Almost got into a fist fight today :(

[cfiiman]

Wow, what a day...To make this short I am not proud of what I did, not b/c it didn't need to be done, it did, just b/c it was stupid and could have turned out bad for me...

So I am in Target today picking up some sprinklers b/c the weather is so hot...In line are 2 old ladies in front of me, and it took them no joke 10 minutes to check out (all lanes were jam packed)...Well this punk gets in behind me with a little skank girlfriend, I would say he was minimum 17 to a maximum of 18 years old, just a guess...Anyway he has his hat on sideways and is talking loud "bitch this, fuck that" behind me...Even though I am a Christian I do cuss occationally, but never in front of women, children, or even men if I don't know them, never in a public place, it is just disrespectful, period...I'm not talking about an occational "oh shit" if you forget something, but to be in line, with women and children around, strangers, and force them to listen to your gangster bullshit is just wrong period...

So I feel myself getting pissed off, and I say to myself "Dude, this is not your fight, just don't worry about it", but then I guess I started thinking about my wife or nieces hearing a foul mouth disrespectful punk in their local store..."Russsshhhh" the adreneline flowed through me, heart started racing, "oh no" I thought, "don't do anything, if this turns into a fight you are going to jail" I kept repeating...

Then I hear "Fuck!" one more time behind me and it was on...Didn't even realize I did it until it happened, it was just a kneejerk reaction...So I jump in the guys face, nose to nose, and YELL "Shut your mouth"...And just stare at him from like 1" away...

The guy, trying to save face in front of his skank and the crowd says "Oh, sorry man", with a ganster like tone, you know what I 'm talking about...

Again loudly, "No, watch your mouth, undertand" came out from me...

"I hear you", ganster boy says back, then I just shrug and give a little laugh "pfff" and turn around and put my back to him to show him I didn't respect him at all...He didn't open his mouth for the rest of the 3 minutes I was in the line...

Now I'm not a hard ass by any means, mostly a pacifist that wants to live and let live, but I just couldn't ignore this guy...I haven't been that close to a fight since college, i'm 32 now...I think about all the things that could have gone wrong, b/c honestly I was so mad if he would have said anything other than sorry that he did he would have been in the hospital and I would have been in jail...Geez that was soooo stupid...I should have just walked away...I guess nothing came of it, but oh how it might have gone and that chance is what was sooo stupid to take...Don't know if you all have had any situations like this come up that might make me feel better, if so I'd love to hear them...Anyway just wanted to get this off my chest, now back to the garage to play with the Hawk

[whiskeypigeon]

[gen2600]

Re: Almost got into a fist fight today

I'd probably have done the same thing. I think you showed good restraint but got your point across. I get angry at such things as well and it's probably a lesson that the punk needed to learn. His little universe actually effects other people around him. I just hope and pray he learned his lesson.

That's one of my pet peeves too - as is people that think there is no accountability for their actions. Grrr.

[DefTrap]

Pfft, I've seen American movies. He's going to pop a cap in your bottom or something.

[jaysun0ne]

Pfft, I've seen American movies. He's going to pop a cap in your bottom or something.

you mean "ass"

[Swipe]

Could assaulting an idiot in a store really end you up in jail in the US? Over here, you'd probably end up with a small fine and a few hours community service at the most. But well done, I bet he felt a real prat in front of his girlfriend

[cfiiman]

Swipe, yes it can and thanks guys for the encouragement...The real problem over here is not just jail, which I have never been in, nor do I want that pleasure, but it is in fact the lawyers...God has blessed me and I have built a nice life with my wife...We finally have some things you know, a home, cars, etc...IF I would have hit him, I would have been arrested, but the real crime is that he would have found an attorney and sued my ass off, then all my stuff and hard work the last 10 years becomes that little pricks stuff...It is sad really, my father is an attorney and he thinks our system is awful...Everyone is just so damn SUE HAPPY over here, I think some people actually make a living off of sueing people/companies...Yeah I was so pissed off by his lack of respect I would have been ok I think going to jail for a night or two, but the sueing scares the bejezzes out of me...

[brewsy]

CFI,
I think I recall somebody saying somewhere else that the US legal system was mainly based on the British one but the BIG difference is the fact that the losing party pays the legal costs of the winners!
Therefore you really aren't going to bring a case unless you a) have more money than the other party and can afford to lose it or b) KNOW you are going to win.

What never ceases to amaze me though is that the judges here (I live n the USA BTW) don't seem to throw more of these blatantly insane cases out of court for wasting peoples and tax payers money when there are real criminal cases to be dealt with!


BTW nice one with the punk. I have a fairly bad mouth and swear like a trooper BUT generally only when out with friends etc., I try to tone it down when out in public and especially when in a queue situation. As you said its just disrespectful to most people

Marc

[jaysun0ne]

if he was a minor jail would have happen almost for sure

if he was 18 well that changes the hole story

speaking of sue happy
my brother was in an accident where the passenger in his car was killed when he lost contol of the car and was t-boned by a van.

the poeple in the van tried to sue my brother because the DA gave most of the insurance pay out to the dead kids family and not them. so they think ok we will just bypass all this and sue the driver (my brother) even though he was leagaly insured and was found not neglegent. basically the investigater couldnt find anything to pin it on my brother. but these people still thought they had a case. califorina is the worst for that type of stuff.


i herd a story where a guy broke into a house wile in the house he falls on a kids toy in the hall way and brakes his arm. gets cought and sues the owners he tried to rob. and i still dont believe this but the guy won.

[Swipe]

All this talk of suing reminds me I need to fix that sunken drainage inspection cover on the footpath on my driveway. I've already watched my postman trip on it and nearly go arse over tit.

[dagus]

Cfiiman, nice job. I think you definitely did the right thing!

[SVHUNTER]

Reminds of when i was in college. I was waiting in line at the store. An older woman behind her is a mom and little boy behind them is this punk teenager and then me. The little boy starts raming rhe old lady she turns to the mom and askes her to please stop him from doing that. The mom says we don't believe in disipline! The punk opens a jar of mayo and pours over the mom and says my parents didn't believe in disipline either! The mom grabed that kid and was screeming at him all the way out of the store! It was classic!!!!

[Doc]

Sometimes you just have to stand up for what you believe in.

If you don't then there really isn't much worth fighting for.

[kiwi]

you did well,

Got your point across, and didn't hit him, Im sure everyone in line was applauding your action.

Nothing but rudeness and disrespect on behalf of the 18 yr old if you ask me. He needed a wake up call.

Look at this way, maybe lesson you gave, saved him from a beating later on from a less controlled person.