Some years ago I read Starship Troopers, a science fiction novel written by Robert Heinlein, one of the great authors of the genre. The storyline was set in a utopian militaristic society, and was developed around the conflict between the Terran Federation (the ruling body of planet Earth) and a hostile alien race called the Arachnids. With this background Heinlein starts a philosophical journey, using the plot to debate many classic masculine themes like responsibility, sense of duty, honor, self-sacrifice and the source of authority.
I believe that one of the great ideas present in the book is contained in this quote:
“Violence, the supreme authority from which all others are derived” – Robert Heinlein
Violence, or the ability to physically damage others, is the natural root of all authority and social dominance. Think of every politician that existed throughout history. Would any of them have in their power any amount of authority if they couldn’t exert it through any kind of armed force (police, army, a crazy mob of supporters)? The original example of this is the caveman leader (history’s first politician/dictator). Normally he was the best warrior of the group.
You can argue, “But many times we chose our leaders based on their ability to handle the economy.” Yes, that’s true, but the ability to handle the economy didn’t give them the real authority. It gave them the compliance of people who were capable of exerting force (army, police force, etc), putting violence on their side, and because of that you accepted their orders even if you strongly disagreed with them.
Facing The Ultimate Consequences
Every interaction between two humans can lead to a physical escalation. Most people will flee when confronted with this possibility. This can limit our choices, because we don’t act in such way that might spark a fight with another individual, even if that action leads to getting something we want.
Being ready to face the ultimate consequences if any situation goes wrong lets you take more risks, makes you more assertive and unconsciously increases your confidence around other people.
See that girl with the jock that you want to meet? Let’s do it! Who gives a fuck if the jock tries to intervene? In the worst scenario I’ll just punch my way out.
See that idiot in my social scene who’s always mocking me and giving me a hard time? I’ll give him shit. Did it hurt his feelings and now he’s angry? Who gives a fuck? In the worst scenario I’ll just punch my way out.
The examples above may seem exaggerated or taken directly from Fight Club, but let’s be honest: how many times do we restrain ourselves from doing or saying something because we fear that situation might go wrong and escalate to a fight? True freedom of action in our society comes from knowing that no matter how worse a situation can get we will know how to fight our way out.
The effects of learning this skill can be felt in every human interaction that you have. You will be more outspoken and you will talk to others with more calm and confidence. Women and men will feel your change in body language. You will not let others talk you down, and people will think twice before double-crossing you or talking shit behind your back. A world of possibilities in human interactions will open before your eyes, as you will stay relaxed and secure about yourself no matter how bad it gets.
A Necessary Condition But Not A Sufficient One
I am not saying that learning fighting skills (or at least being willing to fight) will solely improve your social life dramatically. It’s a necessary condition to become a true master of one’s fate and socially dominant, but not a sufficient one.
Your belief system and general attitude towards life will also have an important role. The ability to fight will do nothing in terms of improving the life of a beta man. To make full potential of this skill, he must change his belief system and attitude first. But without the fighting skills he will never realize his true potential and become a dominant alpha.
Now relating this to my personal experience I can firmly say that every major alpha that I know are great fighters, or at least are willing to fight anyone. As an outcome of this they do whatever they want and are totally dominant in every social situation. Everyone knows that any challenge they might pose to their status might end up in a physical confrontation. As result you can say that their social position goes practically untouched as 99% of people prefer to avoid any kind of fights.
The Rugby Player
Living in a society where we are constantly hammered with the message “violence isn’t the solution to anything,” I was kind of skeptical about the value of force. But after reading Heinlein’s book, I started to notice a certain pattern in one of my closest friends, a tough guy with whom I had played rugby for most of my teenage years.
Every time we were in social situations together he would act erratic and unpredictable. He would mock everyone randomly. He would speak to every girl (even if she clearly was with some guy). Everything is possible for the sake of his amusement (he also got into lots of fights due to this behavior). He took some serious risks with random people and as I had this question dwelling in my mind I started asking him: “What if they get pissed off and start hitting you?” He consistently answered in a calmly manner “Well, if that happens I’ll punch my way out.” He simply wasn’t worried—he knew how to fight and was willing to do it.
As a result of his thrilling behavior, everybody I know loves him and tries to please him. Girls want to be around him because it’s exciting (and he surely knows how to capitalize on that). He dominates every social situation without effort because he isn’t scared of being challenged. He is ready to face the ultimate consequences. But how can we explain such character?
While growing up he attended to one of the most dangerous schools of our county. Reports of daily violence between students were common. He naturally had to adapt to this environment. Several years of serious disputes during recess taught him the skills of street fighting. And also inadvertently taught him how violence could help him stay at the top of the food chain in our human society. That was the source of his erratic behavior. The answer was always before my eyes, I just had been too brainwashed to see it. Afterwards I started noticing this pattern in my social circle, as I said before the major alphas of my social circle weren’t scared of the possibility of fighting.
One of my high school friends was a muscular and big framed guy who was also goofy, awkward and anti-social. He didn’t know how to fight and, as a product of our society, wasn’t willing to do it. In our senior year he got his ass kicked by a freshman and decided it was time for some boxing lessons (for self-defense purposes). After some time he became more outspoken, and started taking some risks socially. Two years into boxing he became a bulldozer with his hands. He doesn’t care about being called a goofball or a dork, because if someone mocks him he gets his ass kicked. He pursues fun with disregard to social conventions and no one condones him. When he is trying to pick up a random pretty girl, I pity the ever present random boyfriend that tries to intervene.
Violence Has Always Been Around And Always Will Be
Since I realized the importance that violence will always assume in our daily lives (and society as a whole) as the natural root of authority I started taking boxing lessons in a nearby gym. Not being able to cope with violence restrained me. This personal admission required my ego to be put aside, but it was true: the possibility of getting into trouble dissuaded me from lots of actions. I wasn’t a fighter before and I’m still far from being good at it, but starting this journey gave me insight into my limitations in social interactions, and how I could work over them. Every time some new acquaintance becomes aware of my pleasure for boxing training I see the expression of doubt on their faces: “Maybe this guy can’t be easily pushed around”.
In conclusion, learning how to fight can be a liberating experience. It gives you the unique confidence you need to become a dominant man. Even for the accomplished player, fighting skills will open a world of possibilities that were unthinkable before.
Read More: Learn To Be An Alpha From Athletes
thought there was already an article about this…
The monthly print magazine information cycle (the maximum period of time in which you don’t have to simply repeat yourself) is two years.
Online it’s a mite faster.
The confidence I have from being athletic (I do boxing and weightlifting and I weight around 220lbs) and a bit aggressive results in others treating me better than they otherwise would. It is hard to believe for me how much harsh words others get to hear from random people on daily basis but nobody wants to be rude with me.
Exactly. I’m a small guy, but just getting a little cut made a world of difference in the respect that I get.
Well done, next step is learning how to fight. Looking strong is great, knowing how to fight is even better.
Whilst I cite Putin as an example as a man to be somewhat respected because he is a fighter (Judo black belt), I think the picture of Fight Club in the article reminds me of what Tyler Duerden said, which is true of our generation, that our war is more on a mental and spiritual plane:
“an entire generation pumping gas, waiting tables; slaves with white
collars. Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we
hate so we can buy shit we don’t need. We’re the middle children of
history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great
Depression. Our Great War’s a spiritual war”.
Interestingly, this is often claimed to be a film about the ruling class’s ideology, when times were still really good. It is deep on so many levels. Plus there is the destruction of the the tower at the end – I leave you all to draw your own conclusions.
Too bad Putin’s a dumbass. In terms of international politics, I have very little respect for Putin. It doesn’t matter how well you can fight if you’re dumb as a pile of rocks.
How is he dumb? He is a geopolitical genius and has outplayed everyone domestic and international. Who keeps ensuring he remains in power? Who completely showed up the West in Syria?
He’s a geopolitical genius? Russia is fucked. All of their income comes off commodity exports and the world is riddled with excess capacity and about to enter a depression. Take a look at Russian fertility rates over the past 40 years cuz that doesn’t look to pretty either.
In order to be successful in geopolitics, the most important part is economics and finance (it’s always the x-factor). Putin is an economic idiot.
if putin is an idiot what the fuck are we? i think his personal accomplishments are argument enough that he isnt stupid.
also, i have learned that in general people who talk down about others more successful than themselves arent really all that bright.
Dude, Russia is a disaster waiting to happen. I think the Ruble is a one way bet (hint: I’m short). Do you wanna see government incompetence? Look at how horribly the Sochi Olympics have been. We spent less than $3 billion on Salt Lake City and Atlanta here in the US while Russia spent $50 billion. Keep in mind that Russia is a much poorer country than the US. The political and social institutions in the US are the strongest and most robust in the world.
Russia’s a fucking disaster that just looks all hunky dory right now. Remember how Greece looked when it held its Olympics? It was hailed as a revolutionary country and the success of Europe. Russia is in a similar position to Greece. All of the problems inside the country are just being covered up.
I like this article and I do believe that knowing how to handle violence is a must for a man aspiring to become a leader. However, I think that in the present day physical violence is not always the answer. “…because if someone mocks him he gets his ass kicked…”; if someone can infuriate you this easily with words then you have a fundamental weakness that can be taken advantage of by an enemy. Look at the athletes in sports like american football, rugby, basketball or soccer. See how they try their best to mock each other and still they keep calm and focused. They are physically and mentally strong. By the time they get pro they have practically heard it all and became themselves skilled in the art of trash talking. So IMO you have to train and be ready for both: physical and psychological violence.
When you’re really high on the totem pole, people will try to get under your skin (men and women). People talk shit about Lebron James, mock Mike Tyson’s voice, and call Georges St. Pierre gay. Do they care? FUCK NO. b/c they’re at the top. And guess what, no one who matters gives a shit about what people are saying about them either, they still respect them. Last I checked, none of those guys have a hard time getting top quality ass. No girl’s gonna be like, “well some guy talked shit to Lebron James at a bar, he must be higher value than Lebron”. They’re gonna go home with Lebron and fuck him like their lives depended on it.
The question is which martial art / fighting technique should you learn? I read in some red pill blogs that arts like Krav Maga, Kung Fu or Wing Tsun are BS. There were some reasons for that, one I remember was the lack of sparring and that they were more of a “coreography” that something actually useful
As long as the training is “alive” ie. you actively engage in full contact sparring, it will do. Boxing, Muay Thai, Kick-boxing, Judo, Wrestling, Gracie Jiu Jitsu, Kyokushin Karate, Kali/Escrima, Savate, Sanda/San Shou just to name a few. There are some good Chinese based MAs but that would require research of the school itself and how legitimate the teacher is.
Go for smtg where you get to actually get physical against an opponent like judo or wrestling. You will need to complement it with a striking technique; just choose one where you actually spar against a real opponent. Perhaps MMA is the best package but be ready work your ass off
http://www.nononsenseselfdefense.com/
Krav Maga can be great or terrible depending on who you learn it from. At some places you will spar a lot (and when you do, it’s pretty much kickboxing), some never do.
MMA, boxing and Muay Thai are safe picks.
Judo can also be if you learn some basic striking in addition of it.
If you’re not getting punched in the face, you’re wasting your time. .
What about just carrying a concealed gun or knife everywhere you go? That way you know that even if some musclehead/street-fighter dude tries to be cute, you can ultimately just blow his brains out of his skull.
To respond to armed attacks, but if they are empty-handed you’re going to be ending your life as well by going to jail
Don’t rely on something you’re not ready to use.
Punching someone over a quarrel happens, but a gun or a knife? I’m not even talking about the prison time you’d do, the real question is : are you ready to stick a knife in somebody over a quarrel?
I think fighting is more often than not barbaric and silly but I agree that knowing how to fight is important.
“But many times we chose our leaders based on their ability to handle the economy.”
Many people are idiots.
“violence isn’t the solution to anything”
Until you get hungry.
http://www.jack-donovan.com/axis/2011/03/violence-is-golden/
Players are, and always will be, losers.
But being unafraid to fight is absolutely requisite to being a man, esp in modern Amerika, where any display of masculinity brings threats and beatdowns from WhiteKnights, cops, politicians, Team Woman, and your average plain punks.
Martial arts training, esp for young guys, is excellent assuming the right sensei.
Once people know they are surely going to get hurt, and that you are not afraid, most will leave you be… tho of course they will later try to stab you passive-aggresively, a female tactic that modern western males now largely embrace.
You do not have to be physically large, or strong, to get the point across. I certainly am neither. But it is much more about attitude than about actual thumping. However, you have to be willing to engage in the actual thumping, and make it clear, to keep the lowlifes, petty bullies, and PC thugs off.
Caveat: any US male showing willingness to fight can expect persecution from Team Woman and their WhiteKnight enablers in government, law, etc. They want you de-balled, and if you show you aren’t, they WILL get busy rectifying that. So be warned, but do not be intimidated by collectivist cowards.
Cheers.
Using the law or “insert authority figure here depending on location” is just another way for weaker people whom are afraid to get hurt to hurt you. Since at the end of the day if dont show up to court or the sops come and arrest you, you no choice but to submit(which is what they want). If you fight back you will die,you cant beat the law. It like these new laws, just empower weaker people and handicapp the strong.
If have a fight broke out and you more of these following traits while your oppenant has the opposite youre screwd.
Young,Big,Strong,Ethnic,Male….any of these will work against you
old,little,weak,white,female….any of these will work in your favour where you can trash talk and threaten with impunity.
Its like lil bro runnin to mom n dad when youre gonna kick his ass for setting you off.
When I become senator, I will make a law that will made an obligation to teach all girls for free martial arts in school and actually ban males from learning it, every men will need to pay much money to learn martial arts, that will be the perfect way to protect my sisters of some male predators, I read Jiu Jitsu teachs you good defense even if the opponent is stronger than you, that will be perfect for my plans
In average, untrained men would still be stronger than trained women.
You would probably fit right in to the Senate, as you are proposing a law about regulating something of which you are obviously ignorant.
Looking a fool isn’t a very good troll.
You’re an idiot.
ironic ban men from learning what men created well except wing chun nprolly silat. sounds like you want men to be women and women to be men without the responsibilites. sort of a reverse draft.women can only take but not create….well except babys.
Jiu Jitsu, particularly BJJ would probably not be to your liking. I know a few girls who practice it , but most of them are put of by the fact that you end up soaked in sweat,… usually some one else’s sweat….usually someone on a high protein diet’s sweat.
Maybe better to do BJ, not BJJ 🙂
What a stupid cunt.
A femi-dyke came into my BJJ class once. We both weighed about 180. Even though I was brand new, I had no problem tapping the penis-envying twat out with easy. She never came back.
LOLZ. That’s a woman for you.
Who the fuck do you think will TEACH THEM????
Lay down before you hurt yourself. Amateur.
…but she planned it and everything, right after she becomes a senator….of course we all know a senator will have the powers to ban men and conscript women to learn martial arts, we are dealing with some kind of evil genius here.
Times ago, some people had the right to attack other people when the other people didnot have the right to retaliate. It was called slavery! What you propose is tyranny, but, feminist… so I’m not surprised!
Someone who force others in his/her way is a tyran, man or woman.
Thought I’d share: most guys I’ve seen are way too passive aggressive, particularly if they’re with their girlfriends and she happens to be one of the ones who feel attracted to me. I lose respect for the guy, and the girl knows often what’s up, so she loses respect for him too. But recently saw a tactic a guy used, where he quickly assessed the situation, then playfully hit his girlfriend, asserting his dominance over her. REALLY POWERFUL EFFECT ON HER. It is often true, that you don’t need to show you can assert your dominance over other men (like many gurus etc say), but rather, you need to SHOW YOU CAN ASSERT YOUR DOMINANCE OVER HER.
Martial arts is at best bogus and limiting and is at worst an outright scam.
Any martial arts class that respects the bizarre concept of Qi immediately loses credibility. There are a few places that just focus on the self-defense aspects, and some of them are good, but they’re not that popular at the moment, and they suffer from limited fighting styles.
The greatest benefit of martial arts is just increased confidence. Of course, there’s a lot to be said for increased confidence, so there’s that.
I agree. I’m married to a major alpha. He has never picked a fight, or even had a fight in the 15 years we’ve been together. But he radiates ability, and that means he doesn’t have to fight. Other men are scared of him. In any confrontation, the other man has always backed down before it got physical.
He will only fight as an absolute last resort, and will walk away if he can. I asked him about this, and he said that if he gets into a fight, he is fully prepared to take a beating, as it’s the chance you take. I think this not caring attitude is what puts a lot of guys off bothering.
As a woman, I prefer the strongest guy in the village. I like that he can take care of himself. I think it’s a very worthwhile skill, and if I was a guy I’d do martial arts instead of hitting the gym. The gym doesn’t give that quiet inner confidence you see in a black belt.
The best of two worlds:
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/BadassBookworm/RealLife
“See that girl with the jock that you want to meet? Let’s do it! Who gives a fuck if the jock tries to intervene? In the worst scenario I’ll just punch my way out.
See that idiot in my social scene who’s always mocking me and giving me a hard time? I’ll give him shit. Did it hurt his feelings and now he’s angry? Who gives a fuck? In the worst scenario I’ll just punch my way out.”
I was in that exact situation last year(me being the former). I was so pissed I just wanted to hit the guy,but faked a smile looked him in the eyes and shook his hand and said ok no worries(didnt know they were together). Fighting on campus would defiantly get me kicked out and locked up.Plus social circle was there,theyd most likely take his side.
I would like to know the loopholes where and when I can legally drop a guy. I get mad when I dont fight and have to walk away(since it feels like I let them win),cuz johnny law will get in your business….sometimes wish duelling was still legal or street fighting being no big deal like in a third world country.
“I would like to know the loopholes where and when I can legally drop a guy”
You can drop a guy when he hit you first and the threat he represented was important enough for your reaction not to be disproportionate. And you can’t hit when the threat is gone (when he’s on the ground or leaving for example).
“I get mad when I dont fight and have to walk away(since it feels like I let them win)”
That’s where knowing how to fight is important. Not to fight, but to know you’d win. When you know that you can stay calmer than him and be harsh with words (aim where it hurts, search for insecurities).
“sometimes wish duelling was still legal or street fighting being no big deal like in a third world country.”
Duelling would get you killed and people in third world countries don’t fight fair. Be glad of your time and place.
ok so attack with reasonable force and not go overboard. waiting for the first shot wil explain why guys push an mouth off with each other like women. just waitin for the chance to fight and not be at fault(assumin u didnt get kod). whixh is crafty to play by the law but bad common sense;better to attack first and hard so others would be hesitent to do anything.
not being a smart talker always leads to frustration and makes you resort to violence since the wittier guy is bullying you verbally and cant win.it can really stress you out,probably explains why we are stressed out bunxh with no outlet. feel like a machine when you surpress your emotions an pride.its tough to be stoic like a germanic or slavic man. easier to be italian latin or other nations
where emotions an pride will excuse your actions.(basically nations that have culture of honor passion)
true duelin will get you killed and fightin 3rd world nations is dangerous but your pride as a man is willing to take that risk. no one wants to be known as a pussy. when there is no rules men will be men and fight their own battles then cry to a judge cop or authirty figure.
honestly i think the 3rd world man is way more macho then us western guys. and when i hear those guys shamin them like they insecure lil dick men that should assimilate. to me in translation says i wish they be pussifed too cuz misery loves company. id rather learn from em then shame them
“not being a smart talker always leads to frustration and makes you resort to violence since the wittier guy is bullying you verbally”
That’s it. Just become the wittier guy.
“true duelin will get you killed and fightin 3rd world nations is dangerous but your pride as a man is willing to take that risk. no one wants to be known as a pussy.”
I’d prefer to be labeled as a pussy than settling quarrels with a 50/50 chance to die.
“honestly i think the 3rd world man is way more macho then us western guys.”
They’re more likely to pull a knife than westerners. That’s not how I’d want to settle disputes.
What jurisdiction are you in ? Generally speaking you can use ‘all reasonable force’ to stop a physical threat. Lethal force is generally permitted only if you are in fear of your life. That may not be specific to where you live though, but that’s what applies in Australia.
ya think that’s common in all anglosphere countrys, they don’t want you goin over board like strangling someone with his intestines or some other crazy shit, I think lethal only works if youre oppenant has a weapon or is bigger or more numerous.
But “fear for your life” does sound kinda vague, like everyone has a different threshold level of fear. Like comparing a swede’s level of fear to someone say from Iraq. One will “panic” quicker then the other and will use deadly force sooner.
Like that should be more detailed and not that ambiguous.
Men, especially alphas and aspiring alphas, will always have to be on the lookout for challenges like this. Thankfully, body language can do the talking, and fighting should be only a last resort, a nuclear option.
I ran into a very drunk guy the other night who tried to bully me, and otherwise assert his dominance, like a stupid dog that tries to hump your leg. He was drunk enough he even bought me a drink at one point. Eventually, when he got really over the top, I turned and calmly walked away, and ignored him, sitting at the bar just a few feet away, angling slightly toward him just in case he tried to ambush me. That really angered him. Eventually, his friends physically tugged him out of the bar, while he threw a few half-speed punches in my direction. (I’m not a fighter, but I was stone-cold sober, and arguably in better shape. I could have sent him to the hospital if I wanted to.)
• “The most respected men know how to fight.”
I think that’s an incomplete sentence.
The most respected men know how to fight…. and know when not to.
“The 33 Strategies of War” and “The Art of War” teach fundamental strategies of winning which translate to all facets of life. From professional, to personal….. to (hehe) even marriage.
Our lives are one little battle after another. Little battles are won even in minute everyday negotiations. For example, when negotiating for a salary, the FIRST person who spits out the $XXX number, is the loser. Automatically. It’s like trying to overthrow a nation, but before you try and take them, you call up Russia and say you only have 5000 troops.
It’s important to understand “strength” and “power”.
Power is communicating: “I could. But I won’t.”
It’s –>> not NEEDING to fight.
This is the ultimate position to be in.
The most powerful nations COULD (fire all their nukes)….
but they WON’T (because they don’t have to).
You have to do quite a bit of fighting and earn your stripes before you can get to that point though. Just like a guy has to put in a few years at the gym before he can win a fight without throwing a fist. The other guy would think “I better not fuck with this one.” The 6’9″ bouncer at the nightclub doesn’t need to be violent to keep people in line…. he just needs to LOOK like he can. “I could. But I won’t.”
—-
You come face to face with a bengal Tiger in the jungle. He’s just standing there motionless. Looking at you. Already you are shitting your pants, because you KNOW he can rip you to shreds. Inside you’re FREAKING OUT. He turns and heads back into the jungle. “I could. But I won’t.”
That’s strength. That’s “power”.
In the Godfather PART II, Al Pacino hits Diane Keaton so hard he practically comes off the floor. While she totally had it coming and was begging for it, this wasn’t a display of power. He hit her in a moment of WEAKNESS.
Later in the movie, she shows up to try and visit her kids. Al Pacino is just standing there with his hands in his pockets. He doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t even blink. He calmly walks up to the door, and slowly closes it in her face.
AWESOME.
And supremely devastating to her.
Because along the way, he learned something:
The most respected men know how to fight…. and know when not to.
Not fighting can often be very effective at destroying the enemy from the INSIDE. Many times, they WANT you to “fight” them. That’s how they attempt to gain power over you. We all know women test men this way constantly. Nothing would give her greater satisfaction than to be able to say “Aha! I told you! All men are abusive violent assholes!”. So you win by NOT engaging, and by refusing to give her what she wants –> validation of her core belief system.
Man wins.
Compare Hiroshima to Detroit 65 years ago. Hiroshima was totally destroyed and flattened by war, while Detroit has never been bombed. Now compare them today. Hiroshima is flourishing, and Detroit exploded from the INSIDE.
Pick your battles carefully, gents.
great tiger metaphor
Q: What is the definition of a gentleman?
A: Someone who knows how to play the bagpipes – but doesn’t.
Negotiation is a great example of the battles we have to fight, but your advice is not correct.
“For example, when negotiating for a salary, the FIRST person who spits out the $XXX number, is the loser.”
This is bogus advice and is not true at all. You should be the first to say how much you want, and you should aim high. People consistently fail at this, though, and the reason is idiots who have no idea how much the standard pay for the job is, and then either aim too high (turning the interviewer off completely) or too low.
If you spit out the number first, you can use anchoring effects to your advantage: http://pocketmint.net/2012/08/salary-negotiation-weve-been-doing-it-wrong/ If you let them set the pay for you, you give them the advantage of ‘setting the frame’, and it’s very hard to climb out of that frame.
Brilliant post!
Btw Al Pacino’s character in the Godfather (parts I and II at least) is a very good illustration of real power. It’s a fictional story, but it’s a good illustration nonetheless. He keeps an entire mob family, politicians, hundreds of cronies, and countless millions of assets all in line, all fearing him, and he never threw a single punch (except for his wife). Hell, he rarely even raises his voice. He doesn’t even look like someone who could win a fist-fight with most of his underlings. But of course everyone knows that if they cross him they could end up dead.
Many of life’s lessons can be found in the movies.
(“The EmpireStrikesBack”.
Holy shit. Chock-full of them. Yoda is one wise motherfucker.)
I even saw a movie once, where a woman asked:
“What is it with Men and the Godfather?”
It resonates with us. Sure, these are all movies, fictitious characters, staged dramatizations and stories…. but where do people think these stories come from?? Underneath it all, they are REAL, and excellent examples.
I actually think “reality TV” is fake and artificial.
More solid truth can be found in the movies. Every line and gesture is carefully thought out. The writers have gone back and forth 100 times about how it should play out – and WHY. They have spend countless hours figuring out why a scene works and why it doesn’t….
Like Han Solo’s response to Princess Leia’s “I love you.”
“I know.”
OMG, it’s so good. In fact, if anyone has a son, and he’s having girl problems…… make him watch the original trilogy. Stop being a wussy Luke Skywalker and do EXACTLY what Han Solo does.
It’s one-stop shopping.
> I actually think “reality TV” is fake and artificial.
Of course. You got all the crew hamming up the actors to get them to create drama that they wouldn’t otherwise. Girls watch that shit cause they love the mindless drama.
I dated a cutie who was eliminated from “the bachelor” around 2006-2007. She told me all about it.
From locking the girls in a room together to drive each other crazy… to not giving them the ability to leave, to EXTREME restrictions and all kinds of disclaimers about taking to outsiders about what REALLY goes on…… she was genuinely aware and didn’t subscribe to any of it, and was sure that’s why she was eliminated.
Have you ever seen “Dangerous Liaisons”? John Malkovich. Glenn Close. Uma Thurman. Michelle Pfeiffer. That is some SERIOUS male & female war strategy check-mating. BEST movie on the subject as far as I am concerned.
Awful article, awful observation.
Being a extrovert bad-ass. mocking people, acting violent and acting like a bitch will end up with you shot by a random psychopath who had a bad day. I guarantee it.
Guys, all this crap and stories, all these “observations” and pieces of advices of yours are pure crap that was not filtered through careful thinking process.
2 dudes in my town got shot because of a random quarrel. Two random fucking dudes got shot over a random fucking quarrel.
You never know who has got biggest teeth in the pond. While you are acting as an alpha wanna be bitch around, right next to you could be sitting a hitman, ex-legonnaire, with serious mental issues. He could be waiting in a dark alley and skin you alive. Just because he felt like it.
Don’t be hotheads. Keep your head down, your back against the wall, and fucking think. Think a little, don’t be guided by animal insticts.
If shrinks have trouble spotting crazies, everyone should be en guard.
I can’t imagine keeping my head down thinking any stranger could have mental issues.
That’s the reality. And when guys start martial arts, they also can’t image some guy 60 lbs lighter than them being able to kick their ass. I’d surmise that if this surprises you that you live in an urban bubble. Not a knock, but I live in a lower income, military town. These guys exist.
Even if carrying weapons is not legal here, I don’t live in what you’d call a safe city.
I know these guys exist but I know I could also get hit by a bus, living in fear is not the solution.
“I know these guys exist but I know I could also get hit by a bus”.
And you look before you cross the street. That’s all he’s advising (within the context of violence/confrontation)
Keeping your head down is not looking before crossing the road, it’s refusing to cross it.
I guess another way to put it, is not that “living in fear” is the solution, but rather the reality of the situation is different than most people surmise. I blame this on the disconnect we have from violence these days. I’ll give an example that I think I previously gave in a comment on another article on this site. When people first start sparring in Muay Thai, they are only worried about getting hit in the head, not realizing how easily they can be dropped from a liver shot (see link below). I’m of the opinion that this is b/c of movies. In movies you almost exclusively see head shots as being the knockout shots. People will think they’re invincible until they’re not.
I’ll agree with that. I think the wording was bad, but I believe the point of the OP was more along the lines of looking before you cross instead of refusing to cross. Also, by keeping your head down he might mean don’t go voluntarily getting into shit (i.e. don’t white knight for some random chick who’s been smacking everyone in the face all night).
Then I agree 😉
I did not mean literally. But you should think carefully before confronting anyone just for fun an displaying masculinity. The guy on the other side has something to lose.
Generally, all of these fighter characters have at least once in their life a very messy situation in which they risk their life or serious injury FOR NO PURPOSE. The reason is they are guided by terribly wrong assumptions.
1. They assume rules of fight are going to be fair-play. WRONG. The other guy might think pulling out a knife is good idea
2. They assume fist fight is the same kind of experience other people share, so they are going to come to your level. WRONG. There is out there a guy, to whom a murder… No, a butchery in a bath tub is same to him what a fist fight is to you. You are going to find yourself 3 levels bellow him.
3. They assume they are going to come out with injuries at worst
4. They assume it is going to be one-time experience, and that he is never going to see that dude again in his life. WRONG, he might come back for vengeance, most likely with 3-4 ripped guys and they are going to catch you with your pants down while you are alone at the grocery store.
Exactly, and that’s why historically fist-fights and such have usually been associated with organized crime. If you’re just some lone punk, you have zero power.
In other words, dont bring a bag of skittles (or a protein shake) to a gunfight.
Agree, I don’t want to avoid confrontation but not getting in a fight for no purpose is a no brainer.
Good points general. A room full of men would not tolerate “the rugby player”. Perhaps the author was referring to a college dorm.
There’re a lot of squishy suburbanites yearning for something like Fight Club in real life because others felt they had “potential” by being a selfish, impulsive loudmouth in an environment where that couldn’t get them killed. (Silly fools watch too many movies, too.)
The film (not read the book) is a ridiculous example of how feminists view men. Either misgynist terrorists, or meek pacified little men who dream of being tough.
OP’s rugby player friend may have been popular in social circles but he had no real power or influence, except maybe that which was gained through playing rugby.
Money, power, and influence are obtained in this world through smarts, guts, and a gratuitous helping of luck.
OP seems to like science fiction. I suggest reading Isaac Asimov, especially the Foundation series. A brilliant illustration of the mechanics of power and how “violence is the last refuge of the incompetent” (in his own words).
general, this article is not about “learn to fight so that you can kick everybodys ass”. it is about how learning to fight teaches you your limits as a man, gives you a strength with others as well as a strength with yourself.
all authority stems from forceful exertion of that authority. in order for a state, for example, to have authority, it must have a “monopoly of force” and delegate that authority. it has laws dictating the use of force, who can imprison whom, employ people who are given certain authority to exercise violence like police and military, what circumstances a citizen may use violence against another, etc. without that monopoly on forceful authority no other authority exists for a state. similar rules are applicable to men.
sure, you walk in a bar with your chest out, everybody who does or says something you dont like you say “well lets fight”, yeah eventually somebody is going to cut your face. everybody understands that plain as day. nobody is advocating wanton small minded willingness for violence.
but 90% of people avoid fights at all times, or have very extreme circumstances in which they will engage, and the fact that you know you could hold your own against that 90% shows in your movements and demeanor and therefore you command more authority in your own life. and of course, at the end of the day if it does come down to a fight, which is rare and in general should be avoided, at least you arent an herb who is going to get pummeled guaranteed. but just because you are capable doesnt make it the go to solution, only a fool would regard fighting as a first line of defense.
Even San Francisco cops will resort to stick therapy to calm the wild.
You’re missing the point. Having a strong physical presence has more benefits than downsides, and the confidence that comes with it is beneficial for those who lack it in the first place. His friend example was clearly meant as an extreme – it is true that in some situations, being big (even if not big and LOUD) can result in MORE people wanting confrontations with you. But overall you’d rather be big and fight capable than not. To disagree this is ignorance.
I’m not talking about someone’s physical appearance, but about someone’s attitude. One should look for excitement, not for trouble. Guy above noted same thing as i, that it is all generated city behavior caused by general depression and urge to be someone in the crowd.
People feel nothing can happen to them, there, in their neighborhood, town, and that even a fight is harmless.
Well, that’s fake. If you are looking for trouble, join Marines. Otherwise it is nothing but a badly invested energy, that people camouflage as some sort of power.
I will say this. Knowing how to fight changes your posture with respect to potentially violent situations and can be an aid in defusing them. Additionally, experience of both winning and losing fights teaches you respect and humility for others. For example, I had have situations in bars where a fight could potentially start between myself and an aggressor. On the one hand I am very confident in my ability to deal with aggressive people. On the other, I do know that anyone could potentially be a superior fighter to me. As such, I will seek to avoid the fight by telling the person that their actions were unnecessary, rude, etc. but say this with authority. In one move I am telling the other person that I find their actions unacceptable and that I am ready to respond with force if they insist. Now the other person, who knows that their behaviour is wrong, is faced with the choice of shaking hands and moving on, or entering into combat with someone who is not afraid of them and potentially a very dangerous fighter. Most rational human beings will avoid combat if they have the opportunity. I know what my decision would be.
well put.
the martial arts approach to violence is far superior than the rugby / boxing approach… violence as a defense is the only one you need… strutting around all macho will just get you into trouble…. and explaining all that in court might not go your way even if you were in the right…
i practice martial tai chi, if someone tries to push me over, most likely they will fall over, i’ve only had to test this out for real once, when a huge Samoan bouncer tried to shove me and ended up on the floor…. i offered him a hand up and he looked most bemused…
in tai chi if you push or punch or kick someone the force comes from centrifuge and gravity, thus your body remains lose and relaxed…. push me on the shoulder and my other arm will automatically fly up and smack you in the face….
martial arts are the only way to go and tai chi is the king of them all, because it’s not about hefty muscle bound violence…. a five foot girl can push over a 6.6ft football player just by finding his centre of gravity….
Every martial artist thinks his martial art is the best. To me they are different paths to the same place.
Your choice of art reflects your circumstance and stage in life. I have always viewed arts like Tai Chi and Aikido as an older man’s martial art that requires a certain patience and maturity to excel in. It also reflects the older man’s need for economy of motion and efficient use of energy. For a younger man I would expect a more energetic and aggressive martial art like Muay Thai. But no martial art requires muscle bound violence. They require dedication and discipline to continue to improve yourself.
I agree.
You NEVER know who the biggest fish in the pond is. Never.
The author is obviously new to fighting and does not know how idiotic his 2 friends are behaving.
Anybody who has ever fought and by that I mean in the ring, in war or in a couple of really fucked up places acts quiet, and stays cool.
it is only loudmouthed wanna be kids with too much confidence who act like they “control” the situation by bullying others and running their mouths.
You do not need to be a loudmouthed bitch in order to display power. That just shows everybody arround how insecure you are.
Acting like a fucking douchebag just because you ran into a boxing gym for a mere 2 years does not make you unstoppable. My current coach who used to train and fight in Thailand does not look like the kind of guy who fucks people up on a daily basis. Really nice, easy to talk to, quiet dude. But I promise you one thing: You do not want to be the poor fuck who says something stupid to his girlfriend. He’d crack your jaw, break your ribs and leave you on the street while you are crying like a bitch for your mommy.
I’ve seen some really messed up shit happen to wanna be tough guys.
If your philosophy is to display your so called “strength” openly then you better be able to back it up.
A lot of it is in your mindset too. I cant fight for shit but often even bigger dudes get out of my way. Guess I must look like I have a bad attitude or an aggressive looking face.
how tall are you?
I feel stronger and more powerful when I with the help of my acquired skills with words and rhetoric, can force the opponent to back out. Than when I leave him asleep outside the establishment.
I agree 100% with the fundamental argument of this article…no doubt. A word of caution, however, is requisite. That individual cited in the article, the aggressive rugby player, is not an example to be emulated…or respected. I truly believe that the people around don’t respect him much but rather fear him. There is a difference. Growing up and living in a black community in central brooklyn, new york, I can say with certainty that that rugby player will one day come across the wrong man. Where I’m from, if a man is disrespected by another man just like that rugby player does to others in this article, the disrespected individual will retaliate with a gunshot to the trouble maker’s dome.
And the killer will feel justified just as the rugby player feels justified in bullying people…just because he can.
One should learn how to fight to protect oneself, and one’s woman or family, from mindless and reckless trouble makers. Violence is, for me at least, a last resort and a weapon for self-defense…not for bullying.
Love the article.
Being able to fight is important. Not being afraid to fight is important. Looking for a fight is stupid.
None of this should lead one to conclude that one should join the US military, however. This is not because we should all be a bunch of pacifists. Actually, exactly the opposite.
The US Military is the bulwark of the feminist state. The US Military is at the disposal of a President that is as anti-male as we have ever seen, who panders to the most extreme feminist ideology, who forces men to subsidize women when men refuse to marry (e.g., the marriage strike). In other words, the US Military is the most powerful anti-male force in existence, while ironically being composed mostly of men.
You should not lend your body to the US Military. There are other ways that are much easier and much less ultimately expensive (as in no asshole can order you to put your life in danger). Focus on using your assets for yourself and deprive the feminist state the use of your own, personal assets. Be selfish.
The military is no more or less “Anti-Male”under Obama than it was under Bush. If a slut claims that you are the bastard’s father, your commander will order you to take a paternity test. If you are not the daddy, you walk. If you are, you will set up a child support allotment.
The US military is a feminist organization devoted to spread feminism through all the world, by using useful idiots (males) as cannon fodder:
“In a recent Military Times interview, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno bragged about the progress of what he called “social engineering” to move “low-ranking females” into “all-male organizations.””
http://www.cmrlink.org/content/home/37401/boot_camp_lessons_learned_should_suspend_women_in_combat_plans
Any man who join the US military (thus submitting himself to some “female soldier” who gives him order) is as beta as they come. As soon as you enlist in the US military, you are accepting to submit to female/feminist dominance over you.
Most important reason not to join the military: There are no real wars going on. You might learn a few new things and get paid a bit but ultimately it’s just a big waste of time, as few of the skills learned in the military are transferrable to civilian life.
A DD214 and TS clearance will get you 100K.
Sure, you get some money. Nothing in life is free though. You pay a very steep price for that 100K.
In real life, fights don’t last very long, a few minutes tops. This is terrible advice depending on your country’s laws (the UK barrier for crime is ridiculous, I studied it). At least have health insurance and try verbal putdowns before endangering yourself. If you’re on the legal radar for this frequently (as a way of life), they can claim things about your mental health and it gets real. Prison doesn’t sound fun.
If you’re saying/doing something that might escalate, make sure it’s worth it. No one respects the loser and with enough repetitions it would be you.
In the UK and US, the recently released DSM-V, the Psychiatrist’s Bible, makes ALL EMOTION a mental illness. It is like trying to control society through criminalizing all thought and emotion deemed to be ‘threatening’. Threatening to who? The petty thugs who have come to run these countries?
Especially those found in male populations, with women it’s more emotional instability. UK uses the ICD system, which is basically the same.
If you’re interested in why the paradigm of psychiatry has become a pseudoscience punishing those society doesn’t like: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnqoAlD8PmI
What about the legal ramifications? That scares me more than threats of violence.
who isnt. cops are way scarier then thugs an pro fighters because there us no chance of winning.
I’ve trained Thai boxing, boxing, and BJJ for about 5 years so far. Every man should know how to fight, but looking for a fight is a horrible idea. If you ever get into a street fight, finish the job ASAP and GTFO. Do not hang around and try to be cool.
Portugal is obviously a country of slaves that have no choice but to follow orders from the bigger and smarter countries and guys like variato fantasize about being great warriors in their drunken stupor.
What leaders do is get these kind of people to fight their wars.
Seriously does anyone edit ROK?
This is a really good point actually.
Force doth shite upon the back of reason…..sayeth Benjamin Franklin. The author wonders upon what “character” traits lead to someone willing to fight. It isn’t character traits…..it’s called Testosterone. Some people have more and when they do….they will be more socially and physically aggressive.
This kind of logic sells when your 18-24 but when you get older and you want to brawl over every little issue- what happens if you get arrested, convicted,’or hospitalized? Ever try to obtain or renew a professional license with these kind of issues on record?
What economic options are left if you only following your impulses?
And speaking to the big bad tough fighter guys (I’m 6’3 and trained for years so I’m not an alien to it). You should walk in humility and not start trouble one bullet blade or something else is all it takes to end you. I know of 1 big dude who got a whole mag dumped into him and died for being ‘alpha’ to a small guy and his girl in a parking lot. I had a friend who almost shot a big 6’7 bully in a public place and even td the guy he would do so if he did not back off. That whole line if thinking is stupid and shows your immaturity. Extending your logic we should all make. Home made devices, stock ammo in caves, and be prepared to do a raid on the house at night with an ak47 on anyone who ever steps on our toes? Society and economics could not function if we followed your mentality. There would be no sitting around blogging about how to be so manly if you had to sleep in a cave with an AK and forage for food because everyone behaved like roving bandits. Complete ignorance.
Ps-The Puritans were real men- they loved God, their wife’s and children, the Church, and each other. Rampant sin and fornicating is just as destructive to individuals and society both temporally and eternally as any other godless ideology like feminism. You are not an animal built for mass fornicating like some beast in a field but for to glorify God and to love his creation including his creatures-women by honoring them as Christ loved the Church in marital bonds.
Ya agree with your middle bit espically. That belongs in the old hunter gather days to out macho everyone and steal from their huts and sleep with 1 eye open. But for a society to function, there has to be some discipline, otherwise nothing gets made, wed still be in huts and the strict religions ensured that discipline.wether its “brotherhood” or “love your neighbor”.
Even as we grew to society we still had these tendancys, that’s why we had dueling, which later became outlawed since so many important and useful people in a economy were killed(doctors lawayers politicans teachers blacksmith skilled tradesmen etc)
I agreed with you until you started praying to Lawd Geezus.
There is no “Sin”. There is legal and illegal.
Your belief in a Bronze Age cult leader makes you a slave and a beta.
There is no “sin”-that’s insane. Explain all the evil in the World?
What happens when you die? Where do you go? How do you really know?
Why do you mock Christianity?
Haven’t you read Montesquieu?
The whole alpha/beta construct is evolutionary non sense. Anyone, no matter how delusionally proud, can be made a “beta”/weak by an 87 y/o grandma with a Glock-that Alpha pride is ignorant-I’m a creationist so I believe life is given to us from God, and since God created all of us-we all have value. If one thinks of themselfs super strong/macho/alpha- many tools can humble them in combat. That false pride is illusory at best.
“that’s insane. Explain all the evil in the World?”
It’s not evil, it’s acting in your best interest.
He does not mock christianity, like most RoK readers he doesn’t believe in it. Starting from there, “there’s no sin, there’s legal and illegal” is very true for us.
We’re trying to talk logically here, so your “where do you go when you die” is more adapted to conversation with other christians.
Thor would fuck the ‘virgin mother’ while jew-boy cried like a bitch.
Women don’t worship God, they worship themselves and want us to do the same… No, thanks.
“Anyone who clings to the historically untrue — and thoroughly immoral — doctrine that ‘violence never solves anything’ I would advise to conjure up the ghosts of Napoleon Bonaparte and of the Duke of Wellington and let them debate it. The ghost of Hitler could referee, and the jury might well be the Dodo, the Great Auk, and the Passenger Pigeon. Violence, naked force, has settled more issues in history than has any other factor, and the contrary opinion is wishful thinking at its worst. Breeds that forget this basic truth have always paid for it with their lives and freedoms.” –Robert A. Heinlein
The ghost of Hitler would be a suitable referee for such a debate, since any claim by Wellington that he “solved” the problem of Europe being taken over by one man would inspire derisive laughter from not just the audience but the referee. We could have Stalin somewhere grinning in the background.
How to respond when confronted by an asshole who wants to escalate the situation the situation to physical violence ?
What I have found works for me is to square up shoulders relaxed and start loudly and confidently praying that God will bless their life and calm the anger in their heart.
Apart from the spiritual dimension, the social pressure alone of having every person in the vicinity looking at the guy who is wanting to start a fight with a guy who has asked God to bless him is enough to de-escalate the situation.
By not responding according to the ‘normal’ routine of escalating to violence it confuses the guy’s brain and he actually has to think how to respond instead of being on ‘autopilot’ to start a fight.
I think the reason I’ve found this to work for me is because I’m not ‘pretending’, it is genuine. Nobody wants to risk the unknown factor of ‘what IF this guy really is a prophet/man of God and God gets involved ?’
I call this an aggressive non-violent response, it also says “The reason I haven’t belted you yet is not because I’m afraid, it’s because I have true authority here” .
I get to remain in control of the situation and it even gives the other guy an excuse for backing down.
I’m not saying the above is the solution for everyone, but it has worked for me by switching the conflict from ‘physical’ to ‘spiritual’. Of course you have to not be afraid of physical conflict if it’s necessary, but so far nobody has crossed the line and forced me to defend myself physically.
I have found that remaining calm and talking calm while trying to deescalate the situation seems to work. You remain calm and talk calm while subtly looking around for something to bash the guys head in with. (there is no such thing as a fair fight, that is something hollywood made up, win by any means….but win). never let the guy see whats coming. Who gives a shit what anyone else says or thinks. The only thing that matters is that he’s on the ground bleeding and you are standing over him a winner. Thats handling the situation like a man. If he calms down, buy him a drink and chill.
Might makes right. It always has. It always will.
ya that’s pretty true, like even today you can put in an unjust law but itll always be “right” as long as its there. The only thing protecting it is the military at their disposal.
Of course…
http://motivational-ish.com/files/2012/01/Evolution-We-Havent-Really-Come-That-Far-Motivational-ish1.jpg
I used to confront people out of compulsion. For a long time I would do so and if they were afraid, they would back down; and of course if they were “alpha,” real or perceived, they would engage or vice versa. One thing I’ve learned is that feeling the compulsion to confront people was due to my own self-perceived weaknesses or angers. Fighting is really fucking stupid. And in our society it can be worse to be on the winning end. I’m someone who is aware of the many simple ways to do maximum harm to someone; and that doesn’t involve closed-fist punching to the face or jaw. It’s funny, because all the spaz motherfuckers who have tried to scrap with me usually try to punch me and ask them if that’s ever worked. (You’ll never “punch your way out”–and I got the sole of my boot for the person who thinks he will.) I grapple and/or take down and then bows or controlled punching occurs. But I digress. Point is, I’ve really fucked some people up and all it did was jeopardize my freedom. If you don’t have it in you to fight, don’t listen to this article and think that you should go around being an abrasive fool; because some of us are built for that shit and some of us aren’t; and if you’re coming into a confrontation unsure of what you’re doing or thinking that you’re going to knock someone out, you should think again. Some of us are sharks. And I must admit, it seems to me that the person who penned this article is not. You don’t want to be a shark: you are or you aren’t. Dolphins get bitches, too. Haha. The real bad characters keep that shit in their back pocket until they need it, because shit ain’t sweet. And the mofos that can handle themselves but look for trouble will likely end up behind bars. There is a very dark side to violence that this article neglects in its simply ignorant glorification.
Love Heinlien’s “Starship Troopers,” too bad a beta asshole director watered it down from a real view of what existence and moral law is like to a fascist piss-party.
VIOLENCE, is the end-all, be-all solution to all of man’s problems throughout history….and it always will be.
EXCELLENT ARTICLE.
I nominate this as one of the most important articles yet on ROK.
Viriato makes some truly excellent points but the most astute is this:
“Being ready to face the ultimate consequences if any situation goes wrong lets you take more risks, makes you more assertive and unconsciously increases your confidence around other people”.
There is a tremendous psychological value in being assured that you can ,if the situation ever arises,be able to defend yourself.Most people avoid confrontation ,standing their ground,being more assertive because there is fear at the back of their mind of facing some sort of violence.Of course prudence is required to know that just because you can ,doesn’t mean you should.That is why fighting is for DEFENSE not OFFENSE. Your goal is not to physically damage people but to 1)not be pushed around or be intimated by them
2)get them to cooperate with you ,but should the interaction unfortunately turn violent,you can handle it.
Gentlemen,learn to take a punch.Take up a martial art and go the classes which has the toughest looking guys in it.If you wrestle and spar with these guys you will learn invaluable lessons on the weakness of the human body that even the most muscular aggressive hulk is susceptible to.
terrible advice. there are so many random nutters around, you don’t want to be the one that causes them to explode and ram a gun into your guts.
Being willing to fight and being able to fight are two different things. In the process of learning HOW to fight you lose any desire to fight. Getting into fights hurts and usually leads to very little reward in return.
The highest ranking man in my kung fu school looks like the stereotypical middle aged blue collar auto worker from Detroit. He doesn’t look like a pushover, but he doesn’t look like a badass either. However, he could take down any “badass guy” in a bar without any effort at all.
That is why trying to use the bravado of being WILLING to fight is a bad idea. Even though it may work 95% of the time that other 5% will end very, very, VERY badly for you. The US was totally willing to fight Vietnam and look how that ended. Planning to just “punch your way through” is like any other plan. It doesn’t survive contact with the enemy.
There’s a fundamental disconnect in this article between the ability to do violence and the ability to project power through force of will. Everyone knows a 110lb woman with a 9mm beats a 220lb rugby player or MMA fighter 10 times out of 10. This is a shame, as the author ends up pussyfooting around without touching on anything beyond some superficial observations, and misses a good opportunity to discuss the influence of relatively simple issues such as personal physical projection of athletic strength in the establishment of dominance hierarchies.
Also, for Christ’s sake, Starship Troopers was a satire. Heinlein was a genius, but also a man of his times.
Try these links – Danger and Play had a couple of posts about fighting and he is very respected.
http://dangerandplay.com/2014/02/02/survive-street-fight/
http://dangerandplay.com/2014/02/06/survive-street-fight-part-2/
…And what if the guy has a weapon, or 10 friends hiding around the corner?…”I’ll just punch my way out”. 8.5/10 on the moron metre.
Oh Deere! What if an asteroid falls from space and squishes my manhood!!! Tuck up your skirts and be on your way, Nancy.
I just take out my cock and it is so intimidating that all aggressors back down.
This only works if you hang out in SWPL joints. Being an arrogant ass-clown in a dodgy part of town will get you a head-stomping from the pack of rabid protein-shake chuggers in the corner.
Standing your ground is praiseworthy and noble, but stepping into another man’s space is a dick move and you deserve any type of beating you receive.
Based on personal experience, this is true!
I’m not going to get into the details at the moment, but I’m inspired to pursue some for of martial arts again.
Thanks
PS, yes there are major consequences for this type of behavior. So be ready to face them.
Ah caralho! Aposto que és do Norte!
“Every interaction between two humans can lead to a physical escalation.”
Oh yeah, I’m sure when my grandma invites me to dinner or when I buy a newspaper from the vendor a fight could break out any damn moment.
Morons!
Being able to fight is all well and good. Be advised, though, weak spineless people don’t defend themselves on their own; they pass laws, fund awareness programs, and direct your tax dollars to fund their own protection gang, you know them as the police.
I’m saying this as a guy that was in a balls-out, shirt-ruining, cop-calling slug-fest only a week and a half ago. Even though I was stone-sober (I just showed up, it wasn’t intentional), got punched first, and used the minimal force necessary, I still got cuffed up by John Law. “Average” people don’t like the threat of fist-&-cuffs in their neighborhood, and will pay someone to stomp your head in to keep it that way, so be warned. Here’s some actual bar-fighting advice:
1. Don’t. Avoid actual fights like the plague. You can’t meet women covered in some idiot’s blood and you got better shit to do than go to jail.
2. If you must fight, don’t talk. “Fuck you” “no, fuck you” “no, fuck you”. That’s you getting sucker punched. If you feel threatened, don’t talk, just hit.
3. Punch until they’re done. Not once, not a couple times, but until your man is down. Only pro fighters can rely on one-punch power, and even they don’t “rely” on it.
4. Nose, eyes, throat, balls.
5. Watch your back. Even drunk assholes have friends.
6. Hit and run. No matter how right you are, you’re still going downtown. This is a good argument for always paying cash at the bar.
7. If and when you get pinched by the cops, you’re not under oath. Be VERY polite and explain that you felt threatened, got hit first, and were just defending yourself.
8. If you get hauled, keep your trap absolutely shut until you talk to a lawyer.
Solid Gold ^^^
Do that in my hood and you wont make it out. im not a shooter but some of my friends and close family members are. mocking random people? i guarantee that guy wasnt in new orleans, orange mound (memphis) southside chicago etc. he woulda been shot a long time ago talkin to somobody elses girl. we dont play dat shit
He was probably thinking about a place at least half-civilized.
Der Krieg ist der Vater aller Dinge. – Heraklit
Just carry a gun. Renders “respect” irrelevant.
That just raises the stakes doesn’t it?
A gun doesn’t have the same effect, unless you don’t mind prison, you won’t do what the author talked about and think “I’ll shoot my way out”.
This goes for your friends as well. Never trust a man who’s afraid to get into a fight.
Gonna just be cocky for this one. Let’s just say having a severe speech impediment that lasted past middle school, a sadistic older brother close in age, and …. I don’t know… the mind for it, made me an alpha when it relates to violence. I’m actually aspergery, which I know some of uz guyz like to rib on, but I’m a unique breed of it. Anyways, I wasn’t good at most sports, but I wrestled, took martial arts of various types, gymnastics for a bit…. but it was my “fighting spirit” that did it. I enjoyed it, or quickly learned to. My older brother dealt with me physically, so when someone made fun of me, for various reasons but mainly the speech impediment, I dealt with them physically. By middle school, no one messed with me, except unfortunate new kids trying to find a weak gazelle to go after, they always went for me. I loved when they did. I’ve been in 25 street fights. I remember almost everyone clearly. I Got my ass handed to me a few times (normally I was drunk and stupid- don’t drink and fight), but I’ve got stories that are, for lack of a better meme, epic. Beware people like me. I’ve even avoided fighting people like me. The ‘tell’ is at the beginning of an altercation, (I don’t talk shit, like the OA said, it’s just an invintation to lose initiative, but man most people like to bang their chests a bit) if one of your opponents starts trying to suppress his happiness or eagerness while everyone else is tense. That would of been me. He wouldn’t be getting pumped up, he would almost be trying to relax himself. The calmer and more content someone looks just before a fight, that’s your natural. Put that attitude on someone with size or training and you’ve got a problem. I honestly think I could have been an MMA contender with the serious training required. Oh well, at least I’ve got stories. Scoff away ye haters and doubters, but the Jabbrewoki only speaks the twuthiness.
If some dude is trying to muscle in on my date, and won’t leave when I ask him, I’m going to smash my drink mug over his face.>:d
I agree with the point the author is trying to make. You most definitely need to know how to fight to be man and yes, you must also be willing to fight. If you are not able and capable of fighting then you are at the mercy of a random thug who is.
That being said, this is a naive article. The arrogant douche mentioned in the article would get in serious trouble with a lot of people if he acted that way in other places.
As they said “Colt was the great equalizer”, but the same could be said for a knife. While the bigger more mean looking dude still commands instinctive respect, there are more than enough smaller dude with a chip on their shoulder and something to prove, to make it dangerous looking for trouble.
Second, once you get out of this bubble, you will realize there are many, many occasions where fighting isn’t even an option despite some fool running his mouth like a bitch (which many men do nowadays). You might be socially ostracized if you did or you may be dealing with someone connected to the mob or high ranking politics in a corrupt country. The point is, there are simply too many cases where violence simply isn’t an option.
However, as said before, the general point the author makes is good. You should definitely know how to fight and you should definitely know how to shoot and carry a gun if you are in a place which allows it.
Tyranny begins when man is no longer willing to stand for his own protection. And thus we got socialism and feminism.
Unfortunately for the commenters below me, people use the “bigger man and walk away” policy to hide their cowardliness.
Not every man has the capability to be an ass kicker in a street brawl. However some men who are not the least bit imposing physically, are able to command both fear and with it respect. Some guys who are tough as nails in a fight are despised. It’s not all as cut and dried as come of you want to think.
Just be the best fighter you can be, given what nature gave you. It’s better to have the skill than not.
I am not a confrontational person by nature. But I have known the power of violence for some time, and I am surprised that more people do not see that the best fighter in the world would have little to fear. It is no coincidence that superheroes are always portrayed as masters of unarmed combat possessing enormous strength.