Quote:
Originally Posted by Rapini
of course I am "one of those people" who thinks violence should not be used to resolve a verbal altercation. I never would have guessed that there were so many primitive thinkers on 2+2 who believe violence is an acceptable solution to a verbal altercation.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rapini
I already addressed your false dichotomy ...
I like how these posts are right next to each other, as if you were intentionally highlighting the fact that you claim anyone who thinks there may be a grey area between verbal and physical equivalent to people who find fighting acceptable.
If the OP reversed the roles and asked what he should do after some punk cussed him out, of course the answer is "don't get physical." And in an ideal world, people don't start physical fights after verbal provocation because in an ideal world there's no verbal provocation to begin with.
As someone above already pointed out, we live in a non-ideal world. This thread is not about whether to punch people in the face. It's about what to do when someone punches you in the face.
One option is to stick to your belief that no amount of verbal provocation could ever justify the smallest amount of physical contact; the person who touched you should face the full extent of the law. Also don't Google "fighting words" because you're going to find out the answer isn't as black and white as you think.
The other option is to take a deep breath and look at the situation with a little bit of life experience. How badly were you hurt? Did you escalate the situation in any way? If you offered a handshake, would he accept?
Your (Rapini's) posts revolve around the idea that even if you weren't hurt, even if you provoked him, even if he would settle "out of court," you're going to press charges to protect society. And if you're like Steve0007 claims he is and go around reporting every instance of physical contact you see, I profoundly disagree but admire you sticking to your beliefs. But I suspect you're not - you're using the guise of protecting society to hide the fact that you just want to hurt the bad man who hurt you. While that may make you feel better, it's a really inefficient way of making societal change.
Let me make a compromise-based proposal. Why not agree to not press charges if he gives you his word that he'll voluntarily seek out anger management classes?