Although testosterone poisoning knows no age limits when the victim is at least moderately fit, I think you have to leave the brawling to your 20’s.
Anything much past that age and you just look ri-damn-diculous. Think about what you almost fought over – politics. Not girls, sports, teams or anything else defensible when you sobered up.
Not only do you risk a beating, but your friends will laugh at you for the stupid reason you got beat down or worse, beat up the fat fuck you mixed it up with.
I have seen and avoided getting into, drunken unprovoked fights. My commercial fishing buddies called it "liquid boxing gloves " it was worse with hard stuff, gin, scotch . But it depended how their brain was wired ,If they wanted to fight . Sometimes a couple is dangerous, as the guy has his / bad ass/ banning rooster face on / to impress the girl. In this case any remark or look will light things off . Sounds like you had both.
Yuh, your whole life is determined, by the pussy you came out of & the one your trying to get into.
Idiots like that always end up the worse for it. Best to ignore them at all costs.
I learned this years ago at the high school state championship football game in Oregon. It was the redneck h.s. against the more yuppie one (which I attended) … Two dudes from the rival town with handlebar moutstaches and mullets were calling me fag and hippie (I had long hair then). My friend and I (we were 20 or so) said nothing … The rednecks had snuck in a duffle bag full of beers … By 4th quarter, both were really drunk and stumbling and one of the dudes was puking all over the place, totally embarrassing the families with little kids all around him. Most were from his town. Oh, and my team won. Those dudes were such losers, no comments were needed.
Figthing should only be done in a ring, with a ref, and gloves. Anything else is just madness, and demeaning to all involved.
I too have a strong no fight policy, which needs to be invoked with comforting irregularity these days (getting older is a wonderful thing!)
Having said that, if things do get bad enough that force is required, here are the three golden rules…
Go nuclear with the first exchange - no pushing/shoving/name calling. If you are going to do it, then stay calm, pick your moment, and launch.
Three straight punches to the nose/mouth are usually sufficient to draw blood and dissuade your opponent from continuing. Breaking your nose or teeth will not threaten your life but is uncomfortable enough for most people that they will quickly reassess the prevailing situation.
If things go badly, always be ready to hit the highway and run.
Peace.
I had a similar thing happen a few weeks ago at a gig . . . I’m walking back to the ‘dressing room’ (really just the storage room for the pub), tired and looking forward to getting changed and getting home to bed. All of a sudden, this huge guy pushes through the door and is getting in my face, “Did you just walk by and call my wife a whore?” I was completely caught off guard, since I hadn’t even noticed his wife or said anything as I walked by . . . and even if I had noticed her, I wouldn’t be so crass as to say anything out loud, even assuming that was my assessment.
Before I got a word out of my mouth, the pub’s manager was between us, shoving the guy out the door . . . it really blew my mind 'cuz this guy looked to be in his mid-30s, and not some idiot youngster full of liquid courage . . . really weird. First time I’ve had that happen at a gig ever.
That why I only talk politics on the internet and drink with people who I know don’t turn stupid when drunk. After all the fights that I’ve been in (a lot since I have two brother, was in the Navy, and have a big mouth) its much better to slap around a drunk guy sober than wake up and wonder why your all lumped up. Good for you for being the bigger man and not crushing the mans skull. I feel really sorry for his wife the best case scenario for her is that when he is DUI on the way to/from his battles he doesn’t kill anyone else.
It is never a good idea to fight, just not worth it. But, like others have said, if you have to do it strike first and strike hard, and then get out of the situation.
I moonlighted as a bouncer when I was in the Navy and broke up my fair share of altercations and was only involved in one. But it only takes one to have regrets, as the instigator or the recipient. I have mine from that incident, and believe me, I was the recipient.
Besides, now you look like the calm reasonable one to your mutual friends and he probably will end up looking like a moron. He will likely fall off the list of future guests or at least to very bottom.
Now, if you would just agree that Bush is the better man, you probably could have avoided the whole mess!!
"Never fight unless you intend to kill. Never kill unless you are willing to die" Those are words I learned a long time ago from a man more wise than I. Good words to live by.
You should have just beaten the living sh*t out of him right then and there - NOT.
Obviously he was under the influence and acting in a way unlike his normal behaviour. I had the same thing happen to me at a New Year’s party a few years ago. The guy was getting quite plastered and was acting aggressive/abnoxious towards me and we had never met him before. We got into an “argument” about classic cars and something I said must have been taken the wrong way. The wife and I soon left the party. We saw him again another time. He didn’t apologize but was very polite and sheepish around us this time.
Goodonya, mate. (I picked up an Aussie nickel last week and it seems to have rubbed off!) Jackasses like that aren’t worth bruising your fists (best case) or getting seriously hurt (worst case) over.
I can’t remember the last time I was in a (non athletics) fight. I’ve come close a few times, but have always managed to avoid it in the end. Closest I’ve come was a few years ago, in some dive pool hall with a few buddies. This jackass was (unsucessfully) hitting on this girl that was with us, and when it came time to leave I went over and told her “hey come on - we’re taking off now”. Dude didn’t appreciate me cutting in on him mid-mack, and started yelling at me, and grabbed the arms of my shirt to threaten me. I’m standing there with a big smirk on my face (surely he’s not serious) and armed with an empty pint glass. There’s this tiny little Filipino woman standing next to us, yelling at me to kick his ass and generally drawing the attention of the entire bar. Then one of the other guys grabs him, rips him off of me and backs him to the wall (kicking and screaming the whole way). So what could I do? I blew the guy a kiss, took the girl by the waist, and strolled out of the bar to cheers and applause. It was surreal.
Nothing like a cock block to get the hackles up.