it to ONE person in my life. And I was in high school. I was also being "bullied" and goaded by someone who should have known better.

But again? To throw the FIRST punch? That is tough.

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A desire to win? If you can smash the other guys' nose and make him bleed and cry, you're a third of the way to your goal. Why let him hit you first?

spud_meister said:

It'd take a lot, probably a threat of harm to a loved one and I couldn't find an alternative. Being a 6'5 smartarse means I've avoided more fights than most people have gotten into, and I haven't been in a situation where I've been violent since junior high school.

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:shrug: then you're big, but unused to violence. :lol: I used to know a guy who would fight huge dudes just so he could crawl on them like a spider monkey.

It's a tough thing, I've been involved in one Altercation in the last few years in which a guy ran out of a hotel room at me when I was trying to figure out why there was screaming and stuff being smashed in the room.

other than that though during my time doing Nights at the hotel a few years back, I've been threatened more times than I can count, but I always managed to make sure it never got to violence.

But sometimes I admit, with a couple of the instances later on, I get really angry about it and wished I could just pummel the dickhead.

One guy clearly smoked in the room, wreaked of weed, ash and used cigarettes abound and he denied it and threatened to get me after work because we kept his deposit, that's the kind of person I wouldn't mind teaching a lesson to... but alas, violence really isn't in my nature unless absolutely necessary.

Gathomas88 said:

Blatant and sustained personal insult, and not something minor either. It would have to be rather severe, and aggressive.

Don't get me wrong. It's pretty rare that I'll actually get fighting mad, and I'll usually excuse myself from a situation well before that point.

I'm also no fool. I'm not going to charge into a fight I know I can't win. I prefer to fight on my own terms, if possible.

However, make no mistake. It can, does, and has happened in the past.

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Bingo. If it's worth trying to damage you with my fists, it's probably worth trying to damage you with a weapon.

SmokeAndMirrors said:

I don't really think I would ever throw a first punch while in my right mind. I could see it if I was actually a bit unscrewed, or lost in trauma or something. But it's not a logical thing where I can say, "If they did X." It would be a completely illogical reaction.

I don't think attacking if someone is endangering others really counts. You're still defending the well-being and safety of people, even if it's not necessarily you. So I'm not factoring that into my thoughts.

I cannot muster the irrationality to attack someone for any other reason. That just seems stupid.

I could be the first to make contact though. I have been a couple times. Both times, it was because a man was trying to corner me in with their size -- strangers on the street. I have pushed them away from me with a fair amount of force. I don't think that's attacking since the goal is to end the confrontation and I'm not necessarily trying to cause injury, but it's not exactly self-defence either.

They don't see it coming -- they expect the woman to cower instead. And they're not going to actually attack me because there are a million other people there who would see them do it. Straight to jail.

Throws them off their balance and gets them to get out of my way with no further bull****.

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That is partially why I ask this. I want to break the mindset of defense. Defense isn't hard to justify. But a first strike? That is. And the only reason I can think of is a threat against another.

Now that I think about it...harassment of my family would cross the line. I wouldn't be afraid to start a fight over that.

Also There are 2 human beings on this planet I would provoke and fight and be the aggressor. One beat my cousin and choked her so bad she urinated herself in front of her children. The other was my best friend...who tried to kill and raped his ex wife.

cpwill said:

Bingo. If it's worth trying to damage you with my fists, it's probably worth trying to damage you with a weapon.

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Well that is part of the reason I said fist fight

It is a lot harder to justify.

cpwill said:

:shrug: then you're big, but unused to violence. :lol: I used to know a guy who would fight huge dudes just so he could crawl on them like a spider monkey.

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Yes. I'm often described as a gentle giant. :lol: I'm practically impossible to bait into a fight.

Jetboogieman said:

It's a tough thing, I've been involved in one Altercation in the last few years in which a guy ran out of a hotel room at me when I was trying to figure out why there was screaming and stuff being smashed in the room.

other than that though during my time doing Nights at the hotel a few years back, I've been threatened more times than I can count, but I always managed to make sure it never got to violence.

But sometimes I admit, with a couple of the instances later on, I get really angry about it and wished I could just pummel the dickhead.

One guy clearly smoked in the room, wreaked of weed, ash and used cigarettes abound and he denied it and threatened to get me after work because we kept his deposit, that's the kind of person I wouldn't mind teaching a lesson to... but alas, violence really isn't in my nature unless absolutely necessary.

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Another big point lol...some people deserve to be cowed like a dog for treating others like...well...dogs.

The only thing that would bring me to blows would be if someone tried to physically harm me, my family, or my dogs.

stonewall50 said:

So I want to know what would make you fight? Fist fight. And more importantly...ATTACK. It isn't important what would make you defend yourself. That is different. Most people might consider fighting back if someone else throws the first punch. So for your...what would make you throw it?

For me? It would take a lot. It would have to involve endangering others or physically harming them. Maybe some form of threats? But I'm not sure. I've only threatened to attack and meant it to ONE person in my life. And I was in high school. I was also being "bullied" and goaded by someone who should have known better.

But again? To throw the FIRST punch? That is tough.

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If anyone attacks my loved ones I'll be all over them like white on rice.

clear and present danger.

That's sufficiently mushy a term to justify my losing my cool over virtually anything.

Or nothing. :mrgreen:

stonewall50 said:

So I want to know what would make you fight? Fist fight. And more importantly...ATTACK. It isn't important what would make you defend yourself. That is different. Most people might consider fighting back if someone else throws the first punch. So for your...what would make you throw it?

For me? It would take a lot. It would have to involve endangering others or physically harming them. Maybe some form of threats? But I'm not sure. I've only threatened to attack and meant it to ONE person in my life. And I was in high school. I was also being "bullied" and goaded by someone who should have known better.

But again? To throw the FIRST punch? That is tough.

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Reminds me of this scene of a priest being provoked in Fight Club.

I would throw the first punch if someone was stealing from me. I would throw it again if they refused to give it back. I'd throw the punch if someone was hitting on my girlfriend and didn't care she had a boyfriend. I'd throw the punch if one of my friends was being treated poorly.

Violence isn't inherently wrong. But sometimes I have only two options: being a doormat or being violent. I have no problem throwing the first punch.

That being said, I've only done this once. My best friend's older brother was beating up a kid 7 years his younger. To this day, my best friend's brother is the only person I've beaten up.

stonewall50 said:

And see that is the thing. I don't know if I can bring myself to fight over words. But then again...some things that are said...like Direct threats? Idk. I don't know if I can even count that as "attack" or "throwing the first punch." A threat is the first punch to me...if it is realistic.

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Like I said, it's hardly common. It's uncommon simply because normal people don't really act in a way likely to provoke such a reaction to begin with. Someone or the other usually backs off first.

The last time I really felt like I was about to "attack" someone, for example, was that incident I mentioned down in "self help" last week. There, I excused myself before the situation got out of hand because he was a friend, and I could pretty clearly tell where things were headed.

Apart from that, the last time a situation actually did boil over into physical violence was years ago. In both cases, the situations at hand were rather atypical.

One was at basic training. We were on our final FTX, none of us had slept in about 24 hours, and there was some confusion over an aspect of our orders. Everyone was talking over one another, and I was trying to ask a question, but it kept getting ignored, or only answered in part, so I kept at the point.

Evidently, this annoyed one of my squad mates (with whom I actually wasn't getting along great anyway), so he literally got an inch away from my face, and basically screamed at me "HE SAID, (insert dialogue here)!!!"

Something in me just snapped. I shoved him so hard he went reeling. I was getting ready to jump on him and start beating his face in, when one of the females in the squad chimed in and broke it up (kind of funny how women have a way of doing that :lol: ).

The only other incidents were at military school, which was a whole 'nother testosterone poisoned bag of worms entirely. lol

Radical said:

I would throw the first punch if someone was stealing from me. I would throw it again if they refused to give it back. I'd throw the punch if someone was hitting on my girlfriend and didn't care she had a boyfriend. I'd throw the punch if one of my friends was being treated poorly.

Violence isn't inherently wrong. But sometimes I have only two options: being a doormat or being violent. I have no problem throwing the first punch.

That being said, I've only done this once. My best friend's older brother was beating up a kid 7 years his younger. To this day, my best friend's brother is the only person I've beaten up.

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:lol: I'm sorry - reading all the different reasons you are listing for throwing the first punch, it made me chuckle to read the last part of your signature line.

stonewall50 said:

Well that is part of the reason I said fist fight

It is a lot harder to justify.

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:raises eyebrow: In what interesting police district do you live where you have to explain less why you smashed a guys face with your hand more than you have to explain why you smashed his knee/skull with a baseball bat?


What I'm saying is, if the fight is going to happen, it's going to happen. Screw that "fair fight" nonsense, stab him in the eye with a pen.

Superfly said:

:lol: I'm sorry - reading all the different reasons you are listing for throwing the first punch, it made me chuckle to read the last part of your signature line.

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Psalm 144:1 Praise be to the LORD my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle.

cpwill said:

Psalm 144:1 Praise be to the LORD my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle.

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Romans 12:19 King James Version (KJV) 19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

stonewall50 said:

That is partially why I ask this. I want to break the mindset of defense. Defense isn't hard to justify. But a first strike? That is. And the only reason I can think of is a threat against another.

Now that I think about it...harassment of my family would cross the line. I wouldn't be afraid to start a fight over that.

Also There are 2 human beings on this planet I would provoke and fight and be the aggressor. One beat my cousin and choked her so bad she urinated herself in front of her children. The other was my best friend...who tried to kill and raped his ex wife.

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Yea... F*ck those guys.

As CPWill was talking about earlier, however, those would be the kind of situations that it would probably be best to go into with a pre-formed plan, and a weapon (or three). :lol:

Frankly, when things get to that point, well... You've really got to question whether it's even really worth it, either practically or morally. The odds are that you're just going to wind up in jail, and with a rather guilty conscience to boot.

stonewall50 said:

So I want to know what would make you fight? Fist fight. And more importantly...ATTACK. It isn't important what would make you defend yourself. That is different. Most people might consider fighting back if someone else throws the first punch. So for your...what would make you throw it?

For me? It would take a lot. It would have to involve endangering others or physically harming them. Maybe some form of threats? But I'm not sure. I've only threatened to attack and meant it to ONE person in my life. And I was in high school. I was also being "bullied" and goaded by someone who should have known better.

But again? To throw the FIRST punch? That is tough.

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Defending someone, especially a family member.