Walking away.....better than dishing out a kicking?

[wildcat45]

I'm no thug. If seriously proved I guess I could get violent. Mid 40s bloke, married etc. My friend who was with me the other night in our local bar is more or less the same.

We were having beers and struck up a conversation with a bloke. An apparently pretty intelligent guy, and the conservation turned from the normal chatter to some pretty deep stuff about war, nationalism, what makes a terrorist/freedom fighter. All good natured stuff. Actually very interesting.

The conversation turned to chemical weapons which all agreed were wrong.

Syria, Iraq Afghanistan also came up.

The conversation moved on and this guy in response to something said as calm as you like something along the lines that all British soldiers who go to war should be gassed.

We were standing at a bar. This bloke, me in the middle and my friend.

I just put my glass down, and walked out. My mate (I'm glad he did) did the same.

We went to another pub. My friend - who has been around the block several times - was amazed. What a great response he said. He'd expected it to escalate in seconds to a fight.

The story about that Guardian bloke slagging off Simon Weston reminded me of this incident.

Here's the link. http://order-order.com/2015/09/02/guardian-writers...

We could have kicked the st out of the guy in the bar. A local pub, CCTV, where we are known. Police, courts etc.

I have since found out that though the pub was crowded he was overheard. When we walked out people just stared at him and a big gap opened up around him. It was suggested that he left apparently.

I first witnessed the power of walking out when it was a kid. My Dad, who grew up in WW2 was with us at Sunday lunch where we were guests of my aunt and uncle. Also at the table my cousin's university friends who were Germans. I recall polite conversation about Europe when the German lad pipes up that his father served in the SS and that he as his son was proud of this and proud of what his father had done in the war. He went on a bit playing down the death camps saying it was all exaggerated and so on.

At that, my father closed his cutlery, thanked his hosts and left followed by the rest of us leaving my cousin and his uni friends.

I am by no means a pacifist but there times where a punch, or even a tirade of abuse just will not work like the power of silence.

Edited by wildcat45 on Thursday 3rd September 15:19

[9mm]

The guy was an idiot AND entitled to his opinion. No justification for punching him. I think you did the right thing.

[Puggit]

9mm said:

The guy was an idiot AND entitled to his opinion. No justification for punching him. I think you did the right thing.

End of thread

(unless you're a lefty when people aren't entitled to opinions)

[okgo]

I think most people would react the same.

Even if someone said something that deeply offended me I doubt I'd hit them for it, what's the point? It won't change anything. Violence is effective as a means of defence but rarely as a solution to a problem I think.

You need to go to better pubs.

[Axionknight]

No, go on, you bloody pussy, commit assault, all the cool kids are doing it.

Did you even have to come on here and ask?

[wildcat45]

Axionknight said:

No, go on, you bloody pussy, commit assault, all the cool kids are doing it.

Did you even have to come on here and ask?

It was a badly written post, but I explained that the Simon Weston thing reminded me of the incident.

Just walking away, not even telling the guy to fk off, calling him a or whatever. I was tring to make the point that walking away, silence isolation can have much more impact than the alternatives.

I thought it might make an interesting conversation topic. That's all.

[shirt]

Read 'To Kill a Mockingbird'. It's a veritable lesson in how to act when faced with such situations.

To want to fight someone over such comments is ridiculous.

[welshjon81]

I enjoyed reading your post. The guy was unbeknownst to himself a prize prick. Your actions and the way you handled it probably made him feel like more of a prize prick than a slap in the chops ever would have.

Kudos to your Dad too, he obviously taught you a life lesson that stuck.

[captainzep]

As a perpetual fist tornado I think throwing down one's copy of Grazia and storming out means you've lost the argument.

Occasionally you can avoid a tiresome punch-up but only if you've brought along a golf-ball to crush in your hand as a stern threat.

[spikeyhead]

If the only options are violence or walking away, then walking away is best, but when faced with such a dilemma, the third option is always best.

[Axionknight]

wildcat45 said:

Axionknight said:

No, go on, you bloody pussy, commit assault, all the cool kids are doing it.

Did you even have to come on here and ask?

It was a badly written post, but I explained that the Simon Weston thing reminded me of the incident.

Just walking away, not even telling the guy to fk off, calling him a or whatever. I was tring to make the point that walking away, silence isolation can have much more impact than the alternatives.

I thought it might make an interesting conversation topic. That's all.

Fair cop, he does sound like a total ahole, but hitting him isn't the answer - well played for keeping your cool, it could have ended badly for you, in terms of the law, if you gave him a hiding, deserved or otherwise (probably deserved in this case ).

[Hoofy]

You did well. Good on you.

Also, you sound like you have too much to lose to be getting into fights so walking is your best option.

[KingNothing]

Just curious how you can agree that chemical weapons are bad, then go X & Y should be gassed? Guy sounds like a fruitcake.

[Ilovejapcrap]

He's opinion is stupid but it's his opinion.

Why would you hit him ?
I'd just come to terms with the fact he's an idiot.

[Jasandjules]

There are some things in life where violence can't be avoided - that was not one of them. You did the right thing, not least because if he'd had a smack in the face that would have been over with quickly, what you did will go round and round in his head for a while and I don't think the rest of the pub will forget it soon either. Don't get me wrong, he still won't think he is a p**k, but hey, he is one of those who forget the many thousands who gave up their lives for the freedom he has to be a pr**k.

[Quhet]

Ilovejapcrap said:

He's opinion is stupid but it's his opinion.

Why would you hit him ?
I'd just come to terms with the fact he's an idiot.

100% this. I'm really puzzled as to why you'd suddenly become apopleptic.
If someone I was speaking to randomly came out with something like that, or (for example) that all kids should be tortured etc I'd just look at them in a baffled way and call them a fking idiot

[rohrl]

It's certainly an unusual opinion and no doubt quite provocative but to even suppose that thumping someone would be a good response is stranger still.

[Countdown]

I'm surprised this thread is about beating somebody up because they have "an opinion"

I'd assumed that somebody had attacked you or threatened/abused your nearest and dearest. To suggest getting violent just because somebody expresses an opinion makes you sound worse than him.

[kiseca]

Also surprised, and rather disturbed, that a fight was even considered after that comment. If that's all it takes....

[Squiggs]

Opinions are opinions - you may not like others opinions, and others might agree or disagree with your dislike of others opinions.
To cause harm over someone's opinions (rather than an opinion becoming a true belief that others should be harmed because of their belief = terrorist) would be wrong.

Turning your back and walking out spoke volumes - not only to him, and not only about yourself (and friend) - but for both reasons .... and both those reasons would have spoken volumes to everybody that overheard and disagreed with his opinions ......

Well done on a silent stand!