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I was just trying to find positive ways to help Seatowns deal with this aggression he's being blocked with but I didn't have much to go on.
I think we have different filters for what "threat of violence" means. I take it to mean someone is real close to trying to put his fist through your teeth, and has a set that wants to back him up. My point is, you don't want to be around people like that, and you don't need to be in places where people like that are common. Some places have more "frat boy meatheads," and some places have more gun battles. Go somewhere civilized. A private party could be particularly bad because they probably think it's "their turf" and "you're a crasher." Unlike a bar or club there are no bouncers or cops nearby to keep order.
I've also learned not to put up with a guy who "keeps giving you shit" just for the sake of fitting in. There weren't any ladies involved, I was just trying to make friends with some guys camping next to me in the woods. One guy just kept wanting to sweat me, he wouldn't let things go. Kept talking down to me and trying to make me nervous. I was really nice and polite for awhile, trying to deflect, trying to give hints to let it pass, but he wanted to keep digging because that's the kind of obnoxious man he was. Kept on saying shit like "new guys always get their ass beat, just kidding... but new guys always get their ass beat."
Finally got tired of his shit and invited him to actually try the wrestling stuff he'd alluded to earlier. I said, "You ever much studied how to make people fall down?" "Wha?" "I said, you ever much studied how to make people fall down." Total change of demeanor from me. I supplicate when I think it helps my situation. I display aggression when I think it helps my situation. I lie or tell the bold naked truth, whatever works. I've gotten out of many situations by having the right sense about whether to placate or bare fangs. Mind you also, I did not care that there were six of them, one of me. That should tell you something about what I think I may be able to do. Haven't had to do it, but group fighting is what I've been trained for.
Wasn't gonna hurt him, but this drunken ass fool could hardly stand up and I thought it might be good for him to see that some people aren't polite to him out of weakness. It did not come to that, his buddies intervened, and we had a frank talk about how I felt about what he'd been saying. Said to him, some people don't like it when you placate them. Sometimes they really wanna be stood up to. He was somewhat apologetic but it was also stated by his backup that I should leave. Think that 1 buddy of his wanted a piece of me, to "defend his friend," but really he had no right as his friend was the dick. I think 2 other guys recognized that and didn't see the point in trouble, as I hadn't been a dick to anybody. I went back to my tent and puked up all that free beer they'd given me all night. That beer surely affected my judgment and willingness to be aggressive. Won't ever drink to fit in again either. It's gonna be awhile before I ever touch Budweiser, and I didn't like it to begin with. I did make something of a "no hard feelings" show in that group the next morning, but I really didn't directly talk to that guy, nor did I care to. He wasn't anything like the same dick he was when he was ripping drunk, but who wants to bring it all up again to test it?
People like this are a big waste of time. At a bare minimum, they consume a certain amount of your emotional energy, making you feel angry and fucked up about stuff for at least an evening and possibly into the next day. I don't think some jackass is worth 12 hours of my emotional time.
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I find that when one guy tries to act "alpha" that he can be disarmed and or negged just like a bitchy woman can be-just make a comment on their ridiculous behavior to someone that is already receptive to you in the group and more often than not you will usually have everyone else in the set agreeing with you and laughing with you (if they're not laughing with you then you probably weren't amiable enough in your disarming neg to the "alpha" male) and the average person won't let things escalate and on top of it all you just won over some strangers affinity while disarming a "tough" guy.
Hmm reading my story and reading your comment again, I suppose I'll try that if for any reason I run into "drunken guys in the woods" again. I can definitely say, an abusive person takes placation for weakness, an invitation to abuse you more. Heh, you know what, I was AFC about making friends!